Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill on Tuesday to provide regulatory consistency throughout the state to promote a healthier business environment.
House Bill 2127 forbids municipalities from passing rules in contradiction to state law across several regulatory fields, including the Agriculture Code, Business and Commerce Code, Finance Code, Insurance Code, Labor Code, Local Government Code, Natural Resources Code, Occupations Code, and Property Code, as reported by The Dallas Express.
Upon signing the law, Gov. Abbott remarked, “Texas is the economic envy of America. Today, I signed a law to provide a new hope to Texas businesses struggling under burdensome local regulations.”
The “new hope” phrase is likely a reference to the bill’s “Death Star” nickname — both of which come from the original Star Wars movie — a phrase employed initially by opponents to criticize the perceived destruction of local control.
Gov. Abbott had initially taken exception to such characterizations, saying, “Leave it to Unions … to label reducing regulations as a ‘Death Star.’”
“Fact is reducing regulations makes it easier for small businesses to succeed,” he added. “This law will KEEP Texas #1 for business & create more jobs.”
Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) authored the bill in the House. When it passed the Senate, he tweeted, “We are one step closer to ensuring businesses aren’t faced with a patchwork of inconsistent and overreaching regulations that conflict with state law.”
“Texas won’t allow ill-conceived & inconsistent decisions to take down the ship that drives our state’s economy!”
The author of the Senate companion bill, Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe), celebrated the signing, commenting, “This is the most pro-business, pro-growth bill passed in the 88th Legislative session, and will be a lifeline to Texas job creators.”
Several pro-business groups similarly cheered the law’s signing.
The Texas Restaurant Association tweeted, “We are so grateful to [Gov. Abbott] for signing HB 2127, the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act, into law. HB 2171 … is the product of a bi-partisan effort to create the regulatory consistency and predictability local businesses need to thrive.”
The Texas Association of Businesses made a similar statement, and the Texas branch of the National Federation of Independent Business also tweeted, “Uncertainty has been a hallmark of this economic environment. But today, [small business] owners have a little more certainty in the regulatory landscape of our great state.”
“Our members are grateful to [Gov. Abbott], [Rep. Burrows], & [Sen. Creighton] for standing up for Main Street,” the group continued.
Following the signing, David Griscom, cohost of self-described socialist podcast Left Reckoning, reacted, “Greg Abbott has signed HB 2127 The ‘Death Star’ Bill. It blocks local governments from passing laws protecting labor, health, and housing.”
“Mandated water breaks, paid sick leave, and more [will] likely be eradicated for workers. Texas is one of the most dangerous states to work in,” he claimed.
The Texas branch of the consumer rights advocacy group Public Citizen criticized the law by sharing a picture of the Texas Capitol and saying, “Dear Texas, Meet your new City Hall.”
Similarly, Local Progress said, “Deeply concerning news out of TX today. The ‘Death Star’ bill will strip local [governments] of the ability to pass legislation that responds to their communities’ needs.”
“This is part of a concerted effort to gut local democracy,” the activist group claimed.