Why, Florida, why??
Some confounding, inhumane legislation was just signed over in that phallic-shaped state in the nether regions of the US that we call Florida. Why Natalie, you say, that's a rather unkind description, and to you I'd say, yes, and I wrote it with malice. I'm pissed. Here's why–
The law, which DeSantis signed last week, goes into effect on July 1 and establishes multiple restrictions for city and county governments, including the ability to set heat exposure requirements not already required under state or federal law.
[…]House Bill 433, referred to as the Employment Regulations Bill, says it seeks to "prohibit political subdivisions (city and county governments) from maintaining a minimum wage other than a state or federal minimum wage; prohibit political subdivisions from controlling, affecting, or awarding preferences based on the wages or employment benefits of entities doing business with the political subdivision; revise and provide applicability."
[…]"Whereas local governments have started to adopt their own workplace heat exposure requirements, some of which apply only to specific industries, which ignore the individual responsibility of an employee to follow relevant guidelines and to protect himself or herself from heat-related illnesses, and rely on fines and penalties assessed on employers to fund the enforcement of such requirements," according to the bill.
Samantha Neely and Anthony Robledo, USA Today
What kind of person writes legislation like this? While Tiffany Esposito, the politician who sponsored the house version of the bill, was quick to add that her husband has construction experience (and what that experience is exactly, we don't know. Onsite office work doesn't count), she and her cosponsors clearly have no experience working outside. Let alone working outside in Florida's 90% humidity, 90 degree midsummer days. It's one thing to say that a company isn't viable if, say, a worker forgets to bring a square meal to the jobsite, it's another to say that an employee is responsible for the extreme weather conditions that they're working in. I'm getting all steamed just thinking about this heat.
