Global Courant
As his state faced a dangerous heat wave this week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a broad new law that will void a wide variety of local regulations, including mandatory water cuts for construction workers, starting Sept. 1. according to The Texas Tribune.
The new Republican-backed law deprives local municipalities of the ability to enact certain regulations in favor of state authority, purportedly to “provide statewide consistency.” It covers a wide range, including other worker protections, environmental protections, housing protections, and more.
Critics dubbed it the “Death Star Bill.” The president of the Houston chapter of the NAACP, Bishop James Dixon, called it “a threat to civil and human rights.” according to local outlet KHOU11.
To be below followers were several building associations.
Dallas and Austin currently require workers to be allowed at least 10 minutes every four hours to cool down and drink.
Abbott signed the legislation Tuesday. Some parts of the state on Thursday and Friday began to set new heat recordsand others are expected to chart new highs as temperatures climb into triple digits in the coming days.
Millions of people in the Houston area were spent an excessive heat warning on Friday, through Sunday, with “feels like” temperatures potentially reaching 120 degrees. The National Weather Service also said that south Texas and eastern Louisiana are at increased risk of fires due to the heat, which will put pressure on the state fragile power grid. Average temperatures in Texas have been rising for decades.
According to the Texas Tribune, Texas is already the top state for worker deaths from heat.
The Tribune reported that heat-related deaths last year hit a two-decade high, when at least 279 people across Texas died from heat.
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