Current Articles for March 14, 2024
The Legislative Reference Library produces a weekly list of current journal articles for members of the legislative community. Each week, librarians select and abstract articles of interest to the legislature from the latest issues of over 300 journals, newsletters, state documents, and trade publications. Electronic copies of the Current Articles list are distributed to legislative offices each Thursday.
The Legislative Reference Library is located on the second floor of the State Capitol building in Room 2N.3. For more information, please call the Library at 512-463-1252.
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Children: Now, not the future.
By Justin Sayers.
Austin Business Journal, March 1-7, 2024, pp. 12-13.
Discusses companies in Austin, Texas, working with high schools to encourage students to enter the manufacturing or trade industries and expand the local manufacturing workforce pipeline. -
Will 'Texas tough' work in fighting fentanyl fatalities?
By Henry Gass.
Christian Science Monitor, February 2024, pp. 22-26.
Considers recent efforts to address the opioid crisis in Texas. Reviews the various approaches such as changes in legislation and addressing the social issues behind addiction. -
Relentless reaper.
Economist, March 2nd-8th, 2024, pp. 15-18.
Provides an update on the current state of the fentanyl epidemic.
See: https://www.economist.com/briefing/2024/02/29/americas-ten-year-old-fentanyl-epidemic-is-still-getti ...
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Hospital facility prices declined as a result of Oregon's hospital payment cap.
By Roslyn C. Murray, et al.
Health Affairs, March 2024, pp. 424-432.
Examines the success of state legislation implementing a hospital payment cap in Oregon. Finds that hospital payment caps reduced the state's employee medical cost.
See: https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2023.01021
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Revisiting the connection between innovation, education, and regional economic growth.
By Grace J. Wang.
Issues in Science and Technology, Winter 2024, pp. 37-42.
Considers the last 40 years of scientific research and technological innovation that have generated sustained economic growth. Revisits an article published in the first issue of this magazine. Refers to various laws passed by Congress, such as the Revitalize American Manufacturing And Innovation Act of 2014, which was incorporated into the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015.
See: https://issues.org/innovation-stem-education-regional-growth-babbitt-wang/
Related information at: https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/83
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A scientific 'forced marriage' takes on the mysteries of the Loop Current.
By Virginia Gewin.
Issues in Science and Technology, Winter 2024, pp. 63-69.
Describes the Loop Current of the Gulf of Mexico. Explains collaborative efforts by various stakeholders to collect and share data to better understand this oceanic phenomenon. Refers to the 2018 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s (NASEM) consensus committee on Advancing Understanding of Gulf of Mexico Loop Current Dynamics.
See: https://issues.org/loop-current-gulf-mexico-ugos-gewin/
Report at: https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/24823/understanding-and-predicting-the-gulf-of-mexico-loop ...
Related information at: https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/advancing-understanding-of-gulf-of-mexico-loop-current-dy ...
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Border showdown.
By Steve Bonta.
New American, March 2024, pp. 10-15.
Explores the current operations to secure the U.S.–Mexico border and the reverberating effects in Congress. Focuses on Texas border operations, specifically on efforts in Eagle Pass and at Shelby Park.
See: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=175673192&site=ehost-live
See: https://thenewamerican.com/print/border-showdown/
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Apparent authority and vicarious liability for tort in Texas: From dance to embrace.
By Val D. Ricks.
South Texas Law Review, Fall 2023, pp. 35-90.
Argues that Texas agency law lacks clarity regarding the law governing when a principal is liable vicariously for tort because of the tortfeasor’s apparent authority. Proposes clarifying language for the doctrine. -
Lower Rio Grande Valley farmers might run out of irrigation water.
By Julie Tomascik.
Texas Agriculture, March 1, 2024, pp. 8-9.
Describes conditions for farmers in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, where temperatures can rise to more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit for weeks or months at a time and drought has taken a toll on agricultural production. Adds that Mexico is behind on the water it owes the U.S. under the 1944 Water Treaty.
See: https://texasfarmbureau.org/lower-rio-grande-valley-farmers-might-run-out-of-irrigation-water/
Related information at: https://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g1000/pdfiles/mextrety.pdf
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New Census of Agriculture shows Texas lost over 17,700 farms.
By Julie Tomascik.
Texas Agriculture, March 1, 2024, p. 22.
Summarizes the latest Census of Agriculture, which shows that Texas farmland declined by more than 1.6 million acres with a loss of more than 17,700 farms. Notes that in 2019, Texas had 127,036,184 acres of land dedicated to farming and ranching, while in 2022 that number had decreased to 125,417,325. Adds that U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack discussed the issue in a recent speech to the American Farm Bureau Federation, encouraging farmers to consider generating additional revenue through climate-smart initiatives and bioproducts. Discusses other Texas agriculture statistics including farmer/rancher demographics and crop production.
See: https://texasfarmbureau.org/ag-census-shows-texas-lost-over-17700-farms/
Report at: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022/index.php#full_report
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Study examines economic impacts in LRGV due to water shortages.
By Emmy Powell.
Texas Agriculture, March 1, 2024, p. 9.
Summarizes the Estimated Economic Impacts of Irrigation Water Shortages on Lower Rio Grande Valley Agriculture, a new report that projects large losses for agriculture in the region. Notes that the study projects a potential 2024 total loss in economic output of over $993.2 million due to the absence of irrigation water for crop production. Adds that part of the issue is Mexico's delay in delivering water it owes the U.S. under the 1944 Water Treaty.
Report at: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/archive/2023/53173.pdf
See: https://texasfarmbureau.org/study-examines-economic-impacts-in-lrgv-due-to-water-shortages/
Related information at: https://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g1000/pdfiles/mextrety.pdf
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Exceptional circumstances.
By Emma Freer.
Texas Medicine, March 2024, pp. 46-48.
Reviews recent Texas legislation regarding abortion and medical exceptions. Discusses the confusion of medical professionals on how to provide appropriate and legal care to their patients. Calls upon the Texas Legislature to clarify medical exceptions for abortions. Mentions HB 3058, 88th Legislature, R.S.
See: https://www.texmed.org/TexasMedicineDetail.aspx?id=63612