"Water breaks will no longer be guaranteed for construction workers in Austin and Dallas when a new state law that prevents municipalities from regulating everything from evictions to payday loans takes effect next month.
Signed by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) amid a weekslong heat wave last month, H.B. 2127 will invalidate existing local rules that are stricter than state laws when it goes into effect on Sept. 1.
Opponents have dubbed it “the Death Star bill” in part because it would bar Austin and Dallas from requiring construction companies to offer 10-minute water breaks every four hours."
Ariel Wittenberg reports for E&E News August 4, 2023.
SEE ALSO:
"130 Degrees and Rising: How Kitchen Workers Are Dealing With Record Heat" (New York Times)
"‘A Horrible Way To Die’: How Extreme Heat Is Killing Italian Workers" (Guardian)
"Heat Can Kill On The Job, And These Workers Are Dying" (CNN)
"Extreme Heat Is Endangering America's Workers—and Its Economy" (TIME)
"Big Business Lobbies Against Heat Protections For Workers As US Boils" (Guardian)
"Heat Is Costing the U.S. Economy Billions in Lost Productivity" (New York Times)
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