WASHINGTON – Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) is backing the bipartisan, bicameral Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act to protect the safety and health of indoor and outdoor workers who are exposed to dangerous heat conditions in the workplace. The legislation would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) establish an enforceable federal standard to protect workers in high-heat environments with commonsense measures like paid breaks in cool spaces, access to water, limitations on time exposed to heat, and emergency response for workers with heat-related illness.   The bill is named in honor of Asunción Valdivia, who died in 2004 after picking grapes for

WASHINGTON — Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) backed the bipartisan Military Spouse Hiring Act to create incentives for businesses to hire military spouses. “Our military and their families serve our country day in and day out. Their brave sacrifices should not be penalized,” said Senator Gallego. “This bill helps the nearly 8,000 active-duty spouses in Arizona travel and relocate when necessary without having to worry about career setbacks and financial instability.” The Military Spouse Hiring Act would expand the existing Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program – which provides tax credits to employers who hire people facing unique barriers to employment – to include military spouses. Military spouses experience rates of unemployment

Bill comes after Phoenix hit a record-breaking 118 degrees last week WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) reintroduced his Extreme Heat Emergency Act to add extreme heat to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) list of major disaster qualifying events. The bill was co-led by Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Representative Sylvia Garcia (TX-29). READ MORE: The June heat dome broke records. Lawmakers are now trying to classify extreme heat as a disaster “Each year, extreme heat kills more Americans than every other form of extreme whether combined. But still the federal government sits on the sideline, leaving state and local governments to drain their funds trying to keep people safe,” said Senator