University of Kwazulu-Natal

Tennessee And Utah Lead Federalism Scorecard American Habits

Bonisiwe Shabane
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tennessee and utah lead federalism scorecard american habits

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 State Policy Network’s 2025 Federalism Scorecard found Tennessee to be the least vulnerable state to federal agency pressure and influence. The scorecard, published by the State Policy Network’s Center for Practical Federalism, evaluates how vulnerable each state is to federal government influence, particularly through state agencies and the conditions attached to federal grants, and... All 50 states are ranked based on two sets of variables that assess the extent to which elected representatives properly govern state agencies and the extent to which those representatives have visibility and authority... Tennessee received the highest ranking with a score of 67.18. Utah was ranked second with a close score of 66.34.

The will of Tennesseans should always come before the wishes of D.C. bureaucrats. Thanks to strong conservative leadership from our Republican supermajority, Tennessee is ranked the #1 LEAST VULNERABLE state to federal overreach. The Volunteer State leads the nation in protecting… pic.twitter.com/mrxwkMpHeb The Center for Practical Federalism at State Policy Network released the 2024 Federalism Scorecard —a report that reveals the vulnerability of states to influence by the federal government. Before we get into the details of the report, let’s first explore why federalism matters and how the balance of power in America has shifted away from states and toward Washington, DC

Federalism is a system of government—America’s system—where some powers belong to the national government, and some powers belong to state governments. While the federal government plays an important role, the US Constitution reserves significant powers for states and communities—and ultimately, for the American people. This balance ensures that government remains close to those it serves. However, over the years, power has shifted away from the states and towards the federal government. America’s federalist system, as it was designed, is no longer recognizable. Power has centralized in Washington DC primarily through federal agencies—or government organizations under the Executive Branch that were created to help the president enforce the laws.

Think the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). While only a handful of agencies existed during America’s early days, that number has increased significantly. Today, there are over 400federal agencies with thousands of employees. This special report prepared by the Center for Practical Federalism at State Policy Network is derived from a 50-state analysis of multiple variables—our Federalism Scorecard—that reveal the vulnerability of states to influence by federal... States that perform well on this Scorecard place authority over internal state agency operations, as well as the state’s relationship with federal agencies, in the hands of elected officials rather than unelected administrators. We include the extent to which state agencies are accountable to legislators in our analysis (rather than simply looking at state–federal relations), because federal agencies often exert power through their state counterparts.

If elected officials don’t have visibility and oversight with regard to their own state’s agencies, in other words, they won’t be able to check federal influence over how their own laws and budgets are... The first set of variables assesses the extent to which elected representatives properly govern state agencies, and the second set assesses the extent to which those representatives have visibility and authority over their state’s... This report draws its reform recommendations from the best laws in “red” and “blue” states alike, consistent with the principle that citizens ought to be governed by people they elect. *Correction: A 5-point adjustment was made to South Carolina’s score due to a scoring error. This update did not affect the state’s overall ranking. Compare with the 2024 Federalism Scorecard

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Political fatigue and public disengagement are no longer signs of apathy but symptoms of sustained institutional abuse. State Rep. William Slater played key role in promoting oversight, transparency NASHVILLE, Tenn. – State Rep. William Slater, R-Gallatin, today announced Tennessee’s ranking as the least vulnerable state to pressure from the federal government. The Volunteer State topped the State Policy Network’s (SPN) Federalism Scorecard with a score of 67.18, indicating its strength against pressure […]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – State Rep. William Slater, R-Gallatin, today announced Tennessee’s ranking as the least vulnerable state to pressure from the federal government. The Volunteer State topped the State Policy Network’s (SPN) Federalism Scorecard with a score of 67.18, indicating its strength against pressure and influence from federal agencies and federal funding cuts. The recognition highlights efforts by Slater and the Tennessee Republican supermajority to improve life for residents through common-sense conservative governance. “Federalism has been integral to the success of the United States and is one of the reasons our nation is gearing up to celebrate its 250th anniversary next year,” said Slater.

“Protecting the Volunteer State from excessive federal overreach increases our preparedness, preserves vital checks and balances and promotes effective governance. I’m honored to have played a role in the Republican supermajority’s efforts to emphasize transparency and oversight by ensuring the state government serves all Tennesseans.” Slater has passed several measures to improve Tennessee’s resilience to federal changes and pressure, including the creation of the Tennessee Federal Education Deregulation Task Force. The seven-member task force ensures Tennessee can effectively respond to the deregulation or dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education (ED). In its federalism assessment, the SPN cited a law passed by Slater last year that requires federal ED directives regarding the implementation of rules to be provided to the Tennessee General Assembly.

As recently as 2017, Tennessee was listed as third among states most reliant on federal aid, according to figures from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Tax Foundation. Being more reliant on federal aid meant, and means, more strings attached, less freedom and less ability for a state to craft solutions to problems based on […] As recently as 2017, Tennessee was listed as third among states most reliant on federal aid, according to figures from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Tax Foundation. Being more reliant on federal aid meant, and means, more strings attached, less freedom and less ability for a state to craft solutions to problems based on its actual population.

Today, according to the State Policy Network’s Center for Practical Federalism, Tennessee is ranked the No. 1 state that is least vulnerable to federalism. In other words, according to the organization, the state more than all others “empowers their elected representatives versus relinquishing their authority to internal and external bureaucracies.” The ranking is based on two sets of variables — internal and external — which measure the extent to which legislators appropriately govern state agencies and the extent to which they have oversight over...

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