Preempting Progress in the Heartland: State Lawmakers in the Midwest Prevent Shared Prosperity and Racial, Gender, and Immigrant Justice by Interfering in Local Policymaking
Type
Policy Brief or Report
Year
2021
Level
City or Town, County, State
State(s)
All States
Policy Areas
Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice
Across the midwest, conservative state lawmakers have increasingly used preemption—a tactic whereby a higher level of government limits or eliminates the power of a lower-level government to regulate an issue—to reduce the policy tools and power available to local lawmakers. This report outlines the ways preemption has been used in both the past and present to reinforce policies that uphold anti-Black racism and white supremacy. While historically preemption has been tied to segregation, today majority-white legislatures tend to preempt local ordinances that set strong labor standards, such as raising the minimum wage and guaranteeing paid leave, which primarily benefit people of color, women, and low-wage workers. Additionally, this report also analyzes how preemption has limited the ability of communities of color to combat the COVID-19 crisis, further entrenching economic inequality.
Tags
- Corona
- COVID
- Dillon'S Rule
- Economic Equality
- Economic Inequality
- Family Leave
- Family Medical Leave
- Home Rule
- Job Standards
- Job Standards
- Labor Law
- Labor Protections
- Labor Rights
- Low Income
- Maternity Leave
- Minimum Wage
- Paid Leave
- Preemption
- Racial Inequality
- Racial Justice
- Segregation
- Sick Leave
- Wages
- Worker Protection
- Worker Protections
- Workplace Standards