Orrin Hatch: “as I did in the last Congress, I am cosponsoring the legislation introduced today by the Senator from Connecticut to…”

“as I did in the last Congress, I am cosponsoring the legislation introduced today by the Senator from Connecticut to provide a House seat for the District of Columbia and an additional House seat for Utah. Representation and suffrage are so central to the American system of self-government that America's founders warned that limiting suffrage would risk another revolution and could prevent ratification of the Constitution. The Supreme Court has said that no right is more precious in a free country than having a voice in the election of those who govern us. I continue to believe what I stated more than 30 years ago here on the Senate floor, that Americans living in the District should enjoy all the privileges of citizenship, including voting rights. The bill introduced today would treat the District of Columbia as a congressional district to provide for full representation in the House. The bill states, however, that the District shall not be treated as a State for representation in this body. No matter how worthwhile or even compelling an objective might be, however, we cannot legislatively pursue it without authority grounded in the Constitution. I would note that the Constitution explicitly gives Congress legislative authority over the District "in all cases whatsoever." This authority is unparalleled in scope and has been called sweeping, plenary, and extraordinary by the courts.…”