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'Death Star Bill' aimed at expanding state authority signed into law

Proponents of House Bill 2127 say the bill is aimed at reining in city and county leaders that exceed their authority.

TEXAS, USA — This week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a bill that critics have been calling the "Death Star Bill."

Supporters of House Bill 2127, also known as the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act, say it aims to create consistent regulations to help keep the Texas economy growing. Opponents of the bill say it could drastically limit local governments and their ability to make rules on things like noise complaints, drought restrictions, and labor rights.

It would also let Texans sue officials or governments if they feel they're being improperly regulated.

"These bills are a threat to democracy," President of NAACP Houston Bishop James Dixon said back in May. "They're a threat to civil rights and human rights."

HB 2127 would allow the state to preempt local policies and ordinances in eight sections of the code such as agriculture, finance, insurance, labor, and natural resources. But critics say Texas is too large and diverse to have a one-size-fits-all approach.

"In the same way we don't lecture Lubbock on how to deal with windstorms, let's keep the part-timers at the capitol from inserting themselves into how we operate in the Gulf Coast," Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia said.

The bill, which was authored by Rep. Dustin Burrows, said HB 2127 would help small business owners that are creating new jobs not have to navigate ever-changing local regulations. The goal is to ultimately give small businesses the consistency needed to invest, expand and grow.

According to the Texas Tribune, the legislation would overturn any existing regulation that conflicts with it. It also reported that the bill is so broadly written, that no one knows exactly how much it would limit local governments.

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