Current Articles for September 04, 2025

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.

• The man who ate NASA. By Franklin Foer. Atlantic Monthly, September 2025, pp. 55-63.
  Discusses the history of the space program through NASA's early days, achievements, and failures. Details Elon Musk's interest and founding of SpaceX in 2002. Describes the events and moments these entities overlapped and differed in priorities and actions.
  See: https://research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=1342a25e-2127-384a-8e0f-aed831d475c2
  See: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/09/nasa-spacex-elon-musk-ambitions/683559/
  
• Impact of recent Supreme Court ruling on US Department of Education staffing cuts on students and families: An update from Fullscale. Aurora Institute, July 23, 2025, p. 1.
  Considers the impact of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, New York v. McMahon, related to the Trump administration's cuts to the U.S. Department of Education. Notes that some of the most severely impacted programs are those intended to protect student rights, support access to post-secondary education, and provide high-quality research and data.
  See: https://aurora-institute.org/cw_post/impact-of-recent-supreme-court-ruling-on-us-department-of-educa ...
  Related information at: https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/24a1203.html
  
• Preventing diabetes in Texas: Insights from the literature on Diabetes Prevention Program effectiveness. By Bridget Darby and Stoddard Davenport. Episcopal Health Foundation, July 22, 2025, pp. 1-15.
  Explores the literature related to the effectiveness of the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program and state-level Medicaid Diabetes Prevention Programs. Examines health and cost outcomes for these programs.
  See: https://www.episcopalhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Milliman-Diabetes-Prevention-Literature-R ...
  
• Healthy school meals for all state advocacy guide: Reducing childhood hunger through innovative policy. By Alexis Bylander, et al. Food Research & Action Center, August 2025, pp. 1-43.
  Describes the lessons learned in the nine states—California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, and Vermont—that have passed Healthy School Meals for All policies. Notes healthy meal policies build off the federal school breakfast and lunch programs to support child nutrition regardless of the student's household income.
  See: https://frac.org/wp-content/uploads/HSMFA-State-Advocacy-Guide.pdf
  
• China and cannabis. By Paul J. Larkin. Heritage Foundation, August 20, 2025, pp. 1-20.
  Considers China's involvement in cannabis grown in the U.S. in states where medical or recreational marijuana is legal.
  See: https://www.heritage.org/sites/default/files/2025-08/LM380.pdf
  
• 'Fast, sudden, unexplainable and potentially catastrophic'. By Steven Yoder. The Imprint: Youth & Family News, September 2, 2025, p. 1.
  Discusses the effect of Trump administration funding cuts to prison rape protection programs for incarcerated youth. Discusses requirements of the 2003 Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) for detention facilities to conduct regular audits and produce progress reports on the protection of youth from rape and sexual assault. Notes some funding and audit functions have been restored to the National Prison Rape Elimination Act Resource Center.
  See: https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/fast-sudden-unexplainable-and-potentially-catastrophic/265230
  Related information at: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-108publ79/pdf/PLAW-108publ79.pdf
  
• Sales tax holidays miss the mark when it comes to effective sales tax reform. By Miles Trinidad. Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, July 17, 2025, p. 1.
  Presents the history of sales tax holidays in the U.S. and maps the eighteen states with sales tax holidays on the books in 2025, including Texas. Criticizes the concept of sales tax holidays as poorly targeted with $1.3 billion in lost revenue and administrative difficulties for state and local governments and retailers.
  See: https://itep.org/sales-tax-holidays-2025/
  
• Why capturing heat-related illness in the medical record matters more than ever. By Avery Orrall. JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), August 19, 2025, pp. 557-559.
  Considers how chronic heat exposure may affect a patient's diagnoses and health outcomes. Explains the importance of tracking heat-related illnesses and deaths to improve future responses and treatments.
• Drug overdose deaths involving stimulants—United States, January 2018–June 2024. By Lauren J. Tanz, et al. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), August 28, 2025, pp. 491-499.
  Reviews recent statistics related to drug overdoses involving stimulants. Concludes that drug overdoses involving stimulants have increased significantly in the U.S. since 2011.
  See: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/74/wr/pdfs/mm7432a1-H.pdf
  
• Inside the push to ban phones in schools. By Alice Giordano. Newsmax, August 2025, p. 17.
  Considers possible motivations behind cell phone bans in schools. Argues that some student video taken with smartphones has caught teachers engaging in inappropriate or offensive behavior, suggesting that the ban may not be about student behavior but more about protecting teachers. Points out that many parents oppose outright bans due to safety concerns.
• A tale of two speakers: Dade Phelan and Dustin Burrows. By Brad Johnson. Texan, August 26, 2025, p. 1.
  Contrasts President Trump's recent endorsement of current Speaker Dustin Burrows with the retirement announcement by former Speaker Dade Phelan on the same day. Discusses the relationship of both Burrows and Phelan with political conservatives.
  See: https://thetexan.news/state/legislature/89th-session/a-tale-of-two-speakers-dade-phelan-and-dustin-b ...
  
• Texas school districts craft policies on library book approval, children's access under new law. By Meridith Dyer. Texan, September 2, 2025, p. 1.
  Describes the implementation of SB 13, 89th Legislature, R.S., relating to school library materials in various school districts, including Fort Worth; Houston; Mansfield; Pearland; and Spring.
  See: https://thetexan.news/issues/education/texas-school-districts-craft-policies-on-library-book-approva ...
  
• Texas Supreme Court denies Paxton restraining order hearing on O'Rourke in quorum bust funding lawsuit. By Mary Elise Cosgray. Texan, August 27, 2025, p. 1.
  Comments on the Supreme Court of Texas' August 27 denial of Attorney General Ken Paxton's emergency appeal relating to political fundraising by Beto O'Rourke during the Texas Democrats' quorum break.
  See: https://thetexan.news/judicial/texas-supreme-court-denies-paxton-restraining-order-hearing-on-orourk ...
  Related information at: https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/press/Letter_5.pdf
  Related information at: https://www.txcourts.gov/supreme/orders-opinions/2025/august/august-27-2025/