Republicans intensify their assault on city governments
Conservative dogma once taught that local government reigned supreme. Those closest to constituents were best equipped to govern them, the argument went. Today, however, Republicans espouse a Goldilocks principle of government, says Bennett Sandlin, the head of the Texas Municipal League, an advocacy group. “The federal government is big and bad, cities are small and bad, and somehow state government gets it just right.”
In the latest legislative session Republican statehouses have sought to bolster state power and undercut the role of cities in local politics. Two sweeping new bills that illustrate this shift await governors’ signatures in Texas and Florida. The Texas Regulatory Consistency Act bars municipal governments from enacting policy that goes beyond state law in eight areas: agriculture, business and commerce, finance, insurance, labour, natural resources, occupations and property. Any local laws that currently do, such as tenant and worker protections, will be voided.
Florida’s new legislation will also chill city lawmaking. Local Ordinances—as the bill is, misleadingly, called—authorises businesses to sue municipal governments over any law they deem “arbitrary or unreasonable”. While a speedy “rocket-docket” court deliberates the case, in most circumstances the government will have to suspend the rule in question. And if the challenger wins, the city must repeal it. Last year Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor, vetoed a previous version of the bill, arguing that it would lead to an onslaught of costly litigation. But legislators and business lobbyists think they have a better shot of securing his signature this time, as Mr DeSantis cultivates his conservative credentials in his push for the presidency.
2023-06-03 07:55:17
Article from www.economist.com
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