GED Social Studies TestCivics and GovernmentMedium
A state legislature is considering a bill that would prevent local municipalities from enacting their own minimum wage laws, arguing that wage regulation is a matter for the state. This situation highlights a tension between different levels of government over the scope of their authority, specifically concerning:
- AConcurrent powers
- BDelegated powers
- CReserved powers
- DImplied powers
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Reserved powers
The Tenth Amendment states that powers not delegated to the federal government nor prohibited to the states are reserved to the states, or to the people. If the state legislature believes wage regulation is a state matter and not explicitly given to the federal government, they are asserting a 'reserved power'.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Concurrent powers are shared by both the federal and state governments (e.g., taxation).
- B. Delegated (or enumerated) powers are those specifically given to the federal government by the Constitution (e.g., coining money).
- D. Implied powers are not explicitly stated in the Constitution but are necessary to carry out enumerated powers (e.g., creating a national bank).
Reserved Powers
Powers that are not specifically granted to the federal government by the Constitution, nor denied to the states, and are therefore held by the states or the people, as per the Tenth Amendment.
- Defined by the Tenth Amendment.
- Examples: regulating intrastate commerce, conducting elections, establishing local governments.
- Ensures a balance of power in federalism.
- Often a source of federal-state conflict.
Memory trick: Reserved powers are for the states, not the Feds.