Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signed a new law that will invalidate various local regulations, including mandated water breaks for construction workers, starting September 1, according to a report by The Texas Tribune. This broad law, supported by Republicans, aims to establish statewide consistency by stripping local municipalities of their ability to enact certain regulations, including worker protections, environmental protections, and housing protections.
Critics have dubbed this law the “Death Star Bill.” Bishop James Dixon, the president of the NAACP’s Houston chapter, has called it “a threat to civil rights and human rights,” as reported by local outlet KHOU11.
While the supporters of the bill include several construction business associations, Dallas and Austin currently require workers to be given at least 10 minutes to rest and hydrate every four hours.
Despite the dangerous heat wave in Texas, with some areas setting new heat records and temperatures soaring into triple digits, Abbott signed the legislation. The Houston region has issued an excessive heat warning, and the National Weather Service has also warned of an increased risk of fires in southern Texas and eastern Louisiana. This heat wave puts a strain on the state’s brittle power grid, as mentioned in The New Yorker.
Texas already holds the unfortunate distinction of being the top state for worker deaths due to heat, according to The Texas Tribune. Last year, heat-related deaths reached a two-decade high with at least 279 reported deaths across Texas.
In conclusion, this new law signed by Governor Abbott has raised concerns among critics, who argue that it poses a threat to civil and human rights. It remains to be seen how this law will impact the workers’ safety and the environmental and housing protections that were previously in place. The ongoing heat wave in Texas only exacerbates the importance of ensuring worker safety and well-being during extreme weather conditions.
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