Current Articles for July 24, 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.

• Loophole filled for 'traveling' HFCs. By Bob Sechler. Austin Business Journal, July 11-17, 2025, p. 17.
  Discusses a new state law, HB 21, 89th Legislature, R.S., targeted at stopping abuses of tax breaks for affordable multifamily housing.
• Texas passes key housing bills. By Sean Hemmersmeier. Austin Business Journal, July 11-17, 2025, p. 18.
  Presents recently passed legislation, HB 24, SB 15, and SB 840, 89th Legislature, R.S., aimed at constructing new housing in Texas.
• FEMA's flood maps often miss dangerous flash flood risks, leaving homeowners unprepared. By Jeremy Porter. The Conversation, July 16, 2025, p. 1.
  Discusses current limitations of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) flood maps. Highlights technological advances that can be utilized to create more accurate maps.
  See: https://theconversation.com/femas-flood-maps-often-miss-dangerous-flash-flood-risks-leaving-homeowne ...
  
• Legislature dances the Texas three-step: Defund, demonize, privatize public education. By Kaci Wright and Vivek Datla. IDRA Newsletter (Intercultural Development Research Association), June-July 2025, pp. 3-4.
  Summarizes the following education-related bills from the 89th Legislature, Regular Session: HB 2, SB 2, SB 12, HB 6, and SB 37.
  See: https://www.idra.org/resource-center/legislature-dances-the-texas-three-step-defund-demonize-privati ...
  
• Halt on evictions during the pandemic likely resulted in fewer child abuse reports, new study finds. By Jordan Anderson and Michael Fitzgerald. The Imprint: Youth & Family News, July 16, 2025, p. 1.
  Reviews a recent study in Pediatrics that analyzed child abuse and neglect reports in sixteen states, including Texas, and concluded that temporary eviction bans during the COVID-19 pandemic may have kept children safer. Discusses the implications for supportive housing and child welfare policy.
  See: https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/halt-on-evictions-during-the-pandemic-likely-resulted-in-fewer-c ...
  Related information at: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/155/5/e2024068174/201562/State-Based-Eviction-Morato ...
  
• Beyond screen time—Addictive screen use patterns and adolescent mental health. By Jason M. Nagata, Christiane K. Helmer, and Abubakr A. Al-Shoaibi. JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), July 15, 2025, pp. 214-216.
  Examines adolescent susceptibility to screen addiction and how screen addiction may impact adolescent mental health.
• Behind the hype: What artificial intelligence is—and isn't. By J. Bradford DeLong. Milken Institute Review, Third Quarter 2025, pp. 24-35.
  Explains two aspects of evolving artificial intelligence (AI) technology: natural-language interfaces and big-data, high-dimension, flexible-function classification systems. Includes sidebar on cryptocurrency and Bitcoin.
  See: https://www.milkenreview.org/articles/behind-the-hype
  
• After the flood. By Elizabeth Kolbert. New Yorker, July 21, 2025, pp. 7-8.
  Discusses the Trump administration's effort to cut funding from projects aimed at improving climate and weather predictions and how it may have contributed to the Texas Hill Country floods on July 4.
  See: https://research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=cf38ff53-45c3-3d10-95e2-063ee25ac387
  See: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/07/21/flash-floods-and-climate-policy
  
• A tale of two border economies. By James McCandless. San Antonio Business Journal, July 11-17, 2025, pp. 12-13.
  Discusses the effect of Trump administration tariffs on the South Texas economy, noting two recurring, contradictory themes: fears that the regional economy could be negatively impacted by price increases, less border traffic, and layoffs; and a sense that the turmoil will eventually lead to a better trade balance between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
• Flooding, THC, redistricting: Here's what's on the Texas Legislature's special session agenda. By Brad Johnson, Cameron Abrams, and Mary Elise Cosgray. Texan, July 21, 2025, p. 1.
  Previews the topics of the 89th Legislature, 1st Called Session, including the flooding response; congressional redistricting; hemp restrictions; property tax reform; STAAR test elimination; the "bathroom bill"; medication abortion; and a ban on taxpayer-funded lobbying.
  See: https://thetexan.news/state/legislature/89th-session/flooding-thc-redistricting-heres-whats-on-the-t ...
  
