Texas Legislature targets authority of local governments

State of play: Late last month, the Texas Senate approved legislation that further restricts municipalities from creating their own rules around things like elections and criminal justice.

• It also empowers the state attorney general to sue cities and counties for potential violations.

Threat level: The state could freeze cities' sales tax revenue, which makes up a big portion of local government budgets.

What they're saying: "Some local governments have taken actions that openly defy state law, resulting in the unequal application of justice, confusion for voters and law enforcement, and a fragmented patchwork of conflicting policies across the state," state Sen. Brandon Creighton, a Republican from Conroe, wrote in an author's statement about his measure.

• "Preempting local authority in these areas will help restore uniformity and legal clarity."

The other side: Officials from Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Corpus Christi — among other cities and counties — opposed the bill.

• The proposal would "financially handcuff Texas cities from serving their residents" and "would effectively allow the attorney general to serve as a de facto councilmember in cities across the state," Monty Wynn, director of grassroots and legislative services for the Texas Municipal League, wrote to lawmakers.

Zoom out: Other Republican legislation gaining traction would:

• Prohibit governmental entities, including municipalities, from establishing or maintaining diversity, equity and inclusion offices. The cities of Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio have a dedicated equity office.
• Make it harder for cities to convert properties into housing for people experiencing homelessness.
• Bar cities from reallocating street lanes for bike lanes, bus lanes, sidewalks, pedestrian islands, transit stops or parking spaces.

Follow the money: The state Senate recently passed a measure by Sen. Paul Bettencourt, Republican of Houston, that would prohibit local governments from establishing or operating a guaranteed income program.

• "Public funds should advance public interests, not be handed out as blank checks in politically motivated pilot projects," Bettencourt said in a statement after the bill passed.
• Austin ran a pilot program from 2022-23 with the nonprofit UpTogether in which 135 households in Austin received $1,000 every month. Participants spent, on average, more than half of their cash to cover housing costs.

Zoom in: Various efforts to give over control of downtown Austin to state police have failed to gain momentum.

• A measure by state Rep. Ellen Troxclair, a Republican from Lakeway who formerly served on the Austin City Council, would have designated Congress Avenue from the Ann Richards Bridge to Eleventh Street as part of the state highway system. It never got a House committee hearing.

Yes, but: A bill by Bettencourt targets the financing for Austin's Project Connect, which aims to create a multibillion-dollar light rail system while expanding bus routes.

• The measure, which won approval by the Senate on Monday, would allow taxpayers to sue to stop future tax collection if the scope of a project or the use of revenue changes significantly after initial voter approval.
• Troxclair authored a similar bill, which has cleared a House committee.

The bottom line: Attacks on cities' powers are coming from other corners as well.

• Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the cities of San Antonio and Austin for underwriting or planning to cover the cost of out-of-state abortion travel.
• He has also announced this month he is investigating Austin ISD for the "teaching woke critical race theory."