Center to Restore the Balance of Government

Policy Center Description

The Center to Restore the Balance of Government is a natural outgrowth of ALEC as the organization has such a strong federalism-focus. The Center will help realize the goals articulated in the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”

The Center is chaired by Utah State Representative Ken Ivory, a nationally-recognized federalism expert and is counseled by proven federal and state leaders with strong backgrounds in state sovereignty issues.

Decisions that impact individual, local communities should be made by at the local level. Genuine accountability to hardworking taxpayers comes from state and local legislators working with community members to determine a plan of action that is right for each individual state, city or town. The ALEC Center to Restore the Balance of Government will provide tools for state lawmakers to set priorities for state control over state issues. Real solutions come from the fifty laboratories of democracy, not one-size fits all federal government policies that disregard regional differences and local community needs.


Chairman’s Corner: Federalism- It’s Like Riding a Bike!

“In the Fall of 2016, at the height of the Trump-Clinton presidential campaign, my wife Becky and I took an anniversary trip to Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

Pagosa Springs is home to an innovative greenhouse company. I love to garden and have always wanted this kind of greenhouse. So, I talked my wife into a trip to Pagosa Springs to celebrate our 28th anniversary. (Am I a romantic, or what?). Fortunately, my wife Becky is a saint with the patience of Job, so she agreed to my greenhouse gardening anniversary plan.

Happily, for the sake of my marriage, Pagosa Springs is also a quaint hot springs and spa resort town. Becky loves hot springs and massages, so there is no dog house with my name on it in this story.

Here’s where the federalism lesson comes in.”

Discover practical steps that you can take to strengthen and protect Federalism here.


Article V: A Handbook for State Lawmakers

By Rob Natelson; Published June 23, 2016

An invaluable guide for state lawmakers who recognize that the states have power and the duty to rein in a federal government that is unable and unwilling to reform itself.

Task Forces

Federalism and International Relations

State legislators and their constituents are stakeholders in many of the most important national and international issues of the day.