DemLabs blog

How politicians make heatwaves deadlier. Texas Republicans and Greg Abbott ban water breaks.

Abbott signed a bill that eliminates local rules mandating water breaks for construction workers. - USA Today

Abbott Signs “Death Star” Act That Limits Municipalities’ Ability to Self-Govern. The new law will make it next to impossible to protect workers and consumers at the local level"

How does this impact the lives of Texans? We mapped:
- Current temperatures with real-time data from the National Weather Service
- Some reports of heatwave related deaths of construction workers, postal workers and prison inmates
- Contact details of the Republicans who voted to ban water breaks for workers and air conditioning in prisons
- How to contact Greg Abbott
Politicians get paid from taxes that voters pay to govern, not to play culture wars. Hold them accountable.

See for yourself how politicians make heatwaves deadlier with this StoryMap.

Greg Abbott and Texas Republicans make heatwaves deadlier

Death Star Bill

“This is a kind of Death Star bill. Local government’s ability to protect tenants from slumlords could be banned. The ability to respond quickly to hurricanes and industrial fires could be banned. Many of the things that we have fought for, like a $15 minimum wage for airport workers and for workers on county construction projects.” - Hany Khalil, executive director of the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation

He said his organization has worked closely with Harris County to craft a recently enacted policy enhancing worker safety on county construction jobs. “Work in construction in Texas is extremely unsafe, with something on the order of about one worker dying a day due to safety considerations in Texas on these kinds of jobs." - Texas Standard

How Greg Abbott and Texas Republicans make heat waves deadlier

Hold them accountable

Elections have consequences. Politicians make decisions that impact all our lives. Sometimes the impact is lost in hype and fear mongering. Maps cut through the B.S. to connect how their political decisions impact your life. See who voted for that bill and how to connect them. This map was designed with ArcGIS Online using real time data from the National Weather Service (NWS) and information from these articles:
After workers' heat deaths, Texas cities required water breaks. A new law takes that power away. - USA Today
Abbott Signs “Death Star” Act That Limits Municipalities’ Ability to Self-Govern - Truthout

TakeAway: Vote for politicians who will govern responsibly rather than waste your tax payer dollars to fight their culture wars.

Deepak
DemLabs

DISCLAIMER: ALTHOUGH THE DATA FOUND IN THIS BLOG AND INFOGRAPHIC HAS BEEN PRODUCED AND PROCESSED FROM SOURCES BELIEVED TO BE RELIABLE, NO WARRANTY EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED CAN BE MADE REGARDING THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, LEGALITY OR RELIABILITY OF ANY SUCH INFORMATION. THIS DISCLAIMER APPLIES TO ANY USES OF THE INFORMATION WHETHER ISOLATED OR AGGREGATE USES THEREOF.

Texas Republicans and Greg Abbott make heatwaves deadlier

Texas Republicans and Greg Abbott make heatwaves deadlier

Collateral damage from polliticans ready to sacrifice their constituents to get re-elected

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DemLabs applies innovative technology and storytelling tools in service of democratic values. It lowers the barrier of funding for worthy candidates and non-profits by applying existing free/affordable solutions.