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New Texas law takes away water breaks amidst ongoing heat wave

A new law signed by Gov. Greg Abbott overrides worker protections, taking away water breaks from construction workers in order to regulate businesses across Texas.

Though the law doesn’t go into effect until Sept. 1, two workers have died of heat-related illnesses since it was ratified, underscoring its potential impact.

We speak to Daniela Hernandez, state legislative coordinator for the Workers Defense Project in Texas, about this as Texas experiences a dangerous heat wave.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.