The term that refers to state authority to regulate health, safety, and morals is

The term that refers to state authority to regulate health, safety, and morals is

• A. Commerce powers
• B. Police powers
• C. Reserved powers
• D. Express powers

Answer: (B)

Police powers give states the authority to regulate for the public health, safety, and morals to promote general welfare. This is the standard way scholars describe the core authority states hold to enact laws on things like sanitation, licensing, building and safety codes, traffic rules, and morality-related regulations. The term captures how states prioritize welfare within their borders, distinct from federal power to regulate interstate commerce or the broader umbrella of powers reserved to the states, and it’s separate from the Express powers that belong to Congress.

Police powers give states the authority to regulate for the public health, safety, and morals to promote general welfare. This is the standard way scholars describe the core authority states hold to enact laws on things like sanitation, licensing, building and safety codes, traffic rules, and morality-related regulations. The term captures how states prioritize welfare within their borders, distinct from federal power to regulate interstate commerce or the broader umbrella of powers reserved to the states, and it’s separate from the Express powers that belong to Congress.