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Pre-emption of local authority has been a major concern over the past decade. Now, states are not only blocking specific laws but stopping cities and counties from addressing entire areas of policy.

HB 1417 affects two local tenant rights laws in Orange County, and more than 40 statewide

Republican-controlled state governments are opening a new front in their drive to exert more control over the decisions -- and decision-makers -- in Democratic-run cities and counties.

When everyone is forced to walk on eggshells in a work environment, watching what they say or do lest one be accused of being racist, sexist, homophobic,

“Hoist with his own petard” is an odd phrase. It comes from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, describing a bombmaker getting blown up with his creation. That perfectly describes what is happenin...

In a guest column, three local leaders say that new laws stifling the ability of local governments to respond to emergencies, mount their own conservation efforts and more are unfair and the relationship between localities and the state must be revisited and overhauled.

Commentary: Protect residents? Not under HB 3 Luis Figueroa, For the Express-News April 7, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail Gov. Greg Abbott is often at odds with cities and urban counties. Now, House Bill 3 would establish a committee that could terminate local disaster orders.Smiley N. Pool / Dallas Morning News Texans are combating dual crises: the ongoing fallout from the energy grid failure and the crippling COVID-19 pandemic that just crossed the one-year mark. You only need to look around our ...

The Villa Maria affordable housing building in Miami Beach Nonprofits and city planners are working to create more affordable housing, but they’re up against legislation that rewards rampant development. This story and the accompanying audio segments were produced through a collaboration involving journalists from Southerly, Climate Central and WLRN. A little over four feet of elevation is all that’s standing between some waterfront neighborhoods winding through Miami Beach and the unrelent...

The Villa Maria affordable housing building in Miami Beach | Jenny Staleovich / WLRN News This story and the accompanying audio segments were produced through a collaboration involving journalists from Southerly, Climate Central and WLRN. A little over four feet of elevation is all that’s standing between some waterfront neighborhoods winding through Miami Beach and the unrelenting force of the Atlantic Ocean. At Eighth and Washington, where Gregario Lopez, 81, lives in a Section 8 apartm...