In Chattanooga, Tennessee, the city is not permitted to extend its municipal broadband service to woefully underserved rural neighbors, despite widespread support from people who live there. The city of St. Petersburg, Florida, is prevented from regulating the plastic bags and drinking straws that litter their waterways and harm wildlife.

In every case, these cities have had their power to solve problems and improve their communities stripped away by their state representatives. These examples are not rare instances — across the country, state legislatures and courts are usurping city authority at alarming rates.

City Rights in an Era of Preemption, a new report released this week by the National League of Cities (NLC), indicates an increase in the number and severity of state preemptive measures against cities across seven policy areas: minimum wage, paid leave, anti-discrimination, ride sharing, home sharing, municipal broadband and tax and expenditure limitations. The updated findings include 19 new laws that were passed over just the past year that will prevent local leaders from helping their communities.