After legislation granting the District a voting seat in the House of Representatives passed two weeks ago, the question that remained was how the Senate would look upon the proposal. Well, today we’ll find out.

Today at 2:30 p.m. Senator Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Ut.) will introduce legislation that follows up on the House’s recent action. And while Lieberman’s leadership was all but assured during the April 16 March for Voting Rights, the big win for voting rights activists is Hatch’s endorsement of the plan. Hatch, a senior Republican whose state would similarly gain a seat under the proposal, was always something of a question mark, expressing support for Utah’s gain while at the same time noting his concern with the legislation’s constitutionality.

Of course, the legislation still faces an uphill battle in the Senate. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has expressed his opposition to the plan, and a memo from the Senate Republican Policy Committee dated March 20 stressed that the various constitutional preoccupations that some legal experts have expressed make the proposal impractical. Also, it may be difficult to round up the necessary votes to prevent any procedural motions that would block the legislation’s consideration.

We’re hopeful, though. The more debate this issue gets, the better (and the more live-blogging we’ll get to do). And even though President Bush has threatened a veto should the legislation reach his desk, a full congressional endorsement of District voting rights would be a huge moral victory for the movement and the city.