CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A new state law set to take effect on Sept. 1 is already facing pushback from at least one Texas city.
House Bill 2127 prohibits cities and counties from implementing regulations that exceed what is already stated in Texas law.
Officially known as the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act, critics are calling it the "Death Star" bill, in reference to the planet destroyer in Star Wars.
According to the bill, its purpose is to ensure consistency.
The state would have the authority to override local government codes in areas such as agriculture, business, finance, insurance, labor, property, occupations and natural resources.
Supporters of the bill argue that having a single set of regulations to navigate will make it easier for anyone conducting business in Texas.
Opponents say that it takes away the rights of cities to adopt local solutions for local problems.
"The Republican Party in the state has changed and it now says that the state is the entity that gives charters to cities to let them actually exist and operate. We are in charge as the state, not you as a city, so we get to decide," said Jason Whitely, host of Inside Texas Politics.
City of Corpus Christi Sr. Intergovernmental Relations Coordinator Wendy Herman said that while the law is likely to have a greater impact on larger cities, any potential changes in Corpus Christi are yet to be determined.
"What we're doing right now is we're continuing to assess what those impacts might be," she said. "The law is purposely vague and so we're not really sure what the impact is going to be to the city yet.”
Herman said that even with this new law, local governments can still build roads, impose taxes, set policy for employees, and see to the health and safety of animals.
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