States Pre-empt Cities Almost to the Point of Irrelevance Over the past decade, states have preempted cities across a broad range of policy areas, including policing and health. If anything, the pandemic has only accelerated the trend. Alan Greenblatt, Senior Staff Writer | February 8, 2021 | Analysis
Over the past couple of weeks, the city of Austin has purchased two hotels, pursuing a new tactic to address its serious homelessness problem. Much of the money is coming out of the police budget. Last year, the council approved shifting millions from policing to pay for supportive housing programs, as a public safety priority.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has been a persistent critic of Austin’s decision to cut its police budget and divert funds for other uses. “Defunding police is reckless and endangers lives,” Abbott tweeted last month. “We will defund cities that tried to defund police.”
| Updated February 5, 2021
Major conservative groups backed by some of the Republican Party’s wealthiest donors appear to be helping fuel a massive GOP state legislative push to limit the emergency executive powers governors across the country have wielded in an effort to combat the nation’s COVID-19 crisis.
For months, Republican legislators in several states have pushed bills to limit such powers, which have been used to implement restrictions on businesses, restaurants and public gatherings, as well as measures meant to slow the spread of the virus that has killed more than 450,000 Americans.
The legislative efforts have intensified over the first few weeks of 2021 as lawmakers in many states ― particularly those with part-time legislatures that ended their sessions in the earliest stages of the pandemic last year ― have returned to state capitals vowing to rein in governors they believe have overstepped their bounds. Lawmakers in more than two dozen states have now
Updated
Feb 05, 2021
A Powerful Conservative Coalition Is Fueling The State-Level Push To Hamper COVID-19 Restrictions
ALEC and other groups that fomented anti-lockdown protests are now pushing bills to curb the powers governors have used to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
Major conservative groups backed by some of the Republican Party’s wealthiest donors appear to be helping fuel a massive GOP state legislative push to limit the emergency executive powers governors across the country have wielded in an effort to combat the nation’s COVID-19 crisis.
For months, Republican legislators in several states have pushed bills to limit such powers, which have been used to implement restrictions on businesses, restaurants and public gatherings, as well as measures meant to slow the spread of the virus that has killed more than 450,000 Americans.
On Tuesday, Joe Biden demanded the resignations of all 10 of Donald Trump’s appointees to the Federal Service Impasses Panel, a powerful labor relations board, in a major victory for federal unions. Eight members resigned, and two were fired after refusing to step down. Trump’s appointees a group of partisan anti-labor activists had hobbled federal unions for years, sabotaging their ability to organize and bargain collectively. Biden’s clean sweep, which was first reported by Government Executive’s Erich Wagner, marks a crucial step toward ending his predecessor’s campaign of federal union busting.
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The Federal Service Impasses Panel plays a major role in disputes between executive agencies and federal unions disputes that often affect the government’s ability to administer programs fairly and lawfully. When unions and managers reach a stalemate at the bargaining table, the panel steps in to referee. It is supposed to find common ground between the parties