Current Articles for April 18, 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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Missing benchmarks.
By Amanda Robert.
ABA Journal: The Lawyer's Magazine, April/May 2024, pp. 46-53.
Discusses the underrepresentation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. judiciary. Notes that progress has been made in recent decades, but that challenges persist, and further investments need to be made to ensure more judicial representation in the future. -
Law and the movement for reparations.
By Taonga Leslie.
American Constitution Society, March 12, 2024, pp. 1-2.
Discusses the legal principles behind the movement to award reparations to African Americans. Reviews historical precedent for payments to the victims of past harms and their descendants, including German payments to Holocaust survivors and U.S. compensation to Japanese Americans interned during World War II.
See: https://www.acslaw.org/expertforum/law-and-the-movement-for-reparations/
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Abortion access for women in custody in the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health.
By Allison Herr.
American Journal of Law & Medicine, 2023, pp. 471-492.
Considers the difficulties women face when trying to obtain an abortion while they are incarcerated. Advocates for regulation allowing incarcerated women to obtain abortions regardless of where they are located. -
Up in the air: Educators juggling the potential of generative AI with detection, discipline, and distrust.
By Maddy Dwyer and Elizabeth Laird.
Center for Democracy and Technology, March 2024, pp. 1-22.
Presents results from a nationally represented survey of middle and high school teachers on their experiences with generative AI. Notes that teachers report some welcome movement towards more guidance and training around generative AI – but also areas that are cause for concern, such as lack of attention to the risks of AI, an increase in student discipline due to AI use, and increased distrust by teachers of their students' academic integrity.
See: https://cdt.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024-03-21-CDT-Civic-Tech-Generative-AI-Survey-Research-f ...
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How state takeovers of school districts affect education finance, 1990 to 2019.
By Melissa Arnold Lyon, Joshua Bleiberg, and Beth Schueler.
EdWorkingPaper, Annenberg Institute at Brown University, February 2024, pp. 1-42.
Reviews whether school district takeovers from 1990 to 2019 improved financial outcomes for the school districts. Concludes that school district takeovers can improve fiscal health, but notes that majority-Black districts with limited representation did not see the same effects.
See: https://edworkingpapers.com/sites/default/files/Lyon%20Bleiberg%20and%20Schueler%202024.pdf
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Energy, construction companies top Houston's middle market.
By Wyatt Loy.
Houston Business Journal, April 5-11, 2024, pp. 24, 26.
Analyzes Houston's "middle market," or companies that bring in revenue between $25 million and $1 billion annually. Notes that this segment is growing rapidly, with some businesses tripling revenues in just a few years. Adds that companies specializing in oil and gas operations, renewable energy services, and engineering and construction firms dominate Houston's middle market.
See: https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2024/04/12/fastest-growing-middle-market-companies-in-houst ...
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Bolstering our climate havens: How cities can prepare for climate migration.
By Helen Bonnyman.
New America, April 2, 2024, pp. 1-2.
Discusses the potential for cities in less "climate-vulnerable" regions of the U.S. to see a large increase in residents as the number of climate disasters increases. Uses the city of Cincinnati as a case study to illustrate what cities in these regions are doing to prepare for an influx in population.
See: https://www.newamerica.org/the-thread/climate-change-migration-housing/
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Power company acknowledges role in Texas fire.
New American, April 2024, p. 7.
Briefs Xcel's acknowledgment of the role their equipment played in the Smokehouse Creek Fire.
See: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=176413766&site=ehost-live
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Border control.
By Jonathan Blitzer.
New Yorker, April 8, 2024, pp. 7-8.
Discusses Texas' border control initiatives, including SB 4, and Governor Greg Abbott's "dramatic role on the national scene" regarding immigration.
See: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=176291087&site=ehost-live
See: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/04/08/joe-bidens-texas-showdown
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Worries about bird flu in U.S. cattle intensify.
By Jon Cohen.
Science, April 5, 2024, pp. 12-13.
Considers recent outbreaks of bird flu among dairy cattle in at least five U.S. states, including Texas, where a farm worker became infected from contact with sick dairy cows.
See: https://www.science.org/content/article/us-dairy-farm-worker-infected-as-bird-flu-spreads-to-cows-in ...
See: https://www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.1126/science.adp6024
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Still striving for the mountaintop: Achieving health equity for African Americans.
By Walker Tisdale III and Jennifer Early.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, February 14, 2024, pp. 1-4.
Discusses racial and ethnic health inequities across state health systems. Finds that for most states where data is available, when compared to their Non-Hispanic White counterparts, Black and American Indian/Alaskan Native people are more at risk from treatable and preventable conditions; pregnancy-related complications or death; heart disease; cancer; and diabetes. Outlines historical and ongoing efforts by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to address and rectify these inequities.
See: https://www.samhsa.gov/blog/still-striving-mountaintop-achieving-health-equity-african-americans
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A story of resilience: Panhandle ranchers rise from the ashes.
By Shelby Shank.
Texas Agriculture, April 5, 2024, pp. 16-17.
Describes the aftermath of the Panhandle wildfires that devastated Texas farms and ranches in late February and early March. Tells the stories of ranchers who fought to save their structures and livestock, estimates their losses, and discusses next steps as they try to rebuild.
See: http://texasagriculture.texasfarmbureau.org/articles/a-story-of-resilience-panhandle-ranchers-rise-f ...
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Weather disasters in 2023 cost Texas billions in damages, losses.
By Emmy Powell.
Texas Agriculture, April 5, 2024, p. 28.
Notes that, according to a recent report, Texas saw a record-setting year in 2023 for weather and climate disasters, including a drought; Tropical Storm Howard; flooding; hailstorms; and tornadoes. Adds that of 28 disasters to hit the U.S. last year, 16 were in Texas, costing more than $4.8 billion in shared losses. Breaks down this number to show that $2.3 billion was in damages to cotton, $1.5 billion in damages to forage and rangeland, and $408 million in wheat damage.
See: https://texasfarmbureau.org/weather-disasters-in-2023-cost-texas-billions-in-damage/
Report at: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/beyond-data/2023-historic-year-us-billion-dollar-weather ...
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Extended Medicaid, CHIP postpartum coverage in effect.
By Emma Freer.
Texas Medicine, April 2024, pp. 12-13.
Reviews the increase in postpartum Medicaid coverage as a result of the passing of HB 12, 88th Legislature, R.S.
See: https://www.texmed.org/Template.aspx?id=63470