Proposed Fed Rule Would Protect Workers From Extreme Heat

CAPITAL Highlights 

A year after a new state law ended mandatory water breaks in Texas, a proposed federal rule would protect millions of workers from the risks caused by extreme heat, The Texas Tribune reported.

The rule would require employers to create plans to prevent heat injuries and illnesses and ensure workers get access to drinking water, rest breaks and control of indoor heat. It would apply to all employers whose businesses are under the jurisdiction of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Last year, Texas legislators passed House Bill 2127, which barred cities and counties from passing ordinances that go farther than state law in a number of areas, including labor regulations. That measure eliminated ordinances in Austin and Dallas that mandated water breaks for construction workers, The Tribune reported.

“Greg Abbott tried to take rest breaks away from everyday Texans, but now we’re one step closer to securing heat protections for all Americans on the job,” U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin, said last week. “Employers can adopt OSHA’s proposed rule and protect their workers today.”

The proposed rule still has to go through the regulatory approval process. It likely will face opposition from industry groups.

Ag’s Office Must Collect Fines From Its Boss 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton owes the state of Texas more than $11,000 in fines for filing late campaign finance reports, and the office he heads is now charged with collecting the money, the Houston Chronicle reported.

The Texas Ethics Commission referred Paxton’s unpaid fines to the attorney general’s office in April, according to public records. Paxton is not the only elected official who owes the state for campaign violation fines. Hundreds of candidates and elected officials together owe the state more than $700,000. His office has declined to sue to collect the unpaid fines, according to the Chronicle. The executive director of Common Cause, a watchdog group, called the situation a clear conflict of interest.

“If I didn’t pay a parking ticket and incurred a fine as a penalty, most Texans would find it absurd if I also got to review my fine and have a role in deciding whether any action should be taken to collect that fine,” Anthony Gutierrez said.

The office has only filed one lawsuit against a public official who owes ethics fines since September 2023.

Border Wall Decades Away From Completion The state-funded border wall announced by Gov. Greg Abbott three years ago is proceeding at about a half mile a week, The Tribune reported. At that rate, completion of the wall along the state’s 1,254mile border will take about 30 years and cost around $20 billion to complete. Thus far, 34 miles of wall have been completed at a price tag of about $25 million per mile.

State lawmakers thus far have approved more than $3 billion for the wall, out of the $11 billion allocated for the border crackdown known as Operation Lone Star. The remainder of the money has gone to sending state troopers and National Guard soldiers to the border, as well as transporting migrants to Democratcontrolled cities outside of Texas.

Some Republicans are expressing concern about the rising costs of the wall.

“I am, too, concerned that we’re spending a whole lot of money to give the appearance of doing something rather than taking the problem on to actually solve it, and until we do that, I don’t expect to see much happen,” state Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood.

Abbott’s office did not respond to a request for comment.