Oklahoma State University โ Oklahoma City
American Government POLS1113-20470
Spring 2022
Lecture Notes #14
Contents: cover materials in Chapter 14 โ State and Local Government
American Government
Lecture Notes #14
The Tenth Amendment declares, "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." In other
words, states have all powers not granted to the federal government by the Constitution.
These powers have taken many different forms. States must take responsibility for areas such as:
ownership of property
education of inhabitants
implementation of welfare and other benefits programs and distribution of aid
protecting people from local threats
maintaining a justice system
setting up local governments such as counties and municipalities
maintaining state highways and setting up the means of administrating local roads
regulation of industry
raising funds to support their activities
In many areas, states have a large role but also share administrative responsibility with local and federal
governments. Highways, for example, are divided amongst the three different levels. Most states classify
roads into primary, secondary, and local levels. This system determines whether the state, county, or
local governments, respectively, must pay for and maintain roads. Many states have departments of
transportation, which oversee and administer intrastate transportation. U.S. highways and the interstate
system are administered by the national government through the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Mandates
States must also administer mandates set by the federal government. Generally these mandates contain
rules which the states wouldn't normally carry out. For example, the federal government may require
states to reduce air pollution, provide services for the handicapped, or require that public transportation
must meet certain safety standards. The federal government is prohibited by law from setting unfunded
mandates. In other words, the federal government must provide funding for programs it mandates.
Grants
Grants are an important tool used by the federal government to provide program funding to state and
local governments. According to the Office of Management and Budget, federal outlays for grants to
state and local governments increased from $91 billion in fiscal year 1980 (about $224 billion in 2013
constant dollars) to about $546 billion in fiscal year 2013. (See figure). Block grants give the states access
to large sums of money with few specific limitations. The state must only meet the federal goals and
