Urgent need for HB 433

Posted 2 months ago by Ellarea Farwell

ACTION - Call the rising Speaker of the House, Danny Perez, by taking one minute to call him before this Thursday to ask him to oppose HB 433/SB1492.

Calling all CFANPC Members! There is still time to convince House Leadership to oppose HB 433, the Employment Regulation Bill that includes the Heat Illness Regulation Preemption, before it is heard in its last House committee that will take place Thursday morning, February 22nd. As climate change worsens extreme heat in our state, heat illness will only become a bigger problem for the health of our outdoor workers.

Our action today is to focus all our efforts on the rising Speaker of the House, Danny Perez, by taking one minute to call him before this Thursday to ask him to oppose HB 433/SB1492.

Every call and every email matters as we work to stop the preemption of regulations to protect outdoor workers from the morbidity and mortality of heat illness. Calls are preferred, but Representative Perez’s email is also below.

If you want to read more about the bills, please refer to the following commentaries or the phone script below.

· Basic protections are essential to protect workers from extreme heat | The Invading Sea

· Florida wants more minors to work construction | Commentary (orlandosentinel.com)

Contact Information:

Representative Danny Perez - (850) 717-5116 / daniel.perez@myfloridahouse.gov

Please update your name and clinical title below when making the call or if sending an email. If you send an email, please sign at the bottom and use the subject line "Please Oppose HB 433."

Phone Call or Email Script

Hello, I'm [full name], a Floridian [and Nurse Practitioner] asking you, Representative Perez, to oppose HB 433, the Employment Regulation Bill that preempts Heat Exposure regulations. As the upcoming Speaker of the House, it is your responsibility to lead efforts to protect Floridians from the worsening heat our state is experiencing every year.

Members of the legislature who support HB 433 say they do not want a patchwork of different regulations for addressing heat illness across the state, but no protections from the state exist now. The Senate version of this bill, SB 1492, does not guarantee any future protections will be put into place by the state and that is unlikely to change since the current legislature had the opportunity to pass a bipartisan, non-punitive health illness educational bill to address the problem and failed to do so.

Without state or national regulations in place, which could take years or decades to finalize, HB 433 suggests leaving heat safety decisions to individual employers. Given the severity of heat illness and its impact on our Emergency Departments, employers are not doing enough. Localities seeing high rates of Emergency Department visits for heat illness and unnecessary deaths of their outdoor workers should be able to require basic education and simple, inexpensive, lifesaving measures at work sites. Did the House consult with a medical provider on the dangers of heat illness or what would be needed to prevent and treat it?

For the safety of Floridians and our economy, please oppose HB 433. Thank you.