The Legislature is enlisting 2 UVU organizations to help with federalism education

SALT LAKE CITY — A bill to expand federalism education around the state through two Utah Valley University organizations was discussed and then passed in the Utah House of Representatives on Friday.

HB488, sponsored by Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan, passed through the House with a vote of 63-4 with eight absent and will now move to the Senate.

The bill would enlist UVU's Center for Constitutional Studies and Gary R. Herbert Institute for Public Policy for specific activities surrounding federalism education in Utah. It asks the two organizations to work together with Federalism Commission for promote the idea of federalism in the state.

"We need to have a return to the federalism. It means a relationship between the states and the federal government as equal partners, and things have evolved to the point where if we're even thought about it all as a partner, it's as a junior partner, and that's not the way the Founding Fathers envisioned it," said former Utah Gov. Gary Herbert.

During House floor debate, Ivory emphasized that federalism is not a partisan issue — it should not be something divides people of different parties.

"There's never been a time in American history when federalism wasn't the hot topic," said Matthew Brogdon, senior director for the Center for Constitutional Studies. "Federalism is one way of dealing with deep political disagreement."

Rep. Jason E. Thompson, R-River Heights, shared that this bill is not about politics, but it is about structure.

For leaders to 'engage with the campus'

Named after Herbert, the state's 17th governor, the Herbert Institute was founded in 2021 and was created to be similar to the Hinckley Institute at the University of Utah and the Walker Center at Weber State University.

The institute was something Herbert, who served as governor from 2009 to 2021, helped create after he left the governor's office, alongside its executive director Justin Jones.

It was meant to be a place where "current politicians, or current or future candidates, could engage with the campus," Jones said.

This institute conducts research on different issues such as elections and public lands and brings in guest speakers like former Vice President Mike Pence and ex-United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.

"We're kind of a small organization, but we're punching way above our weight," Herbert said.

The institute's three main areas of focus are leadership, gathering the community and building trust in civic organizations.

'At the center of civic education'

The Center for Constitutional Studies is a nonpartisan academic institute that studies ideas and practices pertaining to perpetuating a constitutional government. It was founded in 2011 and has continued to grow under the same mission since its founding.

The center is multidisciplinary, crossing over between politics, history, economics and other studies. The institute not only educates UVU students but also provides K-12 development throughout the state.

"We're aimed at putting the Constitution at the center of civic education, because we believe it's a civic common ground for Americans and a good place to start and, again, working on our differences as a people," said Brogdon.

Brogdon said that this bill would allow the center to be a "scholarly resource to give them nonpartisan, reliable information about how the federal system is working and how the relationship between the states and the federal government is being affected by various policies."

He added that this bill adds new specific activities to the center, but the new endeavors require the scholarly expertise that is already housed there.

'An educational role'

"We're working with Rep. Ivory and others on the intent of the legislation, with our partners at the Center for Constitutional Studies, to see how the Herbert Institute can support state agencies," Jones said.

Responsibilities given to the Center for Constitutional Studies would include developing an education and training program for state and local government employees regarding federalism issues.

"So that they can better navigate the ongoing challenges that arise from being an employee of or representative in a state that's part of a federal system," Brogdon said. "So that is fundamentally an educational role and one that is within the existing activity of the center."

The center would also be required to hold an annual federalism conference and explore forming a national organization focused on federalism. Under HB488, the center would be able to establish informal working groups as needed.

UVU's Herbert institute's main responsibility with this bill is to act as a liaison between the Federalism Commission, the Center for Constitutional Studies and government entities on federalism matters. Its efforts will be reported back to the commission.

The institute will also be asked to conduct outreach to support the efforts of the commission.

It also includes $910,000 from the income tax fund for the 2026 fiscal year being appropriated to support these initiatives. There are specific allocations for both the Center for Constitutional Studies and the Herbert Institute.

"So the legislation provides some funding for us to either contract or find a person that will work with different agencies across the state in helping them understand where perhaps the federal government has pushed agendas or otherwise, given the state more requirements than perhaps is needed," Jones said.

The groups working together

The center and the institute already work together in multiple ways within UVU, and this bill gives them more opportunities to collaborate.

"So the idea of collaboration and cooperation as very much a part of what we're trying to do" Herbert said.

Jones and Herbert said they are excited for the opportunity to partner with the commission and the center, especially on an issue that is so important to them.

"Federalism was right up my alley," Herbert said. "That's something I've been advocating for for a long, long time. It's one of my pet issues."

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