((Texas Tribune-Two years after a local court announced that the new state law, which weakens the authority to make policy-making in liberal urban areas, was unconstitutional, on Friday, the Court of Appeal canceled this decision.
Legislators in Texas passed in 2023 Home Law draft 2127It is called “Death Star” Bell By opponents, which aim to turn the progressive policies of cities and prevent them from enacting future decrees that are not in line with large areas of the state law.
The law prohibits cities and provinces from establishing local decrees that exceeded state laws, such as those that were passed in Dallas and Austin to impose water breaks for building workers.
The bill, which is sought by the governor of the state, Greg Abbott, is the largest attempt by the Texas Republicans to undermine the power of the largest urban areas in the state, as home to voters and leaders with democratic tendencies.
A month after the draft law was passed, Houston, which was joined by San Antonio and Al Baso, filed a lawsuit against the state to prevent the new law, on the pretext that he deprived the elected officials of the authority to enact local decrees on a wide range of cases, such as noise regulations and mask delegations. They were also concerned that the law made it very difficult for local leaders to carry themselves to the point that it would push them to suggest less policy changes.
“What this means is that cities like Houston cannot transfer decrees in these areas unless Texas is explicitly giving us permission to do so,” said Houston’s mayor of Houston Sylvester Turner in 2023.
Travis province judge Ruling on August 2023 That the law was unconstitutional, but on Friday, the Third Appeal Court canceled this decision.
In its rulingThe Court of Appeal said that it is largely agreed with the state for two reasons: cities failed to refer to the “adequate garbage” of how to harm the bill, and made a weak issue of how to blame the state for their concerns.
However, the Prosecutor’s Office in San Antonio indicated that the court rejected the case because “cities do not have a position to challenge” the law because “at this stage, there were no challenges on any of our decrees under this statute.”
Republicans in Texas and pressure groups have argued that the law is to decipher confused from the local regulations that worship companies and slow economic growth. After approving the bill, Abbott said that the law prohibits cities from being “able to operate microscopic companies” that “especially the costs of local companies.”
“We will get one regulatory system throughout the state in the huge areas that will make the cost of work less, and the ease of work better.”
Earlier this year, legislators Pass Senate Bill 2858Which sought to add teeth to the 2023 Law by granting the Public Prosecutor in Texas the authority to prosecute cities and provinces to adopt local bases that exceeded the laws of states.
San Antonio’s lawyer office said he is in the process of reviewing legal options and coordinating with Houston and Al Baso to plan the following steps.
The office said: “Although this decision rejected the current issue, it does not prevent us from raising these constitutional issues again in the future if a specific challenge arises under HB 2127.”
Joshua Fecter contributed to this report.