Which amendment gives states the right to enact laws to protect safety and health?

• A. The 14th amendment.
• B. The 1st amendment.
• C. The 5th amendment.
• D. The 10th amendment.

Answer: (D)

The ability of states to regulate for public health and safety comes from the Tenth Amendment, which reserves to the states (or the people) any powers not delegated to the federal government. This underpins the states’ police powers—the broad authority to enact laws protecting health, safety, and welfare. So, states can pass rules like licensing requirements, sanitation and building codes, and public health measures because such powers are reserved to the states. The First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments address individual rights and due process in different contexts, but they do not establish the general authority for states to regulate health and safety—the Tenth Amendment does.