WHEREAS, the District of Columbia, which has 572,000 residents, does not have a voting representative in the United States Congress; and

WHEREAS, the District of Columbia is the only jurisdiction in the United States whose residents are required to pay federal income taxes but have no voice in how those taxes are spent; and

WHEREAS, the federal tax burden borne by District of Columbia residents, which is approximately $6 billion a year, is the second highest per capita among the states; and

WHEREAS, District residents have served in every major U.S. combat action - including the war in Iraq - but do not have a vote in the legislative body that approves and funds military action; and

WHEREAS, the State of Utah missed gaining a fourth congressional district in the last census by 857 people, amid objections over the failure to include 11,000 overseas missionaries in that count; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that adds a seat for both the District and Utah; and

WHEREAS, companion bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the United States Senate,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls on the U.S. Senate to approve legislation granting District residents the same voting rights enjoyed by other U.S. citizens who pay federal taxes, and to create an additional congressional seat for the State of Utah; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls on the President to sign such legislation into law, should it be presented to him, and grant District residents full voting representation in the U.S. House of Representatives.