The Texas legislature meets only for approximately six months every other year. This session, many bills signed into law impact employers. This article summarizes some of these new laws and how they impact employment operations in the State of Texas.
Traditionally, Texas cities had the ability to enact local ordinances to regulate areas such as labor, agriculture, finance, insurance, natural resources, and occupations within their respective jurisdictions. However, The Texas Regulatory Consistency Act, or HB 2127, also known as the "Death Star" law, seeks to end the "patchwork of regulations that apply inconsistently across the state" and return commercial regulatory authority to the state by prohibiting cities and counties from enacting any law regulating labor practices that exceed or conflict with state law. The law goes into effect on September 1, 2023.
The Act, once in effect, will nullify any rule or ordinance regulating "employment leave, hiring practices, breaks, employment benefits, scheduling practices, and any other terms of employment that exceed or conflict with federal or state law." A critical development for employers, this law most likely nullifies and preempts several local ordinances, including the enjoined paid sick leave ordinances (Austin, San Antonio, Dallas), the predictive scheduling ordinance (Euless), the mandatory water break ordinances (Dallas and Houston), and the...
CANFIELD, Ohio — A day after an armed man was arrested during Amy Acton’s appearance at the Canfield Fair, law enforcement accounts and public records establish the basic facts of what happened — ...