In February, the City of Austin passed an ordinance that would mandate private employers provide at least 64 hours, or eight days, of paid sick leave every year.

This ordinance, authored by communist City Councilman Greg Casar, was decried by business owners and elected politicians alike.

Following the ordinance’s passage, Working Texans for Paid Sick Time, a coalition comprised of activists from AFL-CIO and Planned Parenthood, launched petition campaigns in Dallas and San Antonio to put paid sick leave on the November ballot for referendums in those cities.

In Dallas, petitioners are required to collect valid signatures from 10 percent of the city’s registered voters in order to get a proposed ordinance on the ballot. Petitioners have a period of 60 days to collect the signatures.

The petition collectors submitted nearly 120,000 signatures to the City Secretary, well above the 53,756 needed, but more than half were deemed ineligible. In the end, the petition came up 871 signatures short.

Petitioners have asked the city for a recount.

Taxpayers should rejoice that they will not be forced to foot the bill for leftist economic policies. Measures like this frequently cause small businesses to lay off employees and lead to higher costs for consumers. The Texas Legislature should prevent cities from holding their residents hostage with far-left policies and ensure Texas’ business environment remains an attractive destination for commerce.

Saurabh Sharma

Saurabh Sharma served as a Capitol Correspondent for Texas Scorecard. He was a Biochemistry and Government student at the University of Texas at Austin. He was also the State Chairman of Young Conservatives of Texas. In his free time, you can find him writing with fountain pens, learning graphic design, experimenting with unique nutrition regimens, and studying men’s fashion.

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