Powers of the States in America

1. Article 4 of the US Constitution is devoted to the states and their powers. The Constitution doesn't list the powers of the states. It says that the powers not given to the federal government are reserved for the states. The principle of federalism, the division of power between the state and the national government, creates a partnership between two levels of government. The chart on the next page shows how the powers between state and federal government are divided.

2. The constitutions of the various states differ in some details but generally follow a pattern similar to that of the federal Constitution, including a statement of therights of the people and a plan for organizing the government. On such matters as the operation of businesses, banks, public utilities, and charitable institutions, stateconstitutions are often more detailed and explicit than the federal one. Each state constitution, however, provides that the final authority belongs to the people, and sets certain standards and principles as the foundation of government.

3. In general, matters that lie entirely within state borders are the exclusive concern of state governments. These include internal communications; regulations relating to property, industry, business, and public utilities; the state criminal code; and working conditions within the state. Within this context, the federal government requires that state governments must be democratic in form and that they adopt nolaws that contradict or violate the federal Constitution or the laws and treaties of the United States.

 

 

Federal

Shared

State

government

powers

government

• Regulate

• Enforce laws

• Establish local government

interstate

and

• Make laws

• Regulate trade within the state

foreign trade

• Establish and

• Run election

• Create and

maintain courts

• Establish and maintain

maintain armed

• Collect taxes

schools

forces

• Establish banks

• License professional workers, such

• Make

copyright

• Borrow money

as doctors and lawyers

and patent laws

• Incorporate business firms

• Provide for public

• Define

foreign

• Make laws about marriage

welfare

policy

• Build roads

and divorce

• Create federal

• Protect the lives and

• Keep all the "reserved powers"

courts

property of the people

not granted to the nation- al

•

Coin

money

government nor prohibited to the

• Declare war

states

• Admit new states

 

Powers denied

Powers denied to

Powers denied to State

to the Federal

both governments

governments

government

• Tax exports

• Deny due

• Coin money

• Enter into treaties

• Change state

process of law

boundaries with- out

• Grant titles of

• Tax agencies of the Federal

consent of states

nobility

government

involved

• Tax imports or exports

4. There are, of course, many areas of overlap between state and federal jurisdictions. Particularly in recent years, the federal government has assumed everbroadening responsibility in such matters as health, education, welfare, transportation, and housing and urban development. But where the federal government exercises such responsibility in the states, programs are usually adopted on the basis of cooperation between the two levels of government, rather than as an imposition from above.

5. Each state has its own government which also consists of legislative, executive and judicial branches. The legislative branch is often called the Legislature, General Assembly or Legislative Assembly. Legislature in each state usually meets once a year for 60-90 days. The head of the executive branch is a governor. The governor appoints heads of the departments, sets up a state budget, and he can appoint certain judges. There are several officers who are the governor's main advisers and helpers. In most states they are elected, in some states they are appointed. Among these officials are Lieutenant Governor (second officer after the governor), AttorneyGeneral (chief legal officer), Secretary of State (keeps records, responsible forpublishing laws), Comptroller or state auditor (controls the spending of state money), State Treasurer (collects taxes and pays state bills), and Superintendent of publicinstruction (in charge of education).

6. In order to maintain their governments the states need money. There are several sources of money that create the state budget. About 25% of the state budget comes from income tax. This is the tax people pay on the money they earn. The second source is sales tax. A sales tax is a percentage people pay on goods and services they buy. Sales taxes vary from state to state. It may be from 2 to 8 percent on a dollar. In a lot of states such items as milk, bread, and other necessities are not taxed. Some items, such as cigarettes, and alcoholic beverages, have special taxes.

7. The government closest to the people is the local government. In addition to the Federal Government and the 50 states, there are approximately 29,000 municipalities, towns and townships in the United States and almost 40,000 singlepurpose governmental districts. Such single purpose districts include local stadium,airport and transit authorities, as well as school districts, fire and sewer districts. Each of these single purpose districts has the power to tax and regulate in some limited manner. At the state level there are approximately 7,000 state legislators in the 50 states.

