• Consider issues related to unauthorized immigrant students. (Congressional Research Service, June 19, 2012)
• Take a closer look at the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on the Arizona immigration law. (The Wall Street Journal, June 25, 2012)
• Compare changes between 1998 and 2011 in employee health care plans for state and local government employees. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 2012)
• Delve into the Annual Energy Outlook 2012. (U.S. Energy Information Administration, June 25, 2012)
• See how much it will cost to raise a child born in 2011. (U.S. Department of Agriculture, June 14, 2012)

This entry was posted on June 28, 2012 at 3:15 PM and has received 1225 views. Print this entry.

This entry was posted on June 26, 2012 at 8:17 AM and has received 7562 views. Print this entry.

• See how states have responded to inadequately funded state employee pensions. (Pew Center on the States, June 2012)
• Consider drought conditions and the policy challenges they present. (Congressional Research Service, June 12, 2012)
• Track disasters and emergencies in real time. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012)
• Map where farmers are in the U.S. (Slate, June 19, 2012)
• Explore the rebounding housing market. (Joint Center for Housing Studies, Harvard University, June 14, 2012)
• See where senior citizens are moving. (The Atlantic, Cities, June 18, 2012)

This entry was posted on June 21, 2012 at 3:15 PM and has received 1625 views. Print this entry.

How will the percentage of new legislators going into the 2013 legislative session compare to previous years? We used data compiled from the library's Texas Legislators: Past and Present database to create a graphic displaying the percentage of new legislators (freshmen) in the House and Senate going back to the 38th Regular Session in 1923.

The graphic begins with the 38th Regular Session since this was the first legislature to reach 150 members in the House. The Constitution of 1876, Article 3, section 2 provided for a 31-member Senate and a 93-member House, which was to be increased incrementally to 150 members as the state population grew.

Turnover appeared to be more common during the 1920s through the 1950s, possibly due to World Wars I and II.  Factors that may have led to increases or unusually high turnover in subsequent years include:

• Redistricting, called apportionment, is accomplished by the Legislature at the first session following the federal census. The subsequent regular session may see a spike in new members as a result. See for example the percentage of new freshmen in the 78th R.S.(2003), 73rd R.S. (1993), and the 68th R.S. (1983). For additional history on reapportionment in Texas, please see Overview of Texas Redistricting, by the Texas Legislative Council.
• Texas Constitution, Art. III, §3 provides that a new Senate should be chosen after every apportionment, and the Senators elected after apportionment "draw terms," with some senators drawing two-year terms and other senators drawing four-year terms.
• Sharpstown stock fraud scandal led to the election of 73 new legislators in the 1972 election. This caused the percentage of new House members during the 63rd R.S. (1973) to jump to 46.7%. The Senate also experienced unusually high turnover that session with the percentage of new freshman increasing to 48.4% in contrast to 12.9% in the previous session.

Hover over individual bars to get the session, year, and percent of the total body in the chamber that were freshmen. We defined freshmen as new legislators sworn in during the first day or week of the regular session. Members who first served during a called session of a legislature are counted as freshmen members of that legislature. Excluded are members who were elected to a legislature but never sworn in due to death, resignation or other factors.

This entry was posted on June 20, 2012 at 8:50 AM and has received 8230 views. Print this entry.

• Texas Economy and Energy (presentation), Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, San Antonio Branch, June 28, 2011
• Annual Energy Outlook 2012 (abridged version), U.S. Energy Information Administration (January 23, 2012, full report due out June 2012)

• Pipeline Safety, Railroad Commission of Texas
• Proceedings of the Technical Workshops for the Hydraulic Fracturing Study: Well Construction and Operation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, May 2011
• State Oil and Natural Gas Regulations Designed to Protect Water Resources (See 5.B. – Well Construction), Ground Water Protection Council, May 2009

• Characteristics of Suspected Human Trafficking Incidents, 2008–2010, U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, April 2011
• "The Lost Girls," Texas Monthly, April 2010
• "State Lacking Data on Human Trafficking, Officials Say," Austin American-Statesman, March 11, 2012
• Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force Report to the Texas Legislature, Texas Attorney General, January 2011

• "Girls Victimized by Sex Trafficking Find Healing at Freedom Place," Houston Chronicle, June 1, 2012
• Fact Sheet on State Anti-Trafficking Laws, Center for Women Policy Studies, March 2012
• Protected Innocence Initiative: Texas Analysis and Recommendations and Texas Report Card, Shared Hope International, January 31, 2012
• "Underage Sex Trafficking is Everywhere Local Law Enforcement Looks, But Will Their Budgets Hold Out?" SACurrent.com, February 8, 2012

This entry was posted on June 18, 2012 at 12:53 PM and has received 2300 views. Print this entry.

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

• Check out maximum posted speed limits state by state. (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, June 2012)
• Track motorcycle fatalities over the last decade. (Freakonomics, May 29, 2012)
• Explore family caregiving responsibilities of older workers. (The Sloan Center on Aging & Work at Boston College, May 2012)
• See just how big the fast food soda has become over the last 60 years. (The Washington Post, May 24, 2012)

This entry was posted on June 14, 2012 at 3:15 PM and has received 1563 views. Print this entry.

• State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness: EOC Level II: Satisfactory Academic Performance Phase-In Summary Report (2012 Statewