Relating to state preemption of municipal and county regulation on land use, structures, businesses, and related activities and municipal boundaries and annexation.
What changed between versions
Removed unrelated text about digital content accessibility standards and WCAG 2.1 requirements that appeared in the original draft but were not relevant to the preemption legislation.
Added new provisions allowing private citizens and organizations to file lawsuits against local governments for violating state preemption laws, including specific remedies like declaratory relief and attorney's fees.
Expanded Attorney General enforcement powers to include mandatory withholding of state funds, restrictions on tax rates and budget increases, and denial of state grant funds for local governments found in violation of state preemption laws.
Added new chapters to the Local Government Code (Chapter 40 and 250A) that establish specific preemption rules for different areas of regulation, making it clearer which local regulations are preempted by state law.
Set the effective date of the Act to September 1, 2025, establishing when the new preemption laws and enforcement mechanisms will become operative.
Added comprehensive definitions for key terms including 'person,' 'local government,' and 'no-new-revenue tax rate' to ensure consistent application of the preemption laws.