New Report Out Now: "Principles of Home Rule for the 21st Century"

Home rule – the legal structure that determines local power and how states can interfere with local decision-making – has historically provided a framework for local governance. But the last comprehensive update to home rule was in 1953, and so much has changed since then. Four out of five Americans now call cities home, including America’s most diverse populations; but states are now systemically removing or reducing the power of local governments to act on the needs and values of their residents. Home rule is no longer up to the task of meeting the challenges we face in the 21st century.

That’s why LSSC is partnering with the National League of Cities to publish Principles of Home Rule for the 21st Century. This groundbreaking new framework lays out a vision for rebalancing state and local relations, and provides model constitutional language to encourage legal reform. But the Principles are just the beginning of a longer-term conversation necessary to ensure Americans can fully participate in local democracy, and that cities are truly equipped to advance innovative and tailor-made solutions to local problems.