Utah Senate passes resolution opposing D.C. statehood amid split debate

The Utah State Senate took up FCR 8 on Feb. 10, 1994, a resolution voicing opposition to the federal process used to consider admitting the District of Columbia as a state.

Sen. David Watson, who introduced the resolution, argued it signals dissatisfaction with how the federal process is proceeding and urged colleagues to send that message to Washington. ‘‘It is an organized attempt to…let the federal government know the states are not happy with the procedure with which they are attempting to make the District of Columbia a state,’’ Watson said.

Sen. Ward and others pressed a counterpoint: Ward asked why lack of population growth in D.C. would justify withholding representation and suggested alternative remedies, including encouraging incorporation into neighboring states if necessary. ‘‘These people need representation,’’ Ward said, stressing that D.C. residents have no voting representatives in Congress.

Sen. Blackham proposed language that would support D.C. becoming part of an adjacent state rather than becoming a separate state; Sen. Howell and others argued that D.C. residents should be able to decide their political status without a discouraging message from other states. The body called the question and conducted a roll‑call vote; the resolution passed by the tally reported on the floor.

The floor debate mixed constitutional and representational arguments with practical suggestions about alternative governance arrangements. Senators voting both for and against emphasized respect for D.C. residents’ claims to representation while differing on whether the resolution’s language offered an appropriate response to Congress’s actions.

The Senate then carried on to other third‑reading business, recording the outcome of the concurrence motion for the resolution.