Legislative Affairs

The City of Fort Worth follows a set of general policies regarding its stance on legislative matters.

These policies are as follows:

1. The City of Fort Worth prioritizes preserving its authority to responsibly govern the city, its citizens and its property. This implies that the City seeks to maintain its ability to make decisions and implement policies that best serve the community's interests.
2. The City supports any proposed legislation that aligns with its comprehensive plan or strategic goals. Additionally, the City is in favor of legislation that contributes to improving the health, safety and welfare of its residents. Moreover, it supports legislative measures that aim to reduce the cost of governing the city, thereby enhancing its fiscal responsibility.
3. On the other hand, the City of Fort Worth will seek to address legislation that is deemed detrimental to its comprehensive plan or strategic goals. Furthermore, the City takes a stand against legislation that could compromise the health, safety and welfare of its residents. Additionally, the City is against legislative measures that impose increased costs or reduced revenues, as this may impact its financial stability. Lastly, the City opposes any legislation that would diminish its fundamental authority, implying that it will defend its decision-making autonomy.

These policies guide the City of Fort Worth's position on legislative matters and serve as a framework for assessing proposed legislation's alignment with the City's goals and values. They provide a basis for decision-making and advocacy efforts in relation to various legislative proposals that could affect the City and its residents.

The most important issues facing the Legislative Affairs Division are state and federal legislative sessions.

The impact on City services could be substantial depending on the actions by our state and federal legislators during any session. The state legislature has the ability to reduce the level of revenues that a city can generate in order to pay for core services and programing requested by Fort Worth residents. Moreover, the legislature may attempt to pass bills to prevent local governments from protecting the people within its city limits by passing bills to impose additional restrictions and limitations on local governments without consideration for the consequences of their actions.

In addition, there may be attempts to curtail local government charters, home rule authorities, local government protections and rule-making authority within local governments. City staff will be required to address any negative legislation that will be detrimental to our city charter, ordinances, policies and comprehensive plan as adopted by the Mayor and Council. During the legislative process, City staff will be required to protect the current funding received from the state and federal governments and engage opportunities to seek additional funding that will enhance the Mayor and Council’s ability to govern.

Here are some key horizon issues that the division will address in preparation for future state and federal legislative sessions by partnering with our state leadership and state legislators:

• Actions directed at local governments: The continued actions against local governments by the state and federal government present a critical challenge. The Legislative Affairs Division must work to protect the authority and autonomy of local governments, ensuring they can fulfill the needs and demands of their residents by working with our state leadership and state legislators.
• Protecting city charters and rule-making authority: There may be attempts to curtail local government charters, home rule authorities and rule-making capabilities. City staff will be proactive in defending these essential tools that empower local governments to address unique community needs by engaging our state leadership and state legislators.
• Defending local government protections: The Legislative Affairs Division will actively oppose any legislation that seeks to impose additional restrictions and limitations on local governments that may hinder our ability to protect and serve our residents effectively by engaging our state leadership and state legislators.
• Engaging in legislative process:  The City will be well-prepared to engage with the legislative process actively. This involves closely monitoring proposed bills and resolutions, building relationships with state leadership and state legislators and advocating for the interests of Fort Worth to ensure favorable outcomes.
• Securing and enhancing funding: It is crucial to protect current funding received from the state while seeking opportunities to secure additional funding to enhance the City's governance capabilities. This could involve pursuing grants, funding allocations or advocating for fair distribution of state resources.
• Public outreach and education: Engaging with the residents of Fort Worth is essential to inform them about potential impacts and garner public support for the City's positions on critical issues during the legislative session.
• Collaboration with other local governments: The division will collaborate with other local governments facing similar challenges to strengthen our advocacy efforts and create a unified front in defending local interests.
• Anticipating future challenges: The division will also anticipate any potential long-term consequences of legislative actions and work on strategies to mitigate adverse effects on the City's governance and services by engaging our state leadership and state legislators.
• Adaptability and flexibility: Given the unpredictable nature of the legislative process, the division will remain flexible and be prepared to adjust strategies as future sessions unfold by engaging our state leadership and state legislators.

Addressing these state and federal issues requires a comprehensive and strategic approach from the the Legislative Affairs Division to effectively advocate for Fort Worth's interests and protect the city's ability to govern in the best interests of our residents.