The House recently approved legislation to grant statehood to Washington, D.C. and make it the 51st state in the nation.
H.R. 51 passed the House 216-208 in a party-line vote, The Hill reported. Hawaii State Sen. Mazie Hirono took to Facebook to voice her support for the legislation.
"The Senate must follow the House’s example and pass #DCStatehood," Hirono wrote in an April 23 Facebook post. "It’s a vote for fairness and equality."
The population of D.C. is just under 50% black and the bill comes as Democrats push for measures aimed at improving racial justice and representation.
The bill now heads to the Senate where it is expected to face stiff opposition. It's the second time the House has approved such legislation in two years, but not all 50 Democrats in the Senate support statehood for D.C. and passing the Senate would likely require ending the filibuster that requires most legislation to clear 60 votes.
Republicans have traditionally opposed granting statehood to D.C. mostly because it would likely lead to two more Democratic Senators and a Democratic House member. D.C. leans heavily Democratic with President Biden winning 92% of the district's vote and netting three electoral votes in the 2020 general election.