Current Articles for May 30, 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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Texas leadership continues to leave money on the table.
Advocate (Texas State Teachers Association), Spring 2024, pp. 8-9.
Reports on Texas' decision to not participate in the federal summer nutrition program. Includes discussion on Texas' Medicaid eligibility requirements.
See: https://indd.adobe.com/view/122f1a96-de24-4b06-ac0f-fc6437d27963
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Police are begging lawmakers to stop relaxing gun laws. Charlotte shows why.
By Patrik Jonsson.
Christian Science Monitor, May 20, 2024, pp. 12-13.
Explains the issues that law enforcement agencies are face with regard to current gun laws and why some agencies are pushing for more gun regulations.
See: https://www.csmonitor.com/text_edition/USA/2024/0501/gun-laws-charlotte-police-officers-killed
See: https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2024/0501/gun-laws-charlotte-police-officers-killed
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What champions of neutrality get wrong.
By John K. Wilson.
Chronicle of Higher Education, March 29, 2024, pp. 40-41.
Discusses the relationship between academic freedom and institutional neutrality. Reports on external efforts to impose the Kalven Report on colleges. Provides background information about the Kalven Report and its relationship to a faculty’s role in their university’s stance on neutrality.
Report at: https://provost.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/documents/reports/KalvenRprt_0.pdf
See: https://www.chronicle.com/article/what-the-champions-of-neutrality-get-wrong
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Disinformation: A steep, steep hill.
Economist, May 4th-10th, 2024, pp. 70-71.
Describes the efforts to fight against disinformation. Points out current challenges and barriers to combat disinformation campaigns.
See: https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/05/01/fighting-disinformation-gets-harder-just ...
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Disinformation: Bad news.
Economist, May 4th-10th, 2024, pp. 66-69.
Examines how disinformation works and how it can be mitigated.
See: https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/05/01/disinformation-is-on-the-rise-how-does-i ...
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Legal marijuana: Spreading like a weed.
Economist, May 18th-24th, 2024, pp. 19-20.
Reviews the current status of the legal cannabis industry in the U.S.
See: https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/05/16/marijuana-is-already-legal-for-a-majority-of-amer ...
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Straight from the source: Texas students & practitioners share their experiences with higher ed emergency relief funds.
By Andrea Thurston.
Education Trust, April 2024, pp. 1-19.
Examines how Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) aid was distributed in Texas. Finds that students at two-year colleges received less aid than students at four-year universities despite having similar financial needs.
See: https://edtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Learning-Texas-Community-College-V6.pdf
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Language rights are civil rights – 50th anniversary of the Lau v. Nichols ruling.
By Paige Duggins-Clay.
IDRA Newsletter (Intercultural Development Research Association), April 2024, pp. 3-4.
Highlights key insights from the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinion in Lau v. Nichols. Discusses the student rights and remedies established by this decision.
Related information at: https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep414/usrep414563/usrep414563.pdf
See: https://www.idra.org/resource-center/language-rights-are-civil-rights-50th-anniversary-of-the-lau-v- ...
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The Black maternal health crisis: Federal and state policy solutions.
Institute for Women's Policy Research, April 2024, pp. 1-3.
Analyzes the maternal health and maternal mortality rates of Black women, who are around three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than White women. Presents policy recommendations at the federal and state level to address the maternal health crisis and address racial disparities.
See: https://iwpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Black-Maternal-Health-Policy-at-a-Glance-2024.pdf
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In 45 states, fewer than half of nursing facilities have enough staff to meet new federal requirements.
By Tammie Smith.
Kaiser Family Foundation, May 21, 2024, pp. 1-2.
Discusses the nationwide deficiency of nursing home staff coverage under new federal rules. Identifies Texas as having fewer than 25 percent of its nursing homes meeting the new federal standards.
See: https://www.kff.org/medicaid/press-release/in-45-states-fewer-than-half-of-nursing-facilities-have-e ...
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The abortion pill underground.
By Amy Littlefield.
Nation, May 2024, pp. 26, 28-32.
Discusses the use of medication abortion and telemedicine abortion in states with total abortion bans, including Texas. Reports on the mifepristone case, FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, currently before the U.S. Supreme Court.
