WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted down a voting rights amendment that proposed ceding most of D.C. back to Maryland.
The amendment is the latest in a series of Republican amendments intended to derail the voting rights bill that would give the District its first seat in the House of Representatives.
Arizona Republican Jon Kyl's amendment failed 67 to 30, the Associated Press reported.
The amendment was intended to give D.C. residents a vote in both houses of Congress as Maryland residents, Kyl said. He argued that the current bill is unconstitutional, the AP reported.
The Senate on Wednesday defeated a motion challenging the bill's constitutionality and an amendment that would have allowed D.C. residents to avoid paying federal income taxes, the AP reported.
The Senate has not yet voted on an amendment that would repeal the city's gun-control laws.
If D.C. voting rights clears the Senate, it's got a good shot at becoming law, the Washington Post reported. It is expected to move to the House floor next week, and supporters are confident it will be approved by the House.
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The legislation also would give Republican-leaning Utah another seat in the House.
If the legislation passes, the U.S. Supreme Court could rule on its constitutionality.
