This memo from Local Solutions Support Center (LSSC), the hub dedicated to defending and advancing local democracy, details the trends our team is tracking during the first three months of the 2024 legislative season.

The piece was written by Jessy Correa, a program manager with Cornerstone Connections in Orange County, and a survivor of domestic violence who advocates for women; and Santra Denis, executive director of the Miami Workers Center.

Lawmakers in Tallahassee are poised to wrap regular session later next week (3/8), but there are a number of abusive preemption bills we’re tracking between now and then.

In 2024, state lawmakers are once again seeking to undermine local democracy and take power away from people and communities with preemption bills that weaken our democracy and the ability of everyone to participate in it. Here are a few states, initiatives, and bills to have on your radar in the days ahead.

In a new paper from A Better Balance, Local Solutions Support Center, and Equality Federation, we highlight the different types of abusive preemption that target local authority to protect LGBTQ+ individuals. 

To strengthen this defense against prosecutorial preemption, we need a multi-pronged approach: we must continually monitor and assess of strategies’ effectiveness, we must correct false media narratives, and we must build coalitions with communities to ensure that the approaches they support are allowed to flourish.