Appendix 1
So What Do the Different Branches of Government Do For You?
A Brief Starter Guide
Please note: Within the federal system it is not always possible to align policy, practices, and services across national and state levels of government. There are many concurrent powers. However, as you read down each column you can begin to get a picture of the range of work that occurs at both the federal and state levels of government. Additionally, when looking across the rows you can begin to see how certain federal and state efforts interconnect.
| The Roles of National Government
Deals with big-picture issues at a national and international level by focusing on… |
The Roles of State Government (and Local Government - by association as defined in the Constitution of Virginia) Deals with state and local issues by focusing on… |
| National and international economic growth. | State and local economic growth. |
| National security, including maintaining the military. | Building and maintaining transportation systems, including regulating the use of highways: speed limits, safety of vehicles. |
| Protection of civil rights. | Emergency and safety needs of citizens, state and local laws. |
| Operation of social programs, such as Social Security, Medicare, student loans and grants, food assistance. | Social services for citizens, and domestic programs (many of which are funded at the federal level), such as Medicaid. |
| International trade and foreign relations. | State imports and exports. |
| Economic/environmental regulations. | Key services, such as water and sewage, and licensing for key occupations and families (professional licenses, marriage licenses, birth certificates, death certificates). |
| Inflationary pressures and unemployment. | Local land use, zoning, etc.. |
| National policy goals and funding for education. | Public education, including PreK-12, community colleges, state colleges, and universities. |
| Recovery efforts for declared national, state, and local disasters/emergencies. | Aid from federal government for disasters/emergencies; deployment of Virginia National Guard. |
| Grants and funding for state and local project needs. | Federal, state, and local government elections, including general elections, primary elections and special elections. |
| Federal taxes and fiscal management. | State and local taxes and fiscal management. |
| Establishment and operation of federal courts. | Establishment and operation of state and local courts. |
| Federal laws. | State laws. |
| Interstate commerce. | Intrastate commerce. |