See: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=176982059&site=ehost-live
Related information at: https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/23-235.html
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The fight of our time.
By Chuck DeVore.
Newsmax, May 2024, pp. 52-58, 60-63.
Recounts formative moments in Governor Greg Abbott's personal life and professional career. Provides details of Governor Abbott's role in securing the border between Mexico and Texas. -
Disrupting disparities in school discipline.
By Adai A. Tefera, et al.
Phi Delta Kappan, April 2024, pp. 32-37.
Discusses research conducted to study disproportional discipline practices based on race. Offers specific recommendations for addressing discipline disparities.
See: https://kappanonline.org/disrupting-disparities-in-school-discipline/
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Squatter stories rile Texas senators mulling new legislation to protect property owners.
By Holly Hansen.
Texan, May 16, 2024, pp. 1-3.
Summarizes the recent Senate Committee on Local Government hearing on squatters and adverse possession. Identifies challenges with current Texas law on squatters, including definitions and statutes of limitation. Mentions Senators Paul Bettencourt, Bob Hall, and Royce West.
See: https://thetexan.news/issues/criminal-justice/squatter-stories-rile-texas-senators-mulling-new-legis ...
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Deepfakes: Preparing to confront AI-generated 'evidence' in investigations and litigation.
By Anne D. Cartwright, Peter C. Anderson, and Jonathan A. Porter.
Texas Bar Journal, May 2024, pp. 389-391.
Discusses the rise of "deepfakes," or false images, video, and audio generated by artificial intelligence. Makes suggestions for how attorneys can prepare to address deepfaked media in court, including using reliable deepfake detection technology, locating trusted artificial intelligence experts, and deciding how much weight to give potential deepfakes in court.
See: https://www.texasbar.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=articles&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID= ...
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Legal reasoning: Counseling clients on managing the risks of artificial intelligence.
By Shawn E. Tuma and Kristen Petry.
Texas Bar Journal, May 2024, pp. 385-387.
Discusses the challenges lawyers face in advising clients about artificial intelligence (AI). Notes that lawyers must have a basic understanding of the technology as well as its potential risks and must also be prepared to advise clients about the legal aspects of how this technology may impact them. Highlights the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)'s Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework.
Related information at: https://www.nist.gov/itl/ai-risk-management-framework
See: https://www.texasbar.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=articles&ContentID=64348&Template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.c ...
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Ending the patchwork of local business regulations across Texas.
By Todd Disher and William T. Thompson.
Texas Builder, Spring 2024, pp. 22-23.
Discusses the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act (HB 2127, 88th Legislature, R.S.) as a powerful tool for businesses and trade associations challenging local ordinances. Notes the Texas Association of Builders' role in recent litigation relating to the new law.
See: https://www.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?m=69733&i=817583&p=22&ver=html5
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Speaking out: J. Bruce Bugg, Jr., Chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission.
Texas Builder, Spring 2024, pp. 10-11.
Interviews J. Bruce Bugg, Jr., Chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission, about the roles and responsibilities of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), highway maintenance, highway funding, TxDOT's 10-year Unified Transportation Plan (UTP), and how decisions are made on building new roads and expanding existing roads.
See: https://www.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?m=69733&i=817583&p=10&ver=html5
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A handful of sky.
By Sarah Bird.
Texas Monthly, June 2024, pp. 88-95.
Presents a collection of photographs of Texas' Black rodeos and those who attended and participated in them, along with a history of this "largely unsung" culture. Notes that Texas is beginning to accept and even celebrate the diversity of its cowboy heritage.
See: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=177234945&site=ehost-live
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When is a pipeline in the public interest?
By Russell Gold.
Texas Monthly, June 2024, pp. 41-42, 44, 46-47, 48.
Discusses the plans for the Saguaro Connector Pipeline, which if built will carry massive quantities of natural gas from the Permian Basin to Mexico for export. Notes the concerns of residents in the town of Van Horn, which is located close to where the pipeline will run and whose residents were not informed about the project ahead of time, as well as the concerns of environmental and consumer advocacy groups.
See: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=177234932&site=ehost-live
See: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/when-is-a-pipeline-in-the-public-interest-saguaro-climate ...