We will look into the nature of the three levels of government that exist in the US. This is done in two ways. The first is the legal - constitutional - framework they each exist within, the second regards the flow of revenue from one to the other.
Federalism: Definition: Federalism is a system of government in which the same territory is controlled by two levels of government. Generally, an overarching national government is responsible for broader governance of larger territorial areas, while the smaller subdivisions, states, and cities govern the issues of local concern. Both the national government and the smaller political subdivisions have the power to make laws and both have a certain level of autonomy from each other. In the United States, the Constitution has established a system of “dual sovereignty,” under which the States have surrendered many of their powers to the Federal Government, but also retained some sovereignty. Examples of this dual sovereignty are described in the U.S. Constitution.
Terminology
- federalism
- sovereignty
- the states
- national power
- expressed
- enumerated
- implied
- necessary and proper
- commerce
- general welfare
- equal treatment
- state power
- states rights
- reserved
- concurrent
- prohibited
- eminent domain
- police power
- state relations
- full faith and credit
- comity
- limits on states
- local government
- Dillon's Rule
- home rule
- dual federalism
- cooperative federalism
- fiscal federalism
- grants
- regulated federalism
- unfunded mandates
- role of the judiciary
- checks and balances
- elections and appointments
- legislative branch
- divided government
- executive privilege
- case law
- block grants
- categorical grants
- coercive federalism
- commerce clause
- confederal system
- cooperative federalism
- dual federalism
- enumerated powers
- federal system
- full faith and credit
- implied powers
- matching grants
- necessary and proper clause
- new federalism
- preemptions
- reserve clause
- prohibited clause
- supremacy clause
- unfunded mandate
- unitary system
Budget, Finances, and Policy
- appropriations
- certify
- deferrals
- dual budgeting process
- expenditures
- fees
- fines
- fiscal note
- general revenue funds
- homestead exemptions
- pay as you go
- progressive tax
- regressive tax
- revenue
- riders
- sin taxes
1 - Constitutional Federalism:
What do the constitutions of the US and Texas say about the division of governmental responsibility?
- Federalism and the Constitution.
- - U.S. Constitution:
- - The Delegated, Concurrent, Implied, and Prohibited Powers
- - - Section 8: Powers of Congress.
- - - Section 9: Powers Denied Congress.
- - - Section 10: Powers Denied to the States
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- - Texas Constitution
- - The Reserved, Concurrent, Implied, and Prohibited Powers
- - - Article 3: The Legislature.
- - - Article 9: Counties.
- - - Article 11: Municipal Corporations.
- - Municipal Ordinances
- - - City of Houston.
- - Special Districts
2 - Dual and Cooperative Federalism
- - Dual Federalism: a political arrangement in which power is divided between the federal and state governments in clearly defined terms, with state governments exercising those powers accorded to them without interference from the federal government.
- - Cooperative Federalism: a flexible relationship between the federal and state governments in which both work together on a variety of issues and programs.
3 - Local Governments
- - Local Governments: . . . authority to determine and execute measures within a restricted area inside and smaller than a whole state. Some degree of local government characterizes every country in the world, although the degree is extremely significant. The variant, local self-government, is important for its emphasis upon the freedom of the locality to decide and act.
- - General Purpose
- - - Counties: In the United States, a county or county equivalent is an administrative or political subdivision of a state which consists of a geographic region with specific boundaries and usually some level of governmental authority
- - - Municipalities (Cities): a city can be defined as a permanent and densely settled place with administratively defined boundaries whose members work primarily on non-agricultural tasks. Cities generally have extensive systems for housing, transportation, sanitation, utilities, land use, production of goods, and communication. Their density facilitates interaction between people, government organizations, and businesses, sometimes benefiting different parties in the process, such as improving the efficiency of goods and service distribution.
- - Single Purpose
- - - Independent School Districts: An independent school district (ISD) is a type of school district in some US states for primary and secondary education that operates as an entity independent and separate from any municipality or county, and only under the oversight of the respective state government. As such, the administrative leadership of such districts is selected from within the district itself and has no direct responsibility to any other governmental authority. This independence normally also implies that the district has its own taxing authority that is outside the direct control of other governmental entities.
- - - Special Districts: Special districts (also known as special service districts, special district governments, limited purpose entities, or special-purpose districts[failed verification]) are independent, special-purpose governmental units that exist separately from local governments such as county, municipal, and township governments, with substantial administrative and fiscal independence. They are formed to perform a single function or a set of related functions.
4 - Fiscal Federalism.
- - Fiscal Federalism: financial relations between units of governments in a federal government system.
- - U.S. Fiscal Policy.
- - Texas Fiscal Policy.
- - Houston Fiscal Policy.
- - City of Alvin Fiscal Policy.
- - Alvin Independent School District.
- - Brazoria County.
- - Alvin Community College Fiscal Policy.
5 - Public Policy: . . . an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. These policies govern and include various aspects of life such as education, health care, employment, finance, economics, transportation, and all over elements of society.
Lecture Topics
- Territorial History of the USA: Every Month for 400 Years.
- Annexation History - Planning and Development Department - City of Houston.
- The deficiencies of the confederated system.
- The Federal System.
- The _______ Powers (fill in the blank).
- Section 8 Enumerated Powers.
- Public Policy and the Enumerated Powers.
- 10th Amendment.
- 10th Amendment.
- Federalism and Public Policy.
- The States within the U.S. Constitutional System.
- The Stages of Federalism.
- An Overview of Public Policy.
- Public Policy.
Local Governments
- Local Government.
- Texas Constitution, Article 9: Counties.
- Texas Constitution, Article 11: Municipal Corporations.
- Texas Local Government Code.
- Police Powers.
- Territorial History of the USA: Every Month for 400 Years.
- Annexation History - Planning and Development Department - City of Houston.
- City.
- Texas Municipal League.
- County.
- Texas Association of Counties.
- Spotlight Special Purpose Districts.
- Texas County Profiles.
Revenues and Spending
- Government Revenues.
- Government Spending.
- Fiscal Size-Up: Areas of Spending / State Agencies.
- For comparison: the 2019 and 2020 federal budgets. (U.S. Figures)
- Video: How the Texas Budget Works: An Overview.
- ACC: Financial Information.
- ACC: Strategic Plans.
- PISD: 2022-23 Budget.
Terminology
federalism
nationalism
national government
state government
local government
counties
cities (municipal government)
employment
- US: 2.7m
- state: 5.3m
- local: 13.7m
unitary government
confederation
authority
popular sovereignty
diffusion
pre-emption
coordination
delegated powers
implied powers
commerce clause
necessary and proper clause
supremacy clause
inherent powers
separated powers
shared powers
concurrent powers
full faith and credit
federal system
dual federalism
civil war
progressive era
cooperative federalism
coercive federalism
New Deal
Great Society
fiscal federalism
grants–in–aid
Reagan Era
New Federalism
block / categorical grants
unfunded mandate
devolution
pre-emption
privatization
deregulation
education
healthcare
administrative federalism
annexation
auditor
city charter
commissioners court
constable
contract outsourcing
county attorney
county civil service commission
county clerk
Dillon’s Rule
fiscal federalism
general law city
home rule city
justice of the peace (JP)
machine politics
majority election
merit-based civil service system
municipal bond
municipal utility district (MUD)
ordinance
partisan election
plurality election
privatization
sheriff
tax assessor
zoning policy
__________
- What is public policy?
- What is public finance?
- - Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.
- - Legislative Budget Board.
- - - Fiscal Size Up.
- Government Revenue.
- Government Expenditures.
- - Texas Comptroller: State Revenue and Spending.
- - The Urban Institute: State and Local Backgrounders.
- Categories of Public Policies.
- - The Four Different Types of Goods.
- Federalism and Public Policy.
- Fiscal Policy.
- Private Goods.
- Public Goods.
- For comparison: the 2019 and 2020 federal budgets.
GOVT 2306: LSP - Chapter Twelve: Fiscal Policy
ad valorem tax
agenda setting
appraisal
distributive policy
excise tax
fiscal policy
franchise tax
general sales tax
income tax
“pay-as-you-go” system
Permanent School Fund (PSF)
policy
policy adoption
policy evaluation
policy formation
policy implementation
progressive tax
property tax
redistributive policy
regressive tax
regulatory policy
severance tax
sin tax
subsidies
tax expenditures
