The lawmaker who had filed a bill to ban "living wage" ordinances around Texas has decided that was a bad course of action. Representative Kenneth Sheets, R-Dallas, withdrew his bill after hearing objections from Republicans and Democrats alike.
Some on the left argued it was "draconian." This is from the liberal Burnt Orange Report:
"The draconian bill was aimed at metropolitan areas such as San Antonio and Travis County, where living wage agreements are already on the books. The Austin City Council is considering one that would be added to economic incentive packages. These agreements require projects to pay a living wage to construction workers if they are receiving incentives.
Basically, Sheets doesn't think that local governments should have the control to use their tax dollars in support of their community values. Sounds just a bit like that "Big Government" Republicans are always railing against."
On the right, conservative Republican Councilman Doug Miller of Keller,Texas told Construction Citizen that this was an affront to the entire idea of local control:
"While I think living wage agreements and plastic bag bans are absolutely bad ideas, it is not the state government's place to step in to stop a local government from instituting these laws. The local populace will speak out during the election process if they feel their local elected officials are overstepping. This, however, does not include sanctuary city laws, which are basically a way of stating they will not follow federal laws."
What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
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