House Bill 3899 by Rep. Drew Springer would have preempted any number of city regulations that have been enacted at the request of citizens. Local ordinances address needs at a local level that are not addressed sufficiently at the state level.
HB 3899 would have created a hardship on local municipalities in the recovery of cost for services. It would hinder local government from serving the immediate needs of the communities they were elected to serve, and among many other items, it would delay and stifle needed changes to rules and regulations.
Specifically:
The bill would have applied to any business that does business in more than one city in the state, and it would appear to allow a city to use its zoning, subdivision, or other building regulations to adopt or enforce building construction standards and permitting, barring, or limiting the use of designated property for one or more designated types or categories of commercial activity.
For example, the following would have likely been wiped out by the bill:
The above are just a few examples of ordinances that are common in Texas cities. They may not be "essential to protect citizens' physical safety," but they are reasonable and certainly improve the quality of life of city residents and others.
The City of Houston testified against HB 3899 in House State Affairs. The bill passed committee 7-2 but failed to reach the House floor.