8. There are three general types of city government: the mayor-council, the commission, and the city manager. These are the pure forms; many cities havedeveloped a combination of two or three of them.

9. Mayor-Council. This is the oldest form of city government in the United States and, until the beginning of the 20th century, was used by nearly all American cities. Its structure is similar to that of the state and national governments, with an elected mayor as chief of the executive branch and an elected council that represents the various neighborhoods forming the legislative branch. The mayor appoints heads of city departments and other officials, sometimes with the approval of the council. He or she has the power of veto over ordinances - the laws of the city - and frequently is responsible for preparing the city's budget. The council passes city ordinances, sets the tax rate on property, and apportions money among the various city departments.

10. The Commission. This combines both the legislative and executive functions in one group of officials, usually three or more in number, elected city-wide. Each commissioner supervises the work of one or more city departments. One is namedchairperson of the body and is often called the mayor, although his or her power is equivalent to that of the other commissioners.

11. The City Manager. The city manager is a response to the increasing complexity of urban problems, which require management expertise not oftenpossessed by elected public officials. The answer has been to entrust most of the executive powers, including law enforcement and provision of services, to a highly trained and experienced professional city manager. The city manager plan has been adopted by a growing number of cities. Under this plan, a small, elected council makes the city ordinances and sets policy, but hires a paid administrator, also called a city manager, to carry out its decisions. The manager draws up the city budget and supervises most of the departments. Usually, there is no set term; the manager serves as long as the council is satisfied with his or her work.

12. Thousands of municipal jurisdictions are too small to qualify as city governments. These are chartered as towns and villages and deal with such strictly local needs as paving and lighting the streets; ensuring a water supply; providing police and fire protection; establishing local health regulations; arranging for garbage, sewage, and other waste disposal; collecting local taxes to support governmental operations; and, in cooperation with the state and county, directly administering the local school system.

13. The government is usually entrusted to an elected board or council, which may be known by a variety of names: town or village council, board of selectmen, board of supervisors, board of commissioners. The board may have a chairperson orpresident who functions as chief executive officer, or there may be an elected mayor. Governmental employees may include a clerk, treasurer, police and fire officers, and health and welfare officers.

 

LEXIS

division of power - разделение полномочий

partnership - сотрудничество, совместное действие

chart - схема, таблица

shared - общий, совместный

interstate trade - торговля между штатами

foreign trade - внешняя торговля

copyright law - авторское право

patent law - патентное право, патентный закон

foreign policy - внешняя политика

coin money – чеканить монеты, печатать деньги

declare war - объявить войну

admit – допускать, принимать

deny - отказывать (в чем-л., кому-л.)

tax - облагать налогом; подвергать налоговому обложению

enforce - осуществлять, придавать законную силу borrow - занимать

public welfare - общественное благосостояние

property - имущество; собственность

due process of law - надлежащая законная процедура

grant - дарить, жаловать, даровать

title of nobility - дворянское звание; дворянский титул

run election – проводить выборы

license - разрешать, давать разрешение; давать право

incorporate a firm - оформить юридический статус фирмы как корпорации

marriage - брак, супружество

divorce - развод, расторжение брака

enter into a treaty - заключать договор

follow - придерживаться, не отклоняться

pattern - образец, модель; пример (для подражания), образчик

similar to - подобный

statement - изложение

operation of business - управление предприятием; функционирование предприятия

public utilities - коммунальные сооружения, предприятия; коммунальные услуги

charitable institution - благотворительное учреждение, благотворительная организация

