Death star bills. Blocking gun safety. Attacking DEI. 2025 isn’t over yet, and we’re already tracking over 60 abusive preemption bills that have been pre-filed for the 2026 Legislative Session. Get the facts via our new trends report 📝 www.supportdemocracy.org/the-latest/2...

Communities across FL want development regulated to protect the wetlands & fight pollution. But developers are pressuring lawmakers to preempt local control + let them build without factoring in the environmental impact, leading them to introduce SB 718: www.wftv.com/news/local/b...

“Local control is not a slogan to invoke when it’s convenient and abandon when it’s not.” Great op-ed from @utaustin.bsky.social Prof. Rachel White on the ways Texas lawmakers are using abusive preemption to advance their political agendas in school clubs 📚 www.statesman.com/opinion/colu...

The federal government & many states have worked to restrict DEI, but these efforts often exceed the state’s authority & conflict with long-standing legal interpretations of equality. Learn more in our new blog from Ruqaiijah Yearby, JD, MPH of IHJE: www.supportdemocracy.org/the-latest/c...

FL is considering a “Death Star 2.0” law in HB 105/SB 180, which would be a direct assault on home rule. This would put the financial cost of litigation around the law on cities, forcing taxpayers to pay for lawsuits instead of key services. Learn more: www.tcpalm.com/story/opinio...

Immigration was a core theme in abusive preemption bills in recent years. NC lawmakers are eager to protect communities amid reports of racial profiling and property damage, but abusive preemption automatically limits the actions they can take. Learn more: www.axios.com/local/charlo...

Last week, we spoke alongside @thelssc.bsky.social at EARNCon 2025 in New Orleans, where we discussed creative ways Southern cities and towns can pass laws protecting workers – even as more conservative state governments try to block local progress.

State preemption of public health laws is making all of us less healthy – fewer vaccine requirements means less herd immunity to protect children in school, more cases of serious illnesses like measles, mumps + chickenpox, & overall sicker communities. www.supportdemocracy.org/the-latest/t...

Abusive preemption often targets the freedoms of vulnerable communities & the lawsuit stemming from Texas’ Death Star 2.0 law is no different. Some targeted ordinances protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination in employment, housing & more. Get the facts: news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-...

If cities in Florida seek to bring down Confederate statues because their communities support it, they should be able to – but FL lawmakers have introduced an abusive preemption bill to fine towns for removing any historical monuments. Get the facts ⬇️ floridaphoenix.com/2025/11/14/f...

📜Resource alert📜 Tracking & understanding the harms of abusive preemption is an essential part of fighting it. We’re here to help with a categorized, searchable database of research & studies on the impact of these policies. Get the facts:

Abusive preemption is blocking paid sick days. Nearly 73M Americans live in places that can’t require businesses to provide paid sick days, even though they improve economic security & keep us all healthier. Learn more via @abetterbalance.org @npwf.bsky.social nationalpartnership.org/report/nearl...

From tracking preemption of Good Cause Eviction laws to building coalitions that center racial justice, there are still ways for advocates to advance fair housing. Learn how to fight the housing crisis from Sandhya Kajeepeta of @legaldefensefund.bsky.social www.supportdemocracy.org/the-latest/a...

89 local ordinances in Dallas may be unenforceable – all because of the state's "Death Star 2.0" preemption law. 'Death Star' laws are some of the most severe & abusive preemption measures, designed to render local governments powerless. Read more ⬇️ www.forbes.com/sites/patric...

York & Philadelphia are trying to regulate “ghost guns” and machine gun converters to protect their cities from high rates of gun violence, but abusive preemptive laws blocking local firearm regulations are stopping them from taking action. Get the facts: www.thetrace.org/2025/10/york...

2024: 499 📈 2025: 916 The number of abusive preemption bills nearly doubled this year as state lawmakers worked to enforce Trump’s anti-democratic agenda across the country. Learn more on how preemption is being used to target civil liberties via @truthout.org: truthout.org/articles/rep...

Detroit was built by good union jobs, but abusive preemption from the #MIleg blocks city lawmakers from promoting unions in new projects. Great op-ed from Councilor Santiago-Romero urging developers to create union stadium jobs & make this a win for all Detroiters. www.metrotimes.com/topic/views-...

