State Lawmaker Looks to Derail Austin's 'Better Builder' Rules

Friday, July 21, 2017 | 0

A Republican state lawmaker from Austin is looking to derail the "Better Builder" rules the city instated last year, the Texas Tribune reports.

Rep. Paul Workman

Rep. Paul Workman, R-Austin, introduced House Bill 164 last week. The bill seeks to accelerate the permitting process in cities and towns across the state while forbidding the enforcement of rules like Austin's Better Builder regulations.

The regulations require companies to pay workers at least $13.50 an hour, follow certain safety standards, and provide workers' compensation insurance and training. The rules apply only to companies that receive construction permits via a newly created expedited process for large commercial projects. 

The Better Builder Program was created by the labor advocacy group Workers Defense Project in 2012. Austin's City Council voted to tie its standards to the new permitting process last year.

Workman didn't like that, calling the Workers Defense Project a "union front" and saying the $13.50-an-hour wage requirement amounts to "wage control."

Read the full story here.