The measure was derailed recently when Republican critics of the bill tried to amend it to get rid of the district's long-standing handgun ban; Democrats postponed voting on the legislation to avoid losing the battle.

"This week, as you can see, is a very full week, but I intend to have the D.C. bill back on the floor the first week that we return, and I expect it to be in a position where we will . . . not have the procedural problems that we confronted" Thursday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland told reporters.

Still, supporters of the measure are not about to wait.

A popular district blog urged residents to call House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office and Hoyer's to demand a vote this week, while the advocacy group DC Vote sent a letter to Hoyer arguing for bringing up the measure in the next few days before Congress breaks for two weeks.

"Retreat this week will be seen by many of our supporters as a significant setback," wrote the group's executive director, Ilir Zherka.

Supporters of the measure fear the bill may lose any momentum it obtained recently when Democrats quickly moved the bill through two committees in one week and onto the House floor the next.

"Obviously, sooner is better than later, but later is better than not having it happen at all," says Michael Panetta, the district's shadow representative who is elected by voters in the city but has no federal position. "It doesn't lose momentum but there's a fear that other business will push it down the agenda."

Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, says there is nothing wrong with the attempt by Republicans to send the legislation back to committee with instructions to get rid of the district's handgun ban - a move DC-Utah bill supporters said was blatantly meant to kill the measure.

"The right to keep and bear arms protects the right to vote, and the prospect of defending both rights has put a number of moderate Democrats in an uncomfortable spot," Cannon said. But, "my goal remains the same: to get the additional clout in Congress [Utahns] deserve and defend the Second Amendment."

The bill is designed mainly to give the nearly 600,000 residents of the District of Columbia a full member of the House. The part about Utah, a Republican haven, was added to the bill to balance a likely Democratic seat for the district.

tburr@sltrib.com