Texas Legislature Tightens State Control Over Local Regulations

Texas has passed a bill that strips authority from cities and shifts it to the Republican-controlled legislature. The bill, which takes large domains of municipal governing out of the hands of the state’s largely Democratic-run cities, would nullify many existing ordinances and ban new restrictions on payday lending or puppy mills. The legislation’s opponents argue that it would hamstring cities’ abilities to make policies to fit their unique circumstances and that the state legislature is ill-suited to managing the day-to-day affairs of cities.