AP Government
Mrs. Esko

• Federalism- a system of organizing a nation so that two or more levels of government have formal authority over the land and the people
• US Model - Dividing power between the
Federal government and the state governments

• Decentralizes our politics
– More opportunities to participate
– Try calling John Kerry -- see how long it takes you to get in touch with him, now call Ben Downing and see how long it takes to get in touch with him
• Decentralizes our policies
– Which government should take care of which problem?
– States can solve problems with the best interest of their citizens in mind
Who has more power, a US Senator or the Governor of New York?
Are ALL politics really local?

• Delegated Powers (Enumerated Powers) reserved to the Federal gov’t
– Coin money, declare war, make treaties, regulate interstate and foreign trade, conduct foreign affairs
• Reserved Powers- reserved to state gov’t
– Issue licenses, regulate commerce within states
• Concurrent Powers- Powers granted to both the federal and state governments
– Collect taxes, borrow $$, hold courts , build roads

Necessary and Proper Clause aka =The Elastic Clause
• Argument for- the delegates of the
Constitutional Convention could never list all powers of the national government
• Argument against- the Constitution is intended to set up a limited government, this clause allows for too much interpretation
• 10th Amendment?
• Nullification
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decompressor are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and a
decompressor are needed to see this picture.

• Dual Federalism - a system of government in which both Federal and state governments remain supreme within their own sphere
• Layer Cake Model
• Ended in the 1930s

• Cooperative Federalism - a system of government in which powers and policy assignments are shared between states and the national government.
– Shared costs
– Shared administration
– States follow federal guidelines

who should be responsible for….
• Food and medical safety
• Managing economy
• Healthcare
• Conservation of natural resources
• Elderly care
• College funding
• Reducing poverty
• Public Schools
• Reducing Juvenile
*Source 1997 Pew Research Center survey

who should be responsible for….
• Food and medical safety
• Managing economy
• Healthcare
F-73% S&L-14%
F-68% S&L-13%
F-58% S&L-22%
• Conservation of natural resources
F-52% S&L-21%
• Elderly care F-46% S&L-30%
• College funding
• Reducing poverty
• Public Schools
• Reducing Juvenile
F-35% S&L-19%
F-34% S&L-27%
F-22% S&L-50%
F-7% S&L-34%
*Source 1997 Pew Research Center survey

– Fiscal federalism - The pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in the federal system; it is the cornerstone of the national government’s relations with state and local governments.

• Categorical Grants -
– Money appropriated by congress for a specific purpose
• Building highways
• School lunches
• Welfare
– Typically require states to match funds
– Seen as too rigid and difficult to apply to local needs
• Block Grants
– Consolidated categorical grants for broad activities
• Highway dept.
• Schools
• Social services
– Give Congress less control over how the money is spent and no recognition for Congress for special projects
– Give the states more control over local gov’t because the determine funding and rules

• Mandate - a rule that tells states what they must do in order to comply with federal guidelines
• Often tied to federal grants - but can also have NO federal funding
• Most mandates apply to civil rights protections
– 1983 Social Security Amendments, 1984 Hazardous and solid Waste Amendments, Highway Safety Amendments,
1986 - Asbestos Emergency Response Act,Handicapped
Children's Protection Act,Safe Drinking Water Act
Amendments, 1988 - Drug-Free Workplace Acts, Ocean
Dumping Ban Act, 1990 - Clean Air Act Amendments,
Americans with Disabilities Act

Fiscal Federalism is the power of the national government to influence state policies through grants. In 1984, when the
National Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed, it essentially created a national drinking age of 21. States could still make it legal for those under 21 to drink alcohol, but it would forfeit federal highway funding.
In America at Odds By Edward Sidlow,
Beth Henschen, the author's outline the
"Bridging of the Tenth Amendment " by fiscal federalism.
The education reform
(ie: testing requirements) in the No Child
Left Behind Act rely on fiscal federalism.
States receive block grants and in return must meet federally imposed standards relating to testing and accountability. Many state officials express concern that the fiscal federalism used to put NCLB into practice is the beginning of a fundamental shift toward the national government's assumption of control over public schools.
This might also be known as marble cake federalism .

• Republican movement started shortly after the
1994 election to devolve more responsibility back to the states
• Goal was to scale back the size and activities of the national government
• Welfare was the first focus within this movement -
Welfare to Work
– Reduces the amount of time an individual can spend on welfare
– National government still gives block grants to states to support the welfare programs, but has greatly scaled back