DALLAS – Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) submitted a notice to the City of Dallas on behalf of local taxpayers. The letter calls on the City to repeal or otherwise amend 133 ordinances that are preempted by state law—or face legal action.
The Texas Regulatory Consistency Act (HB 2127), also known as the “Death Star Bill,” took effect on September 1, 2023. The bill preempts, and makes unenforceable, city ordinances that duplicate and add to regulations already imposed by the State of Texas.
The list of unlawful ordinances draws from an April 26, 2023 Memorandum from the City of Dallas to Representative Rafael Anchia on HB 2127, providing a list of city ordinances that would be preempted should HB 2127 pass. Because HB 2127 is now the law, these ordinances are preempted by the City’s own admission. Yet the city continues to enforce them.
“All Texans deserve the freedom to live and work without being micromanaged by their city government,” said TPPF senior attorney Matthew Chiarizio. “The Texas Regulatory Consistency Act was passed to stop exactly this kind of local overreach—and TPPF stands ready to defend Texans’ liberty when cities like Dallas refuse to follow the law.”
“Wasteful and illegal spending like what is in these ordinances flushes millions of dollars of Dallas taxpayers’ money down the drain, leading to higher property taxes.” TPPF attorney Nathan Seltzer added. “Dallas taxpayers are simply demanding accountability from their government.”
To read the letter, click here.
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