Utah Governor Gary Herbert says in his State of the State Speech Wednesday night the state should not capitulate to federal authority when it exceeds the limited powers granted by the constitution.
Herbert says the state is in the midst of many fights with the federal government, from access to public lands to costly Medicaid requirements.
Instead o relying on federal money and bowing to federal regulations, Herbert says the state needs to become more self-reliant.
The defiant tone echoes Herbert's statement during last year's speech when he said Utah is not a colony and he would not watch the state's rights get usurped, an assertion that drew the loudest applause of the night.