S.R. 1 Senate Resolution Supporting Washington D.C. Statehood
| Bill Sponsor:  Sen. Blouin, Nate |
- Drafting Attorney: Thomas R. Vaughn
- Fiscal Analyst: Kimberly D. Madsen
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- Last Action: 3 Mar 2023, Senate/ filed
- Last Location: Senate file for bills not passed
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Introduced
Printer FriendlyS.R. 1
1 SENATE RESOLUTION SUPPORTING WASHINGTON D.C.
2STATEHOOD
32023 GENERAL SESSION
4STATE OF UTAH
5Chief Sponsor: Nate Blouin
6
7 LONG TITLE
8 General Description:
9 This resolution proclaims the Senate of the state of Utah supports admitting
10 Washington, D.C. into the Union as a state of the United States of America.
11 Highlighted Provisions:
12 This resolution:
13 ▸ proclaims that the Senate of the state of Utah supports admitting Washington, D.C.
14 into the Union as a state of the United States of America; and
15 ▸ urges the members of the United States Congress to enact federal legislation
16 granting statehood to the people of Washington, D.C.
17 Special Clauses:
18 None
19
20 Be it resolved by the Senate of the state of Utah:
21 WHEREAS, the people living on the land that would eventually be designated as the
22 District of Columbia were provided the right to vote for representation in Congress when the
23 United States Constitution was ratified in 1788;
24 WHEREAS, the passage of the Organic Act of 1801 placed the District of Columbia
25 under the exclusive authority of the United States Congress and abolished residents' right to
26 vote for members of Congress and the President and Vice President of the United States;
27 WHEREAS, residents of the District of Columbia were granted the right to vote for the
28 President and Vice President through passage of the Twenty-third Amendment to the United
29 States Constitution in 1961;
30 WHEREAS, as of 2021, the United States Census Bureau data estimates that the
31 District of Columbia's population of approximately 689,545 residents is comparable to the
32 populations of Wyoming (576,851), Vermont (643,077), Alaska (733,391), and North Dakota
33 (779,094);
34 WHEREAS, residents of the District of Columbia share all the responsibilities of
35 United States citizenship, pay more federal taxes than residents of 22 states, serve on federal
36 juries, and defended the United States as members of the United States Armed Forces in every
37 war since the War for Independence; yet they are denied full representation in Congress;
38 WHEREAS, the residents of the District of Columbia themselves have endorsed
39 statehood for the District of Columbia and passed a District-wide referendum on November 8,
40 2016, which favored statehood by 86%;
41 WHEREAS, no other democratic nation denies the right of self-government, including
42 participation in its national legislature, to the residents of its capitol;
43 WHEREAS, the residents of the District of Columbia lack the full democracy, equality,
44 and citizenship enjoyed by the residents of the 50 states;
45 WHEREAS, the United States Congress repeatedly has interfered with the District of
46 Columbia's limited self-government by enacting laws that affect the District of Columbia's
47 expenditure of its locally raised tax revenue, including barring the usage of locally raised
48 revenue, thus violating the fundamental principle that states and local governments are best
49 suited to enact legislation that represents the will of their citizens;
50 WHEREAS, although the District of Columbia has passed consecutive balanced
51 budgets since Fiscal Year 1997, it still faces the possibility of being shut down yearly because
52 of Congressional deliberations over the federal budget;
53 WHEREAS, District of Columbia Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and Delaware
54 United States Senator Tom Carper introduced in the 117th Congress H.R. 51 and S. 51, the
55 Washington, D.C. Admission Act, that provides that the State of Washington, D.C. would have
56 rights of citizenship as taxpaying American citizens, including two Senators and at least one
57 House member; and
58 WHEREAS, the United Nations Human Rights Committee has called on the United
59 States Congress to address the District of Columbia's lack of political equality, and the
60 Organization of American States has declared the disenfranchisement of the District of
61 Columbia residents a violation of its charter agreement, to which the United States is a
62 signatory:
63 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the state of Utah urges the
64 members of the United States Congress to enact federal legislation granting statehood to the
65 people of Washington, D.C.
66 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate of the state of Utah supports admitting
67 Washington, D.C. into the Union as a state of the United States of America.
68 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be sent to the President of
69 the United States of America, the Vice President of the United States of America, the Speaker
70 of the United States House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore of the United States
71 Senate, and the members of the Utah congressional delegation.
2
3
4
5
6
7 LONG TITLE
8 General Description:
9 This resolution proclaims the Senate of the state of Utah supports admitting
10 Washington, D.C. into the Union as a state of the United States of America.
11 Highlighted Provisions:
12 This resolution:
13 ▸ proclaims that the Senate of the state of Utah supports admitting Washington, D.C.
