Tennessee and Utah lead Federalism Scorecard
The Center for Practical Federalism has released a new scorecard ranking the states in their ability to push back against excessive federal agency influence and control.
“Rather than a rank ordering of “best” to “worst” states, therefore, our Federalism Scorecard is an index of vulnerability to federal pressure,” reads a line from the report.
Tennessee and Utah are the top of list while Alabama and Montana are rated the most vulnerable states to federal pressure.
More from the scorecard: “Our goal is not to cast blame on particular states, policymakers, or political parties. Instead, we are sounding the alarm for every citizen who believes states and communities should govern themselves, and that this governing ought to be done primarily by elected representatives of the people.
Tennessee and Utah, both enacted a number of reforms identified in the Federalism Scorecard this past year. Tennessee, most notably, reformed the way it processes federal grants, requiring additional review by the Legislature.”
The scorecard is worth a close look, as it reveals patterns that cut across the usual red-state/blue-state divide dominating so many of today’s political debates.
— The Federalism Beat