Photo by Erin Kelly.

While the D.C. statehood effort continues in the aftermath of presidential caucuses in Iowa and Nevada, it now looks like some members of the Hawaiian Senate are pushing to make D.C. the 51st state.

A new resolution, introduced by Senator Clarence Nishihara (D) yesterday and co-sponsored by four other senators, urges the U.S. Congress to grant D.C. budget autonomy, legislative autonomy, and statehood—through either legislation or a constitutional amendment.

“I believe all citizens of the United States should have proper representation,” said Senator Nishihara in a release. “Introducing this resolution allows taxpaying Americans to not only have a seat at the table, but a voice at the table.”

For D.C. Shadow Senator Paul Strauss, who has been working on statehood for the District, “the timing just couldn’t be better” in light of efforts happening concurrently in Iowa and Nevada. He notes that Nishihara spoke to statehood activists at the National Conference of State Legislatures, where most recently a D.C. statehood resolution failed by two votes in December. “Regrettably, I did not get to travel to Hawaii to do outreach,” jokes Strauss.

This isn’t the first time that the Hawaii legislature has introduced legislation in support of the District. “Members of the 113th United States Congress are urged to enact federal legislation or propose a constitutional amendment granting full voting rights to residents of the District of Columbia,” the legislative body declared back in 2013, though the near-unanimous measure did not have a measurable impact on Congress.

Here’s a look at the latest resolution, which is awaiting referral to committee for a hearing.

Hawaii SCR 34