HR 209: General Assembly; Workplace Safety and Heat Protection Act; urge passage

This resolution does not itself create any new law. Instead, it formally urges the Georgia General Assembly to pass a different, not-yet-introduced piece of legislation known by its drafting number, LC 46 0977, called the Workplace Safety and Heat Protection Act. The resolution lays out reasons for supporting that future bill: extreme heat risks to workers, rising numbers of dangerously hot days in Georgia, higher injury rates in high-heat conditions, and gaps in federal OSHA rules. The resolution describes what LC 46 0977 would include if passed: a heat illness prevention program covering access to water, shaded rest areas, mandatory rest breaks, risk assessments, employee training, and emergency response plans. It directs the Clerk of the House to send copies of the resolution to the Governor, the Commissioner of Labor, and all members of the General Assembly.

• Formally urges the Georgia General Assembly to pass a separate bill, LC 46 0977, the Workplace Safety and Heat Protection Act.
• Does not itself impose any workplace heat safety requirements; it only expresses support for future legislation.
• Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to send copies of the resolution to the Governor, the Commissioner of Labor, and all General Assembly members.
• Describes the heat protections the referenced bill would include, such as water access, shaded rest areas, mandatory breaks, risk assessments, training, and emergency response plans.

The resolution names workers in agriculture, construction, manufacturing, and warehousing as most affected by extreme heat, along with over 425,000 Georgia workers in high-risk industries. It also directs action toward the Governor, the Commissioner of Labor, and General Assembly members.

Because this is a resolution rather than a bill creating law, it changes nothing about workplace rules on its own. Its practical effect is to put political pressure on lawmakers to take up and pass the separate Workplace Safety and Heat Protection Act, which would set actual heat safety requirements for employers.

• The resolution's whereas clauses cite statistics on heat-related workplace injuries, deaths, and the number of Georgia workers in high-risk industries.
• The resolved clause urges the General Assembly to 'swiftly pass' LC 46 0977, the Workplace Safety and Heat Protection Act.
• A further resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies to the Governor, the Commissioner of Labor, and all members of the General Assembly.
• The resolution notes federal OSHA regulations do not currently mandate sufficient workplace heat protections in Georgia.

1. 2025-02-12House Second Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
2. 2025-02-11House First Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
3. 2025-02-10House Hopper (Cámara de Representantes)

• Kim Schofield (D, HD-063)Patrocinador principal
• Dewey McClain (D, HD-109)
• Sandra Scott (D, HD-076)
• Sheila Jones (D, HD-060)
• Lydia Glaize (D, HD-067)

• workplace safety
• heat protection
• labor law
• occupational health