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Texas Senate proposes required breaks for construction workers

Elvert Barnes
/
Texas Tribune

The Texas Senate is considering instituting a rule that would guarantee construction workers frequent breaks,reports The Texas Tribune.

The proposed legislation is an attempt to ease hardship on Texas construction workers, who frequently endure brutal heat and other weather-driven struggles.

Texas experiences a few construction deaths each year as a result of heat, and Senate Bill 473 would require 15-minute rest breaks every four hours to combat the issue.

Two Democratic Senators authored the bill, Sen. José Rodríguez and Sen. Sylvia Garcia. Rodriguez called the legislation “a simple, fair-minded proposal to keep Texas construction workers safe.”

There is no Federal law requiring employers to give breaks to construction workers, though twelve other states have passed such legislation.