Current Articles for October 09, 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.
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The government built it, and the private sector came: For-profit health care, government support, and the road from public service to private equity.
By Arnold J. Rosoff, Robert I. Field, and Anthony W. Orlando.
American Journal of Law & Medicine, Vol. 51, No. 2, 2025, pp. 337-351.
Examines the growth and evolution of the health care sector in the U.S. Considers government funding and complex regulatory programs that support private entities in the for-profit business of providing health care to Americans. Details patterns in the health care industry of extreme cost and extreme profit and the development of health law as a distinct field.
See: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-journal-of-law-and-medicine/article/government-buil ...
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The future of natural gas: A strategic framework for reliability, affordability, security, and decarbonization.
By Mariam A. Al-Shamma, et al.
Bipartisan Policy Center, September 2025, pp. 1-34.
Analyzes the future role of natural gas in the U.S. energy system and economy. Notes the U.S. is well positioned to capitalize on the market for low-emissions natural gas. Presents a comprehensive federal policy framwork to address five main natural gas topics: infrastructure; coordinated planning; liquefied natural gas and exports; measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification; and innovation and decarbonization.
See: https://bipartisanpolicy.org/download/?file=/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/BPC_Natural_Gas_Report_Septe ...
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Violence: Deathly data.
Economist, September 20th-26th, 2025, p. 23.
Discusses the challenges of compiling data on political violence.
See: https://www.economist.com/united-states/2025/09/18/is-the-far-left-to-blame-for-more-political-killi ...
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Why Louisiana is requiring 50 hours of math training for teachers.
By Sarah Schwartz.
Education Week, October 2025, pp. 38-41.
Discusses Louisiana's requirements for 4th-8th grade teacher professional development in middle school math. Includes a brief overview of related policies implemented by Alabama and Mississippi. Mentions Louisiana's legislation, SB 163 (Act 260), 2023 Regular Session.
See: https://research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=9dfa33dd-56aa-37fb-bc30-eca8fa3db57c
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The assassin's other target.
By Yuval Levin.
National Review, November 2025, pp. 38-40.
Considers the political and social implications of Charlie Kirk's assassination. Examines how, regardless of political views, violence cannot be justified in free American society. Mentions other recent assassinations and assassination attempts in the U.S.
See: https://research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=9a113e74-6cd5-3e84-86b7-9271c9b82fad
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On immigration.
By Peter Skerry.
National Review, November 2025, pp. 33-35.
Discusses immigration policies of the Trump administration. Considers the role of employers in the immigration debate.
See: https://research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=de23f8ec-a797-39d4-8d60-41103638bc21
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Beyond the flames: Transforming wasted gas into a power source for AI data centers.
By Jinhua Zhang and Owen Anderson.
Natural Resources & Environment, Summer 2025, pp. 19-23.
Discusses the potential of powering artificial intelligence (AI) data centers with natural gas that would otherwise be flared. Considers state and federal regulatory compliance frameworks; economic benefits; and legal and contractual issues. Includes Texas-specific information. Refers to SB 6, 89th Legislature, R.S.
See: https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/nre40&i=21
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Funding delays frustrate agricultural researchers.
By Erik Stokstad.
Science, September 18, 2025, pp. 1173-1174.
Examines delays in U.S. Department of Agriculture grant funding for agricultural researchers.
See: https://www.science.org/content/article/usda-funding-delays-under-trump-compromise-agricultural-rese ...
See: https://www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.1126/science.aec3555
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The militia II: Armed self-defense, the Second Amendment, and the citizen.
By Marcus Armstrong.
St. Mary's Law Journal, Vol. 56, No. 4, 2025, pp. 739-784.
Analyzes of the U.S. Supreme Court's interpretation of the Second Amendment in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022). Highlights theories of natural law, the social contract, and early American leaders in relation to the right to self-defense. Argues that the core area of protection of the Second Amendment is the right to own and keep weapons privately for militia service rather than an inalienable right to armed self-defense.
See: https://commons.stmarytx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2815&context=thestmaryslawjournal
Related information at: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/archive/2008/6502.pdf
Related information at: https://www.lrl.texas.gov/scanned/archive/2022/49537.pdf
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Lawsuit against Texas' new congressional map kicks off in El Paso.
By Brad Johnson.
Texan, October 1, 2025, p. 1.
Describes the preliminary injunction hearing in federal court on Texas' new congressional map (HB 4, 89th Legislature, 2nd C.S.), including the role of two recent redistricting rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court; defendants' and plaintiffs' arguments; and the "lightning rod" letter from the U.S. Department of Justice.
See: https://thetexan.news/elections/2026/lawsuit-against-texas-new-congressional-map-kicks-off-in-el-pas ...
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Texas Education Agency expands qualification, increases allotments for performance-based raises.
By Meridith Dyer.
Texan, October 1, 2025, p. 1.
Reviews recent updates by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) program, including expanded opportunities for teachers to qualify for performance-based raises and a standardized statewide scoring system. Notes TIA funding expanded under HB 2, 89th Legislature, R.S.
Related information at: https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/news-and-multimedia/correspondence/taa-letters/hb-2-implementation-t ...
See: https://thetexan.news/issues/education/texas-education-agency-expands-qualification-increases-allotm ...
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Shifting winds: How major banks like JPMorgan are rethinking their climate strategies.
By Justin Worland.
Time, October 13, 2025, pp. 47-49.
Highlights a recent shift toward a more moderate approach on clean energy, climate issues, and sustainability by asset managers, investors, and others in the financial industry. Notes there is a profitable market for clean energy, but that the financial industry at the same time is reaffirming its commitment to oil and gas.
See: https://research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=7546e9f1-e9ba-3cd4-b3fe-0a046dd91e32
See: https://time.com/7319388/banking-industry-climate-strategy-rethink/