The Texas Association of Business (TAB) today released a statement following the House passage of Senate Bill 14, the Business Freedom and Uniformity Act, sponsored by Senator Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe) in the Senate and Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) in the House. The bill will ensure local governments cannot dictate to businesses how they operate, and it will remove a patchwork quilt of regulations throughout the state. Over the last few years, local governments in Texas have sought to mandate what kind of benefit offerings a business would have to make, dictated their hiring practices and even mandated what type of scheduling and rest breaks their employees can take.

“For several years now, the business community has been under attack from local mandates seeking to dictate every aspect of how they operate,” said TAB CEO, Glenn Hamer. “Today’s passage of the Business Freedom and Uniformity Act by the Texas House is a signal that much-needed relief and protection is on the way. By placing this item on the special session agenda, Governor Abbott has once-again shown his commitment to keeping Texas the best place to live and work, and TAB is grateful to him, as well as economic champions like Lt. Governor Patrick, Speaker Phelan, Senator Creighton and Representative King who are fighting to ensure final passage of this bill in the Legislature.”

TAB is the voice for Texas businesses, representing more than 1,500 members and 200 local chambers. United to protect the business-friendly climate, TAB works on the frontlines, in a bi-partisan manner, to deliver real solutions that promote economic development in Texas. Follow TAB on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.