As his state faced a dangerous heat wave this week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a broad new law that will nullify a wide range of local regulations, including mandated water breaks for construction workers, beginning Sept. 1, according to The Texas Tribune.
The new Republican-backed law strips the ability of local municipalities to enact certain regulations in favor of state authority, ostensibly 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 NAACP’s Houston chapter, Bishop James Dixon, called it “a threat to civil rights and human rights,” according to local outlet KHOU11.
Among its supporters were several construction business associations.
Dallas and Austin currently require workers to be given at least 10 minutes to cool down and hydrate every four hours.
Abbott signed the legislation Tuesday. On Thursday and Friday, some areas of the state began setting new heat records, and others are expected to chart new highs as temperatures soar into triple-digits over the next several days.
Millions of people around the Houston region were issued an excessive heat warning on Friday, lasting through Sunday, with “feels like” temperatures potentially hitting 120 degrees. The National Weather Service also said that southern Texas and eastern Louisiana are at an increased risk of fires due to the heat, which will strain the state’s brittle power grid. Average temperatures in Texas have been rising for decades.
Texas is already the top state for worker deaths due to heat, according to the Texas Tribune.
The Tribune reported that heat-related deaths hit a two-decade high just last year when at least 279 people across Texas died by heat.
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