Preemption often plays out in battles between city lawmakers and state legislatures over policing, immigrant rights, and more. Many state legislatures are working to force through Trump’s anti-democratic agenda and overrule local policy. Get the facts from @prospect.org📝 prospect.org/politics/202...

There’s strong evidence that guaranteed income improves lives, but 10 states are using abusive preemption to block local GI programs. Mary Bogle of @urbaninstitute.bsky.social explores how this impacts the ability to test GI & ways we can still move forward. www.supportdemocracy.org/the-latest/p...

Following the tragic mass shooting in Minneapolis, mayors from across Minnesota are asking state lawmakers to repeal a preemptive state law from 1985 that prevents local lawmakers from regulating firearms in their communities. Read more ⬇️ www.kare11.com/article/news...

Local win against preemption in New Orleans! The NOLA City Council passed the Workers’ Bill of Rights, which will recognize employers that respect their employees’ well-being. Great advocacy from @stepuplouisiana.bsky.social & @abetterbalance.org to make it happen 👏 bizneworleans.com/step-up-loui...

25 local governments have filed a lawsuit to block a new Florida law that restricts local leaders’ ability to regulate development. This law would block important work to provide cleaner water & build hurricane-resistant structures. Read about the lawsuit: floridaphoenix.com/2025/09/29/l...

Good cause eviction laws can provide vital protections for Black tenants, but state preemption laws block many cities from passing them. Read how these could help address the housing crisis in a blog from Sandhya Kajeepeta of @legaldefensefund.bsky.social www.supportdemocracy.org/the-latest/a...

Missouri citizens approved several pro-worker ballot initiatives in the last election, & now the state legislature is trying to undo those protections. Blatant abusive preemption: news.bloomberglaw.com/employment/m...

Cities should be able to legislate according to communities’ needs, but outdated laws are preempting the ability to take meaningful action. Learn more about how laws from the 1960s are preventing Detroit from levying tourist taxes: www.youtube.com/watch?v=13Vj...

When states restrict the rights of local govs & cede authority to the federal government, they open the door to abuses of power across policy areas. Read @jordanz.bsky.social's interview with LSSC’s Katie Belanger on the dangers of abusive preemption efforts. www.progressreport.news/p/how-states...

Reform-minded prosecutors were democratically elected, and now, state lawmakers are using preemption to override them and the autonomy of the cities they represent. Read more in a new post by Cristine Soto DeBerry of @prosecutorsact.bsky.social: bit.ly/46HVzBr

Last legislative session, lawmakers continued their attacks on LGBTQ+ equality through over 100 abusive preemption bills, with the majority of the attacks focused on reducing the rights and freedoms of transgender communities. Read our full report 🏳️‍🌈⚖️ www.supportdemocracy.org/blueprintfor...

Legislation in Florida & 10 other states to create their own Departments of Government Efficiency would allow state governments to audit every action taken & dollar spent by local governments. This is a dangerous attempt to consolidate power – read more ⬇️ www.tallahassee.com/story/news/l...

Cutting school vaccine requirements, removing fluoride from water supplies, less coverage for COVID-19 vaccines – these are just a few of the dangerous preemptive tactics state lawmakers are using to attack public health. Get the facts in our new post: www.supportdemocracy.org/the-latest/t...

Attacks on election integrity, public health, & local authority to pass laws related to every sphere of life – we expect abusive preemption bills in these areas to continue impacting the rights + freedoms of communities in 2026. Read our full report 📝 www.supportdemocracy.org/the-latest/2...

Lawmakers in red states are using abusive preemptive tactics to target communities in blue cities. Overriding the authority of local police forces & imposing parallel judicial systems are designed to reduce local resources + accountability. Get the facts: www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...

Legislation in Florida & 10 other states to create their own Departments of Government Efficiency would allow state governments to audit every action taken & dollar spent by local governments. This is a dangerous attempt to consolidate power – read more ⬇️ bit.ly/41Nkba9

Communities should decide what’s best for them, but the government is trying to enforce an abusive anti-immigrant agenda – and local lawmakers across the country are helping them by pushing anti-democratic preemption laws. Get the facts in our new report: www.supportdemocracy.org/blueprintfor...

