By Austin City Council Member Greg Casar and Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis GOP lawmakers are once again attacking local communities like Harris County and Austin for daring to pursue local policies that address local concerns. They are interfering with our efforts to tackle homelessness, support mothers fleeing domestic violence, and address the public and mental health crisis amplified by the pandemic. By way of several local budget control bills, our state officials are threatening to pull state funding to critical social services, turn local police departments into state-controlled law enforcement agencies, and starve Texas towns and cities of their tax revenue.