Recently, we’ve seen a number of state legislatures attempt to take control of local budget decisions and processes – particularly as it relates to local control of police budgets.

A new raft of bills criminalizes many types of protests and threaten localities that fail to respond according to state dictates.

A new white paper from LSSC explores in more detail how some state legislatures are using preemption to undermine local control of police budgeting, accountability, and management.

In this resource, we examine how, as the Black Lives Matter movement strengthens nationwide and communities push for critical changes to confront racism, preemption has once again emerged as a tool to stifle important local efforts.

As part of the Local Solutions Support Center’s ongoing efforts to help local leaders understand and deploy their authority to address their communities’ needs, we have produced this memo outlining legal possibilities and prohibitions.