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Directive to protect residential construction workers from falls goes into effect June 16 OSHA Share    
Starting June 16, residential construction employers will have to provide workers with the conventional fall protection required by the construction fall protection standard, issued in 1994 (29 CFR 1926.501(b)(13)). Falls are the leading cause of death for workers in construction and this directive will provide residential construction workers with greater protection from being injured or killed on the job. More
Texas passes bills promoting energy efficiency Texas Tribune Share
Environmentalists lost several battles this legislative session — there will be no statewide solar rebates, and no overhaul for the Texas Railroad Commission. But one bright spot, they say, is energy efficiency. A handful of bills promoting energy-saving measures passed the Legislature this session and await the governor's signature. They range from allowing churches access to an energy-efficiency loan program, to making it easier for schools to find funding for energy-efficiency measures. More Texas Legislature: Redistricting, teacher pay cuts pass state Senate El Paso Times Share
A pair of bills that redraw political boundaries for U.S. congressional seats and let school districts cut teacher pay soared through the state Senate along partisan lines Monday. Each bill passed on an 18-12 vote. Republicans supported the legislation and Democrats opposed the measures. Both bills are now headed to the state House, where they may be voted on this week. Lawmakers did not tackle a congressional redistricting plan during the regular 140-day session that ended last week, but quickly released proposals when Gov. Rick Perry called them back for a special legislative session. More Legal aid may get boost from Legislature Austin American-Statesman Share
With luck, good timing and a strong push from the Texas Supreme Court, the Legislature is prepared to add $17 million to legal aid programs, preserving civil court access for thousands of low-income Texans. The money, added late last week to a Senate finance bill, would shore up endangered legal aid programs that offer help for life-altering problems, including home foreclosures, child custody disputes, consumer scams and many other noncriminal issues. More
Big banks expecting to pay $20 billion each for mortgage fraud The Atlantic Share
The nation's five biggest mortgage lenders are anticipating paying at least $20 billion in order to make nice on allegations of foreclosure abuse. Based on recent conversations he's been leading with the banks, associate U.S. Attorney General Tom Perrelli, says that Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup and Ally Financial are all realizing that the $5 billion figure they all floated in May would not be enough to end the probe. More Governor adds wind insurance to special session San Antonio Express-News Share
State lawmakers will make a renewed effort at reforming the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association after Gov. Rick Perry on Friday added the issue to the Legislature's current 30-day special session. Negotiations to reform TWIA, which was plagued by lawsuits and allegations of mismanagement after Hurricane Ike, fell apart in the final weekend of the regular session when Perry and Texas House negotiators rejected a Senate proposal that included stiff penalties for the insurance cooperative if it failed to process claims in a timely manner. More What's the special legislative session costing Texans? Fort Worth Star-Telegram Share
Texas lawmakers have spent the past five months cutting billions of dollars from schools, social services and state programs to balance the budget. Now, called into a special session to finish work from the 82nd legislative session, they could find themselves costing the state $1 million or more, a state estimate shows. More
Dallas-Fort Worth leads nation in job growth Dallas Business Journal Share
The Dallas-Fort Worth area tops the nation in job growth, with Houston coming in second. The two metro areas have added 134,200 nonfarm jobs in the past 12 months, according to figures released Wednesday morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's the equivalent of 368 new jobs every day. More Texas boosts energy efficiency requirements for buildings Texas Tribune Share
Texas will adopt stricter energy efficiency requirements for new buildings, according to a notice published today in the Texas Register. The state will adopt the latest international codes for single-family homes in 2012, and for other residential, commercial and industrial buildings in 2011. To date, Texas' building codes have been less stringent than those of many other states, including neighboring Louisiana and New Mexico. More Lawmaker files bills targeting illegal immigrants Fort Worth Star-Telegram Share
A state representative from Houston has filed three pieces of legislation that would criminalize illegal immigrants and those who employ them, but the legislation won't get a hearing unless Gov. Rick Perry adds the topic to his agenda for the current special legislative session. More Water restrictions increase amid Texas drought The Associated Press via Austin American-Statesman Share
Lush, green lawns might be a luxury Mother Nature won't allow this summer in parts of Texas. The harsh drought already plaguing farmers and ranchers in the nation's second-largest agriculture state will soon begin squeezing its water supply as temperatures heat up and demand grows across parched Texas. The worst drought the state has seen in decades has so far only prompted a small portion of water suppliers to implement restrictions, but that number is expected to rise significantly as Texans use more water to keep their lawns green and fill their pools. More |
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