14 into the Union as a state of the United States of America; and
15 ▸ urges the members of the United States Congress to enact federal legislation
16 granting statehood to the people of Washington, D.C.
17 Special Clauses:
18 None
19
20 Be it resolved by the Senate of the state of Utah:
21 WHEREAS, the people living on the land that would eventually be designated as the
22 District of Columbia were provided the right to vote for representation in Congress when the
23 United States Constitution was ratified in 1788;
24 WHEREAS, the passage of the Organic Act of 1801 placed the District of Columbia
25 under the exclusive authority of the United States Congress and abolished residents' right to
26 vote for members of Congress and the President and Vice President of the United States;
27 WHEREAS, residents of the District of Columbia were granted the right to vote for the
28 President and Vice President through passage of the Twenty-third Amendment to the United
29 States Constitution in 1961;
30 WHEREAS, as of 2021, the United States Census Bureau data estimates that the
31 District of Columbia's population of approximately 689,545 residents is comparable to the
32 populations of Wyoming (576,851), Vermont (643,077), Alaska (733,391), and North Dakota
33 (779,094);
34 WHEREAS, residents of the District of Columbia share all the responsibilities of
35 United States citizenship, pay more federal taxes than residents of 22 states, serve on federal
36 juries, and defended the United States as members of the United States Armed Forces in every
37 war since the War for Independence; yet they are denied full representation in Congress;
38 WHEREAS, the residents of the District of Columbia themselves have endorsed
39 statehood for the District of Columbia and passed a District-wide referendum on November 8,
40 2016, which favored statehood by 86%;
41 WHEREAS, no other democratic nation denies the right of self-government, including
42 participation in its national legislature, to the residents of its capitol;
43 WHEREAS, the residents of the District of Columbia lack the full democracy, equality,
44 and citizenship enjoyed by the residents of the 50 states;
45 WHEREAS, the United States Congress repeatedly has interfered with the District of
46 Columbia's limited self-government by enacting laws that affect the District of Columbia's
47 expenditure of its locally raised tax revenue, including barring the usage of locally raised
48 revenue, thus violating the fundamental principle that states and local governments are best
49 suited to enact legislation that represents the will of their citizens;
50 WHEREAS, although the District of Columbia has passed consecutive balanced
51 budgets since Fiscal Year 1997, it still faces the possibility of being shut down yearly because
52 of Congressional deliberations over the federal budget;
53 WHEREAS, District of Columbia Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and Delaware
54 United States Senator Tom Carper introduced in the 117th Congress H.R. 51 and S. 51, the
55 Washington, D.C. Admission Act, that provides that the State of Washington, D.C. would have
56 rights of citizenship as taxpaying American citizens, including two Senators and at least one
57 House member; and
58 WHEREAS, the United Nations Human Rights Committee has called on the United
59 States Congress to address the District of Columbia's lack of political equality, and the
60 Organization of American States has declared the disenfranchisement of the District of
61 Columbia residents a violation of its charter agreement, to which the United States is a
62 signatory:
63 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the state of Utah urges the
64 members of the United States Congress to enact federal legislation granting statehood to the
65 people of Washington, D.C.
66 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate of the state of Utah supports admitting
67 Washington, D.C. into the Union as a state of the United States of America.
68 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be sent to the President of
69 the United States of America, the Vice President of the United States of America, the Speaker
70 of the United States House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore of the United States
71 Senate, and the members of the Utah congressional delegation.
Bill Status / Votes
• Senate Actions • House Actions • Fiscal Actions • Other Actions
| Date | Action | Location | Vote |
| 1/27/2023 | Bill Numbered but not Distributed | Legislative Research and General Counsel | |
| 1/27/2023 | Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed | Legislative Research and General Counsel | |
| 1/27/2023 | LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input | Legislative Research and General Counsel | |
| 1/30/2023 | Senate/ received bill from Legislative Research | Waiting for Introduction in the Senate | |
| 1/30/2023 | Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced) | Senate Rules Committee | |
| 1/31/2023 | Senate/ to standing committee | Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee | |
| 1/31/2023 | LFA/ fiscal note publicly available | Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee | |
| 2/1/2023 | Senate/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst | Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee | |
| 2/10/2023 | Senate Comm - Held | Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee | 6 0 2 |
| 2/28/2023 | Senate Comm - Returned to Rules | Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee | |
| 3/1/2023 | Senate/ comm rpt/ sent to Rules | Senate Rules Committee | |
| 3/3/2023 | Senate/ strike enacting clause | Senate Secretary | |
| 3/3/2023 | Senate/ filed | Senate file for bills not passed |
Committee Hearings/Floor Debate