This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Legislators could be going back to school for a special class on federalism — the constitutional relationship between states and the federal government — every two years. And it would cost taxpayers $350,000 to develop the curriculum.
The House Government Operations Committee passed HB207 on a 6-2 vote Friday, and sent it to the full House for consideration.
It originally would have made the class for legislators mandatory, but the committee amended it to make the training voluntary.
Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan, who regularly gives speeches at the Legislature about the Founding Fathers and how America has allowed the federal government to seize more control than intended by the U.S. Constitution, is sponsoring the bill.
He said it should be mandatory because "we are constitutional officers," and legislators need to better understand their roles.
Rep. Norm Thurston, R-Provo, opposed making the classes mandatory. "I don't like using the force of law on my conscience… You are telling me I must come as a legislator and sit through an education module prepared by someone else as a precondition to serve the people of my district."
Rep. Patrice Arent, D-Millcreek, estimated the $350,000 the classes would cost would be better spent on helping school children or colleges in the state.