Bishop Says Value of 4th Utah Seat Declining

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) A proposal to give Utah a fourth seat in Congress is slowly advancing in Washington. But 1st District Republican Representative Rob Bishop says any further delay could make the debate moot:

"Four years ago when we were first approached on this issue, there was a great deal of value for Utah to have an extra Congressman for eight years building up that kind of seniority," says Bishop. "With every year that goes by, it becomes less and less significant because we'll automatically get a seat in 2012 anyway."

Utah came up short population-wise in the quest for another seat in the 2000 Census, but will most certainly have enough people by 2010. The current proposal would give Utah a fourth seat representing the state-at-large, as a counterpoint to a seat for the District of Columbia. The bill awaits approval from a House panel. If the plan passes, Bishop notes it's likely to be tied up in court over constitutional concerns. That's because it grants voting representation to D.C., which is not a state.

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