TEXAS – In response to the ruling of the Travis County Civil District Court in the case of The City of Houston v. Texas, Texas AFL-CIO , Local Progress Texas, Every Texan, ACLU of Texas, and Workers Defense Project release the following statement:
“Today, we celebrate our powerful communities across the great state of Texas. The overturning of HB 2127 – otherwise known as the ‘Death Star Law’ – represents the power of our localities, our local elected officials, and the communities they represent. Since this harmful legislation was introduced last spring, everyday Texans – community members, workers, and local leaders alike – have been sounding the alarm.
Texas is a home rule state, built on the values of local democracy and freedom. The Death Star Law directly contradicted those values – prioritizing corporate interests by using preemption to undermine local democracy and stifle local progress in Texas. Everyday Texans work in collaboration with local leaders to pass policies they need to thrive. So when local policymaking is stifled, community voices are silenced. This ruling allows critical, life-saving local policies to remain in place – including worker protections like rest breaks for construction workers – reflecting the importance of local leaders being able to respond to their communities’ urgent needs.
We celebrate this win today while also acknowledging that this fight is far from over. The Death Star law is part of a trend of conservative state legislatures across the country using preemption as a tool to undermine local policies that protect vulnerable Americans and concentrate power in the hands of extreme lawmakers and their corporate interests. We hope that the Texas Supreme Court will uphold this decision to protect local democracy.
Today, we celebrate this win for Texas communities across the state. Tomorrow, we continue to fight abusive state preemption that silences communities.”
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