State bans stir critics to ask: Does Lansing know best?
Lansing Michigans Republican-led Legislature is working to ban local governments from doing things none has tried: from taxing soda-pop to prohibiting job interview questions.
The recent rash of pre-emption bills backed by powerful business and industry groups will prevent municipalities from mimicking what GOP legislators consider faddish rules from liberal enclaves, such as San Francisco or Seattle, they argue could slow Michigans economic rebound.
But critics contend the bills are part of a continued assault on local control out of Lansing, a chisel compared to the hammer of state-appointed emergency managers who took over struggling cities with failing finances in the recent past.
The Legislature last year banned plastic bag fees, thwarting environmentally driven plans in Washtenaw County, and is considering bills to prohibit local zoning restrictions on Airbnb or other short-term rental homes.
Read more: http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2017/10/16/state-bans-lansing-knows-best/106699028/