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Houston Matters

Battle Over State v. Local Control Traces All the Way Back to the Magna Carta

We’ve seen friction lately between local leaders and the State of Texas over regulatory authority to address issues like non-discrimination and app-based paid ride services. When Houston Mayor Annise Parker appeared on Houston Matters last month, she said a series of what she called “pre-emption bills” represented a shift in thinking in Austin. Stephen Koch […]

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We've seen friction lately between local leaders and the State of Texas over regulatory authority to address issues like non-discrimination and app-based paid ride services. When Houston Mayor Annise Parker appeared on Houston Matters last month, she said a series of what she called "pre-emption bills" represented a shift in thinking in Austin.

Stephen Koch is an attorney based in Houston. In this commentary, he notes conflict over the scope of local community power can be traced back a long way in history – a very, very long way — some 800 years ago to be exact when The Magna Carta was signed on June 19, 1215.

Michael Hagerty

Michael Hagerty

Senior Producer, Houston Matters

Michael Hagerty is the senior producer for Houston Matters. He's spent more than 20 years in public radio and television and dabbled in minor league baseball, spending four seasons as the public address announcer for the Reno Aces, the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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