Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. Name one power of the states.

The TENTH AMENDMENT to the Constitution establishes FEDERALISM by reserving to the states (or to the people) all powers not specifically granted to the federal government. USCIS Civics Question 45 asks for one power of the states. Acceptable answers: PROVIDE SCHOOLING AND EDUCATION; PROVIDE PROTECTION (police); PROVIDE SAFETY (fire departments); GIVE A DRIVER'S LICENSE; APPROVE ZONING AND LAND USE. Any one of these is correct. FEDERAL vs. STATE POWERS: ONLY FEDERAL: print money; declare war; create an army; make treaties with foreign nations; regulate interstate commerce. ONLY STATES: education; police; fire departments; driver's licenses; zoning/land use; marriage laws; most criminal law. SHARED (concurrent): taxation; building roads; making and enforcing laws; establishing courts. This division of power is called FEDERALISM — the constitutional system that balances power between the national government and the states. Debates about the proper scope of federal vs. state power have been present throughout American history (states' rights debates, Civil War, New Deal, civil rights era, and ongoing today). The system was designed to: keep government close to the people on local matters; allow states to serve as 'laboratories of democracy' experimenting with different policies; prevent concentration of all power at the national level.