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Utah summit draws cross‑state officials; commission plans tailored follow‑ups for red and blue states
Summary
Commissioners and academics said the inaugural federalism summit met logistical and engagement goals, leaving attendees "enthused" and interested in adapting Utah's approach in other states. Organizers plan a Nov. 20 webinar as a red‑state recap and a separate outreach stream for Democratic state legislators.
Commission leaders and attendees evaluated last month's federalism summit as logistically successful and useful for building cross‑state momentum, while acknowledging branding and messaging challenges the commission must address to attract broad bipartisan participation.
Chair Ivory and Professor Andrew Smith (UVU) said the summit drew roughly 70 participants, including elected officials, policy scholars, and state staff from multiple states. Professor Smith summarized three metrics for success: logistics, attendee enthusiasm, and the potential to attract "blue state" participation. He reported success on logistics and attendee engagement and said scholars urged the commission to avoid partisan framing and emphasize federalism as a governance principle.
Commissioners discussed practical next steps. A Nov. 20 webinar was set for a "red state" recap, hosted with partner organizations. Commissioners said they will convene separate educational discussions aimed at Democratic legislators and staff to address perception and messaging differences, and that organizers will pursue a longer range plan to seek agreement on a bipartisan statement of federalism and, in time, approach federal leaders for negotiated clarity about state and federal roles.
Professor Smith and participating scholars recommended emphasizing the constitutional and operational "why" of federalism, connecting the issue to the functioning of local government, and developing training materials that frame federalism as structure rather than partisan policy.
Commission staff said they will circulate summit materials and begin planning follow‑up webinars and briefing sessions designed for audiences with different political perspectives.
