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Welcome to The Texas Tribune’s “Texplainer” series, where we answer questions from readers like you. More in this series

The short answer is yes. And a handful of such local control battles have raged in the Texas Legislature in recent years.

The most newsworthy: During the 2017 legislative session, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill into law that pre-empted Texas cities from imposing regulations on ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft, as several Texas cities — including Austin — had already done. The bill placed regulatory oversight with the state.

The Texas Tribune partnered with the education publisher Pearson to explain local control — and cities’ jurisdictional tussles with the state — for Texas students.

Watch the video above to learn more, or read our related coverage below.

Alex Samuels was a reporter for The Texas Tribune from 2017 to 2021. She helped with national campaign coverage, wrote stories about the intersection of race and politics in Texas, and covered the hottest...