explicit - ясный, подробный; подробно разработанный

regulation - правило, предписание, постановление, распоряжение, директива

criminal code - уголовный кодекс

working condition - условия труда, производственные условия, условия работы

require - приказывать, требовать

contradict - противоречить

violate - нарушать, попирать, преступать

overlap —наложение, совпадение, перекрытие

jurisdiction - власть, полномочия; подведомственная область; сфера полномочий

urban development - градостроительство

cooperation - сотрудничество, взаимодействие

Legislative Assembly - Законодательная ассамблея

set up —подготавливать, планировать

officer - чиновник, должностное лицо; служащий; член правления

adviser - advisor советник, консультант

lieutenant governor - заместитель губернатора, вице-губернатор

attorney general - главный прокурор штата

legal officer - сотрудник по правовым вопросам

Comptroller - Генеральный контролер по патентам, руководитель патентного ведомства

auditor - ревизор, контролер, аудитор

treasurer - казначей

Superintendent of public instruction – инспектор образования

in charge of - ответственный за source — источник

income tax - подоходный налог

sales tax - налог с оборота necessities - предметы первой необходимости

alcoholic beverage - алкогольный напиток

municipality - город, имеющий самоуправление

township - местечко; район (часть округа); поселок, городок, селение, населенный пункт

single purpose - специализированный

Transit Authority - управление городского транспорта

school district - школьный округ

legislator - законодатель; член законодательного органа

city government - муниципальный орган

mayor council - совет при мэре, муниципальный совет

commission - комиссия (как группа уполномоченных лиц)

city manager — управляющий городом (невыборное должностное лицо)

city ordinance - постановление городских властей, постановление муниципального органа

tax rate - налоговая ставка, ставка налогового обложения

apportion - распределять; разделять, делить

сommissioner - член комиссии

complexity - запутанность, трудность, сложность

expertise - опыт, знание дела; квалификация, компетентность

entrust - вверять; поручать (кому-л.); возлагать на (кого-л.)

law enforcement - правовое принуждение; правоприменение; обеспечение правопорядка

hire - нанимать, предоставлять работу, приглашать на работу

carry out - производить; выполнять, совершать; осуществлять

paving - мощение улиц

water supply - водоснабжение

board - правление, руководство, совет, коллегия (и любая организация, управление которой связано с заседаниями, группа людей, участвующая в таких заседаниях и т. п.)

town council - городской/муниципальный совет

selectman - член городского управления

board of supervisors - окружной совет

board of commissioners - окружной совет

executive officer - должностное лицо, ведающее исполнительными функциями разного рода

government employee - правительственный служащий

clerk - секретарь

health [medical] officer - санитарный врач

welfare officer - чиновник службы социального обеспечения

 

5.22. FORMATION

• contradict, contradicting, contradictor, contradictious, contradiction, contradictory, contradictoriness, uncontradicted, uncontradictory, non-contradictory;
• supervise, supervised, supervising, supervisory, supervisor, super- vision, unsupervised;
• violate, violating, violated, violative, violator, violation.

 

QUESTIONS

1. Which article of the US Constitution is devoted to the states and their powers?

2. How are the powers divided between state and federal government? Are there any areas which overlap?

3. What is the main thing that the federal government requires from state governments in respect of their powers?

4. What is the structure of a state government?

5. What do they usually call the legislative branch?

6. What are the functions of the head of the executive branch?

7. Name some of the officials who are usually the governor's main advisers and helpers?

8. What are the sources of money for the states?

9. How many types of city government are there in the USA? Describe each of them?

10. What about smaller municipal jurisdictions? Which powers and responsibilities do they have?

 

5.24. AGREE OR DISAGREE

1. The Constitution provides a detailed list of the powers of the states, including a statement of the rights of the people and a plan for organizing the government.

2. There are some powers denied to both Federal and State governments.

3. Legislature in each state usually meets once a year for 35 days.

4. The governor's main advisers and helpers are usually elected by people.

5. Most of the state budget comes from sales tax.

6. In addition to the Federal Government and the 50 states, there are also municipalities, towns and townships and single purpose governmental districts in the United States.

