AP G&P - Federalism in action
"Mitt Romney and I ran a long and spirited campaign against one another, but I've always believed that when he was governor here in Massachusetts, he did the right thing on health care. It's because you guys had a proven model that we built the Affordable Care Act on this template of proven bipartisan success. [The Massachusetts' universal health care measure] was the model for the nation's law." President Barack Obama, in a speech in Boston on the Affordable Care Act, 2013 Which of the following statements is most consistent with President Obama's argument in this passage?
State and local governments can become proving grounds for new ideas
The government of Maryland is considering increasing its welfare benefits significantly. Which of the following describes a difficulty that the state government may face in the policy implementation process?
Due to the "privileges and immunities" clause of Article IV, poorer citizens of other states might move to Maryland in order to take advantage of the benefits
In 2015, the Supreme Court heard a case challenging laws in several states that refused to recognize legal same-sex marriages. Which of the following actions could a group who supported the legalization of same-sex marriage take to influence the Supreme Court decision?
Petition to file a brief on behalf of the same-sex couple involved in the case
In the 1960s, the federal government passed the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, which compelled state and local governments to desegregate public schools and public places. This is an example of which of the following aspects of federalism in the United States?
Pressure at the national level can force state and local policy changes
Shana has a daughter in a public school whose students take a national reading test each year. Shana strongly disagrees with the test's methods and believes the test should either be replaced or eliminated. Which of the following is an action Shana could take to influence education policy?
Run for a seat on her local school board in order to influence her district not to use the test
Before the Nineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution granted women the right to vote nationwide, 13 states allowed women the right to vote in their state elections. This is an example of which of the following aspects of federalism in the United States?
State and local governments can become proving grounds for new ideas
In 1972, both houses of Congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), a Constitutional amendment guaranteeing equal rights for all citizens regardless of sex. However, the amendment failed, as three-quarters of the states did not ratify it before the deadline expired. This is an example of which of the following aspects of federalism in the United States?
The sharing of power between states and the federal government constrains national policymaking
Which of the following constitutional principles best explains why there was variation among states on the legality of same-sex marriage?
Federalism
Which of the following is a consequence of federalism in the United States?
National policymaking is held in check
Which of the following scenarios would be considered an unconstitutional use of state power?
Requiring Amish students to attend school until age 16 despite their religious beliefs
Which of the following is a consequence of the allocation of power between the national government and state governments?
Stakeholders and institutions have multiple access points to influence public policy
In 1993, Congress passed the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, which required background checks for gun purchases from licensed gun dealers. The bill required local chief law enforcement officers to perform background checks on prospective handgun purchasers until the Attorney General created a federal system to do this task. Two county sheriffs sued the United States, arguing that the law was an unconstitutional use of federal power. The case, Printz v. United States, went to the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the county sheriffs. The Court ruled that the necessary and proper clause does not give the federal government the power to require local law enforcement to fulfill the federal task of performing background checks. This is an example of which of the following aspects of federalism in the United States?
The system of checks and balances between the branches of the federal government constrains policymaking
