July 14, 2025      3:08 PM

Kronberg: Legislative assault on local control undermines emergency response capacity

Disaster victims should not be held hostage to vacuous political ideologues choosing war with cities and counties rather than collaboration with them. The outcome is there for all to see.

“Any mayor, county judge that was dumb ass enough to come meet with me, I told them with great clarity, my goal is for this to be the worst session in the history of the Legislature for cities and counties” – Then-Speaker Dennis Bonnen to Michael Quinn Sullivan,

Citing that now infamous quote is not intended to offend the former speaker. Instead, it perfectly encapsulates the zeitgeist of the past decade of Republican legislative leadership towards cities and counties. State preemption of local control hit a high-water mark with now-Speaker Dustin Burrows so-called Death Star bill and has been followed by any number of efforts to expand those preemptions and undermine local officials’ to prepare and to react.

These images are seared into our collective memory: Homes submerged in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, the deadly cold and dark of Winter Storm Uri, and just this month, the tragic flash floods that devastated communities in the Texas Hill Country. For Texans, natural disasters aren't a matter of "if," but "when."

While the Texas Department of Emergency Management response to the flooding In Kerr County was robust, the harsh truth is local communities bear the brunt of these increasingly frequent and severe events. Recent legislative actions have demonstrably hampered their ability to adequately prepare and respond, ultimately putting lives and property at greater risk.

This isn't merely an abstract debate about fiscal policy. It is a tangible threat to every Texan.

By Harvey Kronberg

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