2023 Mid-Session Report Explores National Trends in Abusive Preemption Legislation

Conservative lawmakers in states across the country are making their total disdain for local democracy, and their own constituents, abundantly clear. These elected officials have wasted no time in the 2023 legislative session using every lever available to strengthen their own grip on power and thumb their noses at the will of the people. When voters pass policies they don’t like, these lawmakers and their corporate donors simply pass state laws overturning them. When local governments dare to enact measures meant to address local needs, they run the risk of state lawmakers responding with a tsunami of punitive legislation designed to weaken local power. 

The Local Solutions Support Center (LSSC) is already tracking more than 650 abusive preemption bills this session. 

The scope of these abusive preemption bills are widening – from Death Star preemption; to efforts to undermine the power of reform-oriented prosecutors; to discriminating against transgender youth; to making it harder for local officials to successfully conduct elections. LSSC’s mid-session report explores the top trends we’re tracking so far this session, as well as a few promising victories that advocates are securing.

Click here to read the 2023 Mid-Session Report from the Local Solutions Support Center.