7. At the state level there are approximately 5,000 state legislators in the 50 states

8. The government is usually entrusted to an elected board or council, which may be known by a variety of names.

 

ГРАММАТИЧЕСКИЙ КОММЕНТАРИЙ

 

Алфавит. Звук и буква. Английский язык располагает ограниченным количеством звуков, из которого состоят все слова данного языка. Звуки произносятся в речи, а устную речь на письме передают буквы. Каждая буква имеет определенное значение и представляет собой письменный знак. Совокупность всех расположенных в определенном порядке букв называется алфавитом. В английском языке 26 букв. Начертание букв английского языка заимствовано из алфавита латинского языка. Знание порядка букв в алфавите облегчает работу со словарем, так как многие словари организованы в алфавитном порядке. За каждой буквой алфавита закреплено её название, которое может либо совпадать с тем звуком, который она передает (например: d, p, k, t), либо совершенно не соответствовать передаваемому буквой звуку (например: w, r, h), при этом некоторые буквы могут соответствовать нескольким звукам (например: c, a, u, i). Тем самым, в английском языке количество звуков и букв не совпадает: 26 букв передают 44 звука. Дело в том, что одна и та же буква в сочетании с другими буквами, в разном окружении может передавать различные звуки.

Интонация – это единство изменения высоты тона (мелодики), фазового ударения и ритма. Интонация оформляет предложение и его части в устной речи. При одном и том же составе слов в предложении и при тех же грамматических связях различные значения высказывания выражаются интонацией. Иначе говоря, предложение немыслимо без интонации. Она также играет грамматическую роль, отражая коммуникативный тип высказывания – повествовательное, вопросительное или повелительное предложение. Это справедливо в отношении как русского, так и английского языка.

Ударение – это выделение при произнесении одного слога в слове, состоящем из одного или более слогов (словесное ударение), или выделение одного или нескольких слов в предложении (фразовое ударение). Место ударения в большинстве английских слов может быть определено на основе следующих правил:

 

- в двусложных и простых (несоставных) трехсложных словах ударение чаще всего падает на начальный слог (w i ndow, t ea cher, f a mily, e xercise, etc.);

 

- в сложных (составных) существительных, состоящих из двух компонентов, каждый из которых в отдельности представляет собой слово,

 

ударение падает на первый компонент, а второй произносится без ударения (p e ncil-box, bl a ckboard, e xercise- book, etc.),

 

- в большинстве четырехсложных слов ударение падает на третий от конца слова слог (ar i thmetic, bi o logy, ge o metry, etc.),

 

- многие слова, содержащие более трёх слогов, имеют два ударения: главное и второстепенное, более слабое ударение (r e vol u tion, cl a ssific a tion, s e vent ee n, etc.).

 

Слова, в которых ударение не подчиняется соответствующим правилам, следует проверять по словарю и запоминать.

Ударение в предложении – это один из главных компонентов интонации. В английском предложении ударением обычно выделяются знаменательные слова

 

- существительные, прилагательные, смысловые глаголы, наречия, числительные, вопросительные и указательные местоимения.

 

УПРАЖНЕНИЯ

 

ЗАДАНИЕ 1. Прочтите вслух следующие слова, обращая внимание на чтение:

 

- буквы “ a ”: 1. game, name, same, fame, baby; 2. gamble, bad, sad, map, hand, many, add, bag; 3. all, ball, hall, tall, call, walk, false, chalk

 

- буквы “ o ”: 1. son, won, come, some, none, done; 2. on, odd, dog, gone, fog, lob, off, clock, loss, sorry, golf

 

- буквы “ i ”: 1. fine, life, nine, wife, tiny, wine, night, while, white, wise; 2. thin, thick, sin, sick, this, win, twist; 3. sir, fir, firm, bird, first, girl

 

- буквы “ u ”: 1. full, bull, pullman, butcher, cushion, bullet; 2. cut, but, just, shut, must, puff, dull, pulse

 

- буквы “ e ”: 1. be, me, we, deed, deep, Pete, keep, knee, teeth, meet, theme; 2. then, den, west, twelve, twenty, went, vent, red, French