• What types of services do State and local governments provide?
• Why do the amount and types of services available to citizens vary greatly from State to
State?
State Government’s Role
• The U.S. Constitution reserves to the States all the powers not expressly delegated to
Congress and not specifically denied to the States.
• State responsibilities are to "establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide
for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of
Liberty."
State and Local Services
Money spent on things like: Education, Public Welfare, Public Safety, Highways, Solid Waste and Sewage, Housing, Parks and Recreation and Natural Resources
Variations in Services
• State and local governments vary in the amount and types of services they offer according to the degree of urbanization.
• They also vary according to physical geography (energy supplies, agricultural resources, and proximity to transportation networks and major markets).