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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs 'Death Star Bill' allowing state to overrule local governments

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Published  June 16, 2023 8:07pm CDT
Texas Politics
FOX 26 Houston

Texas - On Tuesday, Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill that would allow the state to override local governments.

House Bill 2127, also known as the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act or as its critics refer to it the "Death Star Bill" prohibits a municipality or county from adopting, enforcing, or maintaining a law going against certain Texas state codes. The prohibition would apply to the following codes:

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  • Agriculture
  • Business & Commerce
  • Finance
  • Insurance
  • Labor
  • Natural Resources
  • Occupations
  • Property

According to the bill, the purpose of it is to "provide statewide consistency by returning sovereign regulatory powers to the state where those powers belong in accordance with Section 5, Article XI, Texas Constitution."

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Proponents say cities and towns need relief from the pressure to duplicate state regulatory and enforcement efforts.

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They also state businesses need a baseline of regulatory consistency across the state that lets them focus on their businesses rather than deal with unnecessary regulatory compliance.

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Through HB 2127, Texans could then take legal action against a local government whose regulating conflict with the codes, and they could possibly recover legal relief and associated legal costs.

But a wide range of critics, including the Texas Municipal League the city of Houston, and Harris County say the bill prevents the adoption of local solutions for local problems.

This bill will go into effect on Sept. 1.