WASHINGTON (AP) – The D.C. Council is holding the first of two hearings on a bill to establish a constitution in the unlikely event that the District of Columbia becomes the nation’s 51st state.
The proposed constitution is part of Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser’s statehood strategy. It will need to be approved by voters in November to be sent to Congress. Then, the administration hopes to persuade Congress to vote on whether to admit the District as a state.
But statehood remains a difficult sell politically. The District is overwhelmingly Democratic, which means making it a state would all but guarantee two additional Democratic senators.
The Council will listen to testimony on the proposed constitution on Tuesday and again on Oct. 6.
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