Unit 2 Vocabulary: American Federalism

Concurrent Powers & American Federalism Vocabulary

• Concurrent Powers: Constitutional powers shared by national and state governments, including the ability to levy taxes.

• Devolution: Movement aimed at reducing the scale and scope of the federal government's powers.

• Federalism: Political system where power is divided between a central governing authority and regional entities, such as states.

• Fiscal Federalism: The complex intergovernmental relations created by various grant programs that blur the lines of governmental functions.

• Dual Federalism (Layer Cake Federalism): Concept that the national government has a limited scope of powers, with states retaining their own sovereign powers, operating in separate spheres.

• Cooperative Federalism (Marble Cake Federalism): Emphasizes collaboration between different levels of government, recognizing overlapping responsibilities and shared functions.

• Competitive Federalism (New Federalism): Perspective that sees national, state, and local governments as competing entities, aiming to attract resources and influence policy.

• Unitary System: Governmental framework where primary power resides with a central authority, limiting regional autonomy.

• Express Powers: Powers explicitly granted to a branch of the national government by the Constitution.

• Implied Powers: Powers not explicitly defined but inferred, allowing Congress to execute its functions.

• Necessary and Proper Clause (Elastic Clause): Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3 of the Constitution, enabling Congress to enact laws deemed essential for executing its enumerated powers.

• Commerce Clause: Grants power to Congress to regulate commerce among states and with foreign nations.

• Full Faith and Credit Clause: Article 4, Section 1, mandates states recognize valid public acts, records, and proceedings from other states.

• National Supremacy: Principle stating federal law will take precedence over state or local laws when conflicts arise.

• Preemption: Authority of federal law to invalidate state or local laws that conflict with it.

• Categorical Grants: Federal funds allocated by Congress for specific projects or purposes, often accompanied by stipulations for how the money is to be spent.

• Block Grants: Broad federal funding provided to states, offering more flexibility in spending for designated areas or programs.

• Cross-Cutting Requirements: Conditions that apply to all activities funded by federal grants, regardless of the specific program.

• Crossover Sanctions: Mechanism allowing federal funds from one program to influence state and local policy in other areas.