Newsom Vetoes Bill Dealing with Farmworkers and Extreme Heat

Newsom Vetoes Bill Dealing with Farmworkers and Extreme Heat

Haylie Shipp
Haylie Shipp
We are talking California SB 1299 today, a bill about farmworker benefits.

According to the bill text,“ from 2018 to 2019, the number of suspected and confirmed farmworker heat-related deaths increased approximately 130 percent.”

While the text goes on and on, I’ll summarize. It was the goal of SB 1299 to protect farmworkers from extreme heat by legitimizing the risk in the worker’s comp system.

I say “was” because now that the piece of legislation has hit Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk, it is gone without a signature.

In his veto message, Govenor Newsom says, “There is no doubt that climate change is causing an increase in extreme temperatures and that California farmworkers need strong protections from the risk of heat-related illness. However, the creation of a heat-illness presumption in the workers' compensation system is not an effective way to accomplish this goal. “

SB 1299 had been sponsored by Senator Dave Cortese, a democrat out of San Jose.

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