DALLAS – Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) filed a petition suing the City of Dallas to void and bar enforcement of 83 separate city ordinances that are not consistent with state law.
In July, TPPF submitted a requisite notice to the City Attorney on behalf of local taxpayers, which includes a list of existing ordinances preempted by the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act (HB 2127) that went into effect on September 1, 2023. The list draws from an April 26, 2023 Memorandum from the City of Dallas to Representative Rafael Anchia on HB 2127 specifying the ordinances that would be preempted by the bill’s eventual passage.
The City of Dallas has only repealed or amended six of those ordinances since receiving TPPF’s notice.
“Cities don’t get to pick and choose which state laws they follow,” said TPPF senior attorney Matthew Chiarizio. “For too long, Dallas has piled unnecessary and duplicative regulations on its citizens. The Legislature has rightly preempted those rules, and this lawsuit is about protecting Texans’ freedom to live and work without being smothered by layers of needless local regulation.”
“We commend Dallas for doing the right thing by repealing a few of its unconstitutional ordinances.” TPPF attorney Nathan Seltzer added. “However, Dallas kept the overwhelming majority of these ordinances on the books, even though it admitted they are preempted by the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act.”
To read the petition, click here.
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