State Government Policy

Key Terms

corporate charter, public utility, workers’ compensation, unemployment compensation, conservation, mandatory sentencing, victim compensation, extradition, parole, shock probation, shock incarceration, house arrest

Find Out

• Why does each state have its own criminal laws?

• What are four major objectives of state economic policy?

State Government Policy

Understanding Concepts

Public Policy What are the major areas in which states write and enforce public policy?

Section Objective

Analyze ways in which state governments write and enforce public policy.

The natural ability of each state to deal with individual issues that affect it was foreseen by the Founders. As described by Justice Louis D. Brandeis in a dissenting opinion of New State Ice Co. v. Liebmann (1932): “It is one of the happy incidents of the federal system that a single, courageous State may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory, and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country.”

A. Business corporations must have a charter issued by a state government.

I. State Regulation of Business (pages 648–650)

B. Federal and state governments regulate giant corporations.

C. States have laws to protect consumers from unfair practices and to protect the health and safety of workers.

D. State governments provide workers’ compensation.

E. Workers in all states have the right to belong to labor unions.

F. State governments try to attract new business and industry.

If you were governor of your state, what kinds of industry would you attempt to attract to your state? Why?

Answers will vary. Students should support their suggestions with logical reasons.

I. State Regulation of Business (pages 648–650)

A. States’ concerns for economic growth sometimes clash with public concern for the environment.

II. States and the Environment (pages 650–651)

B. In 1989 Congress strengthened the states’ power to protect the environment.

C. State governments have begun to monitor the environmental impact of major projects.

II. States and the Environment (pages 650–651)

How would you alter state regulations to control pollution?

Answers will vary. See Costs of Pollution Control on text page 651.

A. State and local governments are responsible for protecting life and property, and for establishing a criminal code and a system of punishment.

III. Protecting Life and Property (pages 651–653)

B. State police forces have investigative powers in many states, but they have broad responsibilities in a few states.

C. State courts handle the majority of all criminal cases in the United States.

D. In strained state justice systems, many states are giving judges more sentencing options.

III. Protecting Life and Property (pages 651–653)

III. Protecting Life and Property (pages 651–653)

Do you agree or disagree with mandatory sentencing for drug-related crimes? Explain.

Answers will vary. See State Criminal Laws on text page 651.

A. State governments provide about 45 percent of revenues for local public schools.

IV.Providing for Education, Health, and Welfare (pages 653–654)

B. State spending for education generally has increased.

C. The state licenses doctors and dentists, regulates the sale of medicines, and requires vaccinations for schoolchildren.

D. State agencies provide programs of public welfare, health and human services.

E. With federal assistance, states help people with special needs.

F. With Medicaid assistance, states help low-income people pay medical bills.

IV.Providing for Education, Health, and Welfare (pages 653–654)

IV.Providing for Education, Health, and Welfare (pages 653–654)

What services do you think state government should offer that it does not?

Answers will vary. Have students suggest sources of revenue to pay for additional services.

1. Main Idea Use chart to show the four major policy areas in which state governments enact legislation and an example of each.

Checking for Understanding

business regulation: utilities, consumer protection; environment: clean air and water; crime: police and corrections; health, education and welfare: school funding, AFDC

___ corporate charter

___ conservation

___ extradition

___ shock probation

___ house arrest

A. program designed to show young offenders how terrible prison life is through brief incarceration followed by supervised release

B. a document that gives a corporation legal status

C. the legal procedures through which a person accused of a crime who has fled to another state is returned to the state where the crime took place

D. a sentence which requires an offender to stay at home except for certain functions the court permits

E. the care and protection of natural resources

Checking for Understanding

B

E

C

A

D

Match the term with the correct definition.

3. Identify industrial development bonds, Medicaid.

Checking for Understanding

Industrial development bonds are bonds sold by state governments to help finance industries that have relocated or expanded within the state.

Medicaid is a federal-state welfare program that provides money to the states to help people who cannot afford necessary medical services.

4. Why is a decentralized system of justice an advantage in the United States?

Checking for Understanding

Different crime rates and living conditions call for criminal laws specifically designed for each state.

5. Expressing Problems Clearly What factors must a state legislature weigh when considering taxing or regulating large business corporations?

Critical Thinking

States must consider the effect of taxation and regulation upon business and the possibility that the state might not be attractive to business if business taxes are too heavy or business regulation too severe.

Public Policy Each state writes and enforces its own policies in areas such as education, the environment, housing, and welfare. Create a poster that illustrates serious problems related to one of these areas. Share your chart and analyze possible policy solutions.