Texas Supreme Court declines to hear Austin appeal in paid sick leave case

AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas Supreme Court has declined to hear Austin's appeal of a lower court decision to temporarily block enforcement of a local ordinance requiring private employers to offer paid sick leave.

According to NFIB, a small business advocacy organization, the 3rd Court of Appeals issued a temporary injunction in 2018 that put the ordinance on hold while the appeal was pending.

"The fight isn't over, but today's ruling is a clear victory for Austin small business owners who can now rest assured that they will not face the imminent and irreparable harm this ordinance would have caused as they are working hard to get their businesses back up and running," NFIB State Director Annie Spilman said.

In 2017, NFIB joined other small business groups including the Texas Public Policy Foundation to challenge the Austin ordinance in court.

DOWNLOAD THE FOX 7 AUSTIN NEWS APP FOR YOUR MOBILE DEVICE

"Local ordinances like Austin's create a patchwork of regulations that create confusion for small businesses, especially those with employees who work in multiple jurisdictions," Spilman said. "Our members believe employment regulations should be set by the Legislature and applied evenly statewide. We will continue working with legislative leaders on a solution that settles his issue once and for all."

SIGN UP FOR FOX 7 AUSTIN EMAIL ALERTS

Another bill, Senate Bill 762, was filed by state Sen. Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels) in 2019. The bill, called the “Texas Small Business Protection Act," would prohibit cities like Austin and San Antonio from putting their mandated sick leave policies in place.

"Businesses come here for minimal regulations, for freedom. And if we start putting burdensome regulations on them, there goes our economy," Campbell said in 2019.