In the waning hours of Texas’ 87th legislative session, House Democrats staged a walk-out to kill a sweeping Republican effort at voter suppression. Little-noticed in the moment, the dramatic move also nixed a top priority of the business lobby for the last three years: a measure to stop Texas cities from passing virtually any local pro-labor policy.
“Small business owners are deeply disappointed and frustrated by our elected leaders,” said Annie Spilman, Texas director for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), in response to the sudden demise of Senate Bill 14. “Small business owners … don’t have the time or the resources to navigate a confusing and contradictory patchwork of local ordinances.”
Had it passed, SB 14 would have banned any local policy that requires employers to provide paid sick leave, rest breaks, or stable work schedules. It would have also squashed “ban-the-box” ordinances that shield job applicants with criminal convictions from discrimination. Business groups like NFIB, backed by billionaires like the Koch family, argue that such measures spell doom for bosses with slim profit margins and make compliance difficult for companies operating in multiple cities. In Texas, just a few such local policies actually exist, though they’ve increased in recent years.
