AP US Government and Politics - Unit 1 Part 3 (Federalism)

Article IV

Outlines the relationship among the states and between the national government and the states.

block grants

Federal grants given more or less automatically to states or communities to support broad programs in areas such as community development and social services.

categorical grants

Federal grants that can be used only for specific purposes, or "categories," of state and local spending. They come with strings attached, such as nondiscrimination provisions.

Commerce Clause

A significant power granted to Congress was the power to regulate trade between the states and with foreign nations. This power is one of the most frequently stretched powers using the necessary and proper clause.

concurrent powers

Political powers that are shared by both the state and federal governments.

conditions of aid

Terms set by the national government that states must meet if they are to receive certain federal funds.

cooperative federalism

A system of government in which powers and policy assignments are shared between states and the national government.

dual federalism

A system of government in which both the states and the national government remain supreme within their own spheres, each responsible for some policies.

federalism

A way of organizing a nation so that two or more levels of government have formal authority over the same land and people. It is a system of shared power between units of government.

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.

formula grants

Federal categorical grants distributed according to a formula specified in legislation or in administrative regulations.

grants in aid

Programs through which Congress provides money to state and local governments on the condition that the funds be employed for purposes defined by the federal government.

layer cake federalism

Federalism characterized by a national government exercising its power independently from state governments.

marble cake federalism

Conceives of federalism as a marble cake in which all levels of government are involved in a variety of issues and programs, rather than a layer cake, or dual federalism, with fixed divisions between layers or levels of government.

preemption

A doctrine under which certain federal laws preempt, or take precedence over, conflicting state or local laws.

privileges and immunities

The provision of the Constitution according citizens of each state the privileges of citizens of other states.

project grants

Federal categorical grant given for specific purposes and awarded on the basis of the merits of applications.

unfunded mandates

A statute or regulation that requires a state or local government to perform certain actions, with no money provided for fulfilling the requirements.

Article VI

Supremacy Clause.

necessary and proper clause

Clause in Article I, section 8 which allows Congress to stretch its other powers in section 8 to meet the changing needs of the nation. The "stretch" must relate to another specific expressed power of Congress in order to be Constitutional. Also called the "elastic clause."

elastic clause

The final paragraph of Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, which authorizes Congress to pass all laws "necessary and proper" to carry out the enumerated powers.

enumerated powers

Powers of the federal government that are specifically addressed in the Constitution; for Congress, including the powers listed in Article I, Section 8, for example, to coin money and regulate its value and impose taxes.

implied powers

Powers of the federal government that go beyond those enumerated in the Constitution, in accordance with the statement in the Constitution that Congress has the power to "make all laws necessary and proper for carrying into execution" the powers enumerated in Article I.

inherent powers

Powers held by the President or Congress that are not explicitly mentioned in the United States Constitution.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

An 1819 Supreme Court decision that established the supremacy of the national government over state governments. The Court, led by Chief Justice John Marshall, held that Congress had certain implied powers in addition to the powers enumerated in the Constitution.

reserved powers

Political powers not granted to the federal government but specifically given to the states.

supremacy clause

The clause in Article VI of the Constitution that makes the Constitution, national laws, and treaties supreme over state laws as long as the national government is acting within its constitutional limits.

Tenth Amendment

The constitutional amendment stating, "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."

United States v. Lopez (1995)

The national government's power under the commerce clause does not permit it to regulate matters not directly related to interstate commerce (in this case, banning firearms in a school zone)

Fourteenth Amendment

The constitutional amendment adopted after the Civil War that declares "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

beneficiary states

A term in fiscal federalism which references states that receive more benefits from the federal government for programs and services than their citizens send to the federal government in tax revenue.

devolution

Transferring responsibility for policies from the federal government to state and local governments.

donor states

A term in fiscal federalism which references states that provide more to the national government in tax dollars than they receive back in services for their state and its citizens.

full faith and credit

A clause in Article IV of the Constitution requiring each state to recognize the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of all other states.

New Federalism

Political philosophy of devolution, or the transfer of certain powers from the United States federal government back to the states.

revenue sharing

A law providing for the distribution of a fixed amount or share of federal tax revenues to the states for spending on almost any government purpose.