• Texas Education Agency data shows more teachers leaving profession even as overall turnover declines. By Meridith Dyer. Texan, July 16, 2025, p. 1.
  Reviews the latest data from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) on teacher attrition and teacher turnover. Discusses potential solutions proposed by the Teacher Vacancy Task Force in 2023.
  Report at: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/archive/2023/51101.pdf
  Report at: https://tea.texas.gov/texas-schools/health-safety-discipline/covid/teacher-vacancy-task-force-overvi ...
  Report at: https://tea.texas.gov/texas-schools/health-safety-discipline/tvtf-final-report.pdf
  See: https://thetexan.news/issues/education/texas-education-agency-data-shows-more-teachers-leaving-profe ...
  
• U.S. closes border again to livestock imports after new screwworm case in Mexico. By Cameron Abrams. Texan, July 15, 2025, p. 1.
  Discusses the U.S. response to the growing threat of New World screwworms, which can cause infection and death in affected livestock. Notes that a new case of screwworm has prompted the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to halt the phased reopening of the border, which was due to come after three months of suspended livestock imports.
  See: https://thetexan.news/issues/trade/u-s-closes-border-again-to-livestock-imports-after-new-screwworm- ...
  
• Texas children and the 2025 legislative session: What the Texas Legislature accomplished for children and where it fell short. Texans Care for Children, June 25, 2025, pp. 1-21.
  Summarizes the significant child-related bills of the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, in the areas of early learning; healthy families; and child protection and mental health.
  See: https://txchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Legislative-Session-Final-Report-2025.pdf
  
• USDA to combat screwworm with Texas sterile insect facility. By Julie Tomascik. Texas Agriculture, July 4, 2025, pp. 6-7.
  Describes the plan to help combat the risk of New World screwworm by creating a facility to create and distribute sterile male screwworm flies. Notes that the facility is an existing building at Moore Air Force Base in Mission that will be retrofitted for its new purpose, and that it is expected to begin operations within the year.
  See: https://texasfarmbureau.org/usda-to-combat-screwworm-with-texas-sterile-insect-facility/
  
• 2025 Out Of Reach report shows slight wage increases aren't keeping pace with costs to fix affordable housing crisis. Texas Housers, July 17, 2025, p. 1.
  Discusses the new Out of Reach: The High Cost of Housing report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the "housing wage" statistics for Texas.
  Report at: https://nlihc.org/oor
  See: https://texashousers.org/2025/07/17/2025-out-of-reach-report-shows-slight-wage-increases-arent-enoug ...
  
• Digital dilemma: Health information technology remains a valuable tool for physicians. By Alisa Pierce. Texas Medicine, July/August 2025, pp. 6-12.
  Considers trends in health information technologies and the effects on physicians and their practices. Discusses electronic health records, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and telemedicine.
  See: https://www.texmed.org/TexasMedicineDetail.aspx?id=66321
  
• 'I think we’re gonna stay': Texans hang on in tragedy-stricken Hill Country. By Candice Bernd. Texas Observer, July 10, 2025, p. 1.
  Tells the stories of residents of the Texas Hill Country near Kerrville who survived the deadly flooding on July 4. Notes that many residents did not receive any weather alerts or have warning other than being contacted by neighbors and relatives. Describes the enormous volunteer mutual aid efforts in the area to help flood victims.
  See: https://www.texasobserver.org/texans-hang-on-in-hill-country-tragedy/
  
• Tax, school finance, and public education bills that passed and failed in the Regular Session of the 89th Texas Legislature. Texas Taxpayers and Research Association, July 1, 2025, pp. 1-14.
  Summarizes the key tax, school finance, and public education legislation passed in the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, as well as legislation that did not pass. Includes the topics of property tax relief; truth in taxation; appraisal districts; property values; property tax transparency; franchise tax; sales tax; economic development; tax administration; and education savings accounts.
  See: https://ttara.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/TTARALegislativeWrapUpReport_89R.pdf