Federal, State and Local

Governments
Unit 6

Federal System
Federal and State governments both share
and divide powers.

Division of Powers
The Constitution calls for a break up of
governmental powers; some are held by the
federal government and some are held by
state governments.
Federal Powers: Expressed, Implied, Inherent

Reserved / Concurrent Powers

States enforce both Reserved and Concurrent
powers

Supremacy Clause
States can make no law superseding a Federal
law.

Grants-in-aid v. Unfunded Mandate

Grants-in-aid: Money given to States to help
fund Congresses policies
Unfunded Mandate: Regulation a State must
abide by without federal funding

Grant-in-Aid

Referendum & Initiative

Referendum: Government creates policy and
people approve it.
Initiative: People create policy and people
approve it.

Line Item Veto

Blocking a specific part of a bill instead of the
whole bill.

Misdemeanor v. Felony
Misdemeanor - Less serious crimes (less then
1 year in prison)
Felony - More serious crimes (more than 1
year in prison)