government

  government   cities are essentially ‘owned’ by their states. Municipal law cannot conflict with either state or national law. However, at the same time, many cities are granted ‘home rule’ by their states so they can govern their own affairs with minimal interference from the state governments. In the 2017 Texas Special Session, Governor Abbott pushed forward several proposals which limited the power of the local governments. One proposal involved limiting ability of local governments to adopt their own tree ordinance in favor of a larger state standard. Another one limited the ability of local governments to ban the use of plastic bags in stores. While there were others, the larger question revolves around the rights of cities and states. In your 2 page paper, answer the following: What do you think about home rule? Should cities be allowed to set their own policies or do states have a right to step in and override policies they disagree with on a regular basis? Do you believe there should be any limitations on the state or cities for regulation? Provide 2 positives and 2 negatives for having a state assert a stronger role over city ordinances. As engineers, would you prefer to have cities in control over their laws for codes (water, buildings, etc.) or a more unified state code? Explain. http://www.governing.com/topics/politics/gov-texas-abbott-preemption.html http://www.statesman.com/news/local/local-tree-ordinances-could-cut- texas/KSWrYda6VF88bMezm6nlQM/ http://www.dentonrc.com/opinion/editorial/2017/06/08/home-rule-cities-must-independent http://www.governing.com/topics/urban/many- cities-are-creating-policies-apart-from-their-states.html