This legislative session, lawmakers continued to try to enforce their political & religious agendas on schools through abusive preemption bills that restrict DEI efforts & require the 10 Commandments to be displayed in classrooms. Full report 📝https://www.supportdemocracy.org/blueprintforautocracy

There are growing attacks on protections from so-called "conversion therapy" protections—including through abusive preemption tactics. Read more in this "Preemption Research Spotlight", by @loganscasey.bsky.social, PhD, of the Movement Advancement Project: bit.ly/45OO2jN

OUT NOW: LSSC’s end-of-session report, exploring the troubling connection between the descent into authoritarianism +state preemption trends, highlighting key trends from 2025 – like preemption that harms LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, and working people: bit.ly/45ONXwv

Many workers are struggling in Detroit – and one of the key culprits is PA 105, a law that the Michigan legislature passed in 2015 banning local governments from being able to regulate wages and working conditions. New oped from Michigan @workingfamilies.org: www.detroitnews.com/story/opinio...

The far-right Heritage Foundation has for years been calling on state legislators to "take over" governance of blue cities in red states. This is textbook preemption, taking away local decision-making from the leaders who know their communities best, and we can't stand for it. bit.ly/4frsmOQ

Step forward in Ohio! An appeals court unanimously ruled the OH legislature can't preempt city govts from regulating tobacco products. It's a big win for efforts to block abusive preemption – congrats to local advocates and legal teams leading this effort. www.dispatch.com/story/news/c...

“There is this subset [of DOGE] that is encroaching into what local governments can do,” Leslie Zellers, LSSC’s legal team co-lead, told @routefifty.bsky.social in a recent interview about state-level DOGE copycats that are hurting local communities. 1/2 www.route-fifty.com/people/2025/...

Katie Belanger from our team joined @jasongarcia.bsky.social on his podcast "Seeking Rents" to give an overview of how abusive preemption hollows out home rule, robs communities of autonomy, and seizes power for state legislators. Don't miss the episode: jasongarcia.substack.com/p/your-town-...

Feroza Freeland of @abetterbalance.org shares how preemption & racial/gender justice intersect in the latest edition of our Spotlight Series. She says "A lot of our Southern communities are very diverse, but our state legislators are often primarily white men." bit.ly/3Tb7ZeA 1/3

The trend of state legislatures setting up versions of so-called DOGE is textbook abusive preemption: State actors intervening against local communities, often to block progressive actions that serve marginalized communities. More in @routefifty.bsky.social: bit.ly/3H3uy23

This new piece from our partners at @stateinnovation.org explores the impacts of abusive preemption on rural democracy. "These laws have allowed corporations to exploit land and resources and tied the hands of county or local governments." stateinnovation.org/preemption-u...

More than a dozen bills in Idaho this year attempted to abuse preemption in order to restrict the power of local governments. This piece in @idahocapitalsun.com breaks it down: idahocapitalsun.com/2025/04/14/a...

Dwayne Steward of @equalityohio.bsky.social shared in our LGBTQ+ briefing that preemption is increasingly being abused by OH lawmakers, including in "targeted legislation toward anti-DEI & anti-trans measures.” Read how this tool is being abused to harm LGBTQ+ people: bit.ly/3G2Ex7k

@bayareareporter.bsky.social covered our Reporter Briefing focused on how abusive preemption legislation hurts the LGBTQ+ community. “We’ve seen this go from a tool of balance to one that undermines democracy and local rights," said Jared Make of @abetterbalance.org: www.ebar.com/story/153635/

In 2025 there have been nearly 600 abusive preemption bills already filed in states across the country, with a particular focus on anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ+, and anti-DEI legislation. We've synthesized trends we're seeing so far here – spread the word: www.supportdemocracy.org/the-latest/2...

Local leaders should be able to lead on issues that matter to their community – but far too often, local policymaking is undermined by abusive preemption. Hundreds of bills seek to curtail public health authority, stifle voting rights, and advance animus against BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities.