In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.

• Review almost four decades of high school completion and drop-out rates. (National Center for Education Statistics, October 2011)
• Map the state-by-state impact of diabetes. (American Podiatric Medical Association, 2011)
• Compare cereals labeled "natural" against organic cereals. (Cornucopia Institute, October 2011)
• See how social media use has grown to significantly influence consumer behavior (Nielsen, Third Quarter 2011)
• Determine how much transportation money the federal government paid states versus the amount states paid in federal gas taxes. (Stateline, October 18, 2011)

This entry was posted on October 27, 2011 at 3:15 PM and has received 1120 views. Print this entry.

• "Texas Agricultural Drought Losses Reach Record $5.2 Billion" including losses by commodity, AgriLife Today, Texas AgriLife Extension, August 17, 2011
• TSCRA Drought Impact Survey: Executive Summary, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, August 2011

• Safer Homes, Stronger Communities: A Handbook for Reconstruction After Natural Disasters, The World Bank and Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, January 2010
• A Critical Role: Top Ten Policies That States Need to Recover From Disasters, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Civil Leadership Center

• Interim Report, 2010: A Report to the House of Representatives, 82nd Texas Legislature (Charges 2 & 3), House Committee on Natural Resources
• Water for Texas 2012 State Water Plan (draft), Texas Water Development Board
• Carolyn Brittin: The TT Interview (Texas Water Development Board official discusses draft of the "Water for Texas 2012 State Water Plan"), Texas Tribune, October 11, 2011
• More Holes to be Filled in the 2012 Draft Texas State Water Plan (Texas Water Solutions blog), Environmental Defense Fund, October 19, 2011
• Water for Texas: Summary of the 2011 Regional Water Plans, Texas Water Development Board, January 2011

• "Storm Insurer Remade, but Vocal Critics Remain", Texas Tribune, August 14, 2011
• Texas Windstorm Insurance Association Overview, Texas Department of Insurance, August 15, 2011 (Microsoft PowerPoint presentation)
• Texas Windstorm Insurance: 2011-2012 Legislators' Guide to the Issues, Texas Public Policy Foundation, September 13, 2010
• Residential Insurance on the U.S. Gulf Coast in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, RAND Gulf States Policy Institute, October 20, 2010

This entry was posted on October 26, 2011 at 3:46 PM and has received 1241 views. Print this entry.

This entry was posted on October 24, 2011 at 2:05 PM and has received 2503 views. Print this entry.

This entry was posted on October 21, 2011 at 10:32 AM and has received 1153 views. Print this entry.

In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.

• See how the historic drought in Texas may affect the oil and gas industries. (Stateline, October 7, 2011)
• Explore how medical malpractice liability caps have affected health care in Texas since their imposition in 2003. (Public Citizen, October 2011)
• Read about the incidence of traumatic brain injury in children. (Centers for Disease control and Prevention, October 7, 2011)
• Consider public access to official state statutory material online. (Council of State Governments, September 21, 2011)

This entry was posted on October 20, 2011 at 3:15 PM and has received 1045 views. Print this entry.

In our ongoing research for the Texas Legislators database, we often uncover interesting bits of Texas legal history. Recently, two early legislators stood out for their pioneering role in the history of the Texas Supreme Court. Brothers Oliver Cromwell Hartley (House of Representatives, 4th Legislature) and Rufus K. Hartley (House of Representatives, 8th Legislature; Texas Senate, 9th-10th Legislatures) not only had legislative careers, but were involved as reporters of Texas Supreme Court decisions.  In 1846, six years after the Supreme Court had its first term, the state began appointing court reporters to publish the decisions of the court. Oliver Cromwell Hartley was appointed that year as court reporter, and held the position until his death in 1859. Both brothers' names can be seen in early volumes of the Texas Reports, which were the only source of Supreme Court opinions until the appearance of the Southwestern Reporter in 1886. 

In addition to their work with the Texas Supreme Court, the Hartley brothers published Digest of Texas Laws in 1850.  The digest comprised "all the public laws of the republic and state of Texas, which are now in force, except Acts for the incorporation of cities and towns, and the establishment of counties…" This compilation of Texas statutes greatly aided lawyers and legislators at the time, since no official collection of Texas laws had yet been published.

If you're interested in learning more about Oliver Cromwell Hartley or Rufus K. Hartley, you can view their member records in our Texas Legislators: Past & Present database.

 

Oliver Cromwell Hartley			Rufus K. Hartley

This entry was posted on October 19, 2011 at 10:32 AM and has received 1927 views. Print this entry.

In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.

• Look into urban mobility. (Texas Transportation Institute, September 2011)
• Review the prevalence and danger of drinking and driving. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, October 2011)
• Examine the effects of texting while driving. (Texas Transportation Institute, August 2011, released October 5, 2011)
• Check out a chart of cell phone and texting laws. (Governors Highway Safety Association, October 2011)
• Find the latest Statistical Abstract of the United States. (U.S. Census Bureau, September 28, 2011)
• Consider a future without fossil fuels. (Christian Science Monitor, October 7, 2011)

This entry was posted on October 13, 2011 at 3:15 PM and has received 1108 views. Print this entry.

The library has a new resource that provides access to scanned House and Joint committee minutes from the 63rd-74th Legislatures (1973-1995). You can find it on our website under Committees --> Committee minutes. Senate minutes for the 63rd-74th Legislatures (1973-1995) are currently being scanned and will be added as completed. More recent minutes for the 75th Legislature (1997) to the present are available from Texas Legislature Online Committees.
 
Minutes summarize committee proceedings and record the time and place of each meeting, members present, bills considered, witness lists, and votes taken. Minutes typically do not contain transcriptions of discussions or testimony.  For information on how to access that information, see the library's Legislative Intent Guide under Audio Recordings of Legislative Discussion.

This entry was posted on October 11, 2011 at 10:15 AM and has received 1106 views. Print this entry.

In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.

• Check out the 2012 draft state water plan. (Texas Water Development Board, September 2011)
• Find out recent poverty and income trends. (Economic Policy Institute, September 14, 2011)
• Consider the high rate of childhood poverty among Hispanics. (Pew Hispanic Center, September 28, 2011)
• Read about why Hispanic students are leaving Alabama schools. (USA Today, September 30, 2011)
• Review a report on new state election laws and how the laws might affect the voting process. (report from Brennan Center for Justice, October 3, 2011; Jurist, October 4, 2011)
• Track the prevalence of cigarette smoking among working adults. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, September 30, 2011)

This entry was posted on October 6, 2011 at 3:15 PM and has received 1042 views. Print this entry.

This entry was posted on October 4, 2011 at 10:54 AM and has received 838 views. Print this entry.