Don’t miss our new white paper, “Preempting LGBTQ+ Rights: How States Undermine Local Leadership and Innovation on LGBTQ+ Equality,” a 2026 update of a previous report.

Over the past 60 years, we have fought for, won and lost various aspects of racial, social, and economic justice – only to have our collective will preempted by conservative state legislatures who draw their political power and tactics directly from the Jim Crow Era.

As artificial intelligence (AI) use and data center construction continue to make headlines, state legislators are introducing controversial bills designed to expand the use of AI – and prevent local governments from restricting its use.

These trends are creating a new class of power brokers and oligarchs in the United States; while deepening the already painful inequities for others - particularly for BIPOC communities, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, women, and working families.

As the epidemic of gun violence across the U.S. persists, a number of cities have tried to pass strong firearm regulations tailored to the needs of their communities. Unfortunately, many of these efforts have been unsuccessful due to state preemption.

Many of the state lawmakers pushing these abusive preemption measures or neglecting to pass heat protection policies aren't in session during the hottest months of the year, and when they do work, it's under the constant hum of air conditioning. But many workers in their states aren't as lucky. 

State legislatures across the country are picking up the baton by introducing sweeping election preemption bills that would restrict how localities administer elections and how voters can cast their ballots.

By curtailing harmful preemption and enabling positive preemption, Minnesota has laid the institutional groundwork for the grassroots power.

As the federal government continues to violently and unlawfully enforce its anti-immigrant agenda, state legislatures across the country are following suit by introducing abusive preemption bills that aim to prevent localities from protecting immigrants – or punish ones that attempt to do so. 

Meet Luis Figueroa, Senior Director of Legislative Affairs at Every Texan. A proud Texan from El Paso, Luis has a deep knowledge of Texas politics. In his current role, Luis oversees Every Texan’s comprehensive legislative strategy.

“Federal Authoritarianism and Abusive State Preemption” tells the the powerful and timely story of how abusive preemption has paved the way for the rise of federal authoritarianism – and how preemption is now being used to implement that agenda.

Local Solutions Support Center (LSSC) is tracking more than 60 abusive preemption bills that state lawmakers across the nation have already filed ahead of 2026 legislative sessions. Nearly 75 percent of the prefiled bills come from just two states - Florida and Missouri, where lawmakers in recent years have aggressively deployed preemption to consolidate power and profit at the expense of working people. 

Recent state efforts to prohibit DEI practices often exceed the state’s authority and conflict with long-standing legal interpretations of equality that seek to address racial discrimination.

Americans are looking for bold new solutions to entrenched problems like poverty and income inequality. High quality experiments on GI fit squarely into this space.

State preemption is fueling a racialized housing crisis, and Good Cause laws are at risk.

Exploring connections between Trump’s militarized crackdowns on cities and attempts to preempt progressive prosecutors.

How state preemption of local public health authority – and state laws implementing the MAHA agenda – put the health and safety of residents at risk.

State lawmakers pushed more than 800 abusive preemption bills across 48 states this year. Many of the preemption hotspots the LSSC team tracked - from immigration to anti-DEI efforts - align with the Trump administration’s rhetoric. In fact, it’s impossible to tell the story of preemption in 2025 without considering the impact of the new administration on policy making and people.

In recent years, there have been a growing number of attacks on states and municipalities that have taken action to protect LGBTQ+ youth from the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion “therapy.” Logan Casey, PhD, explains more in this Preemption Research Spotlight.

This post takes a look at notable categories of abusive preemption bills from 2025 state legislative sessions that have become law or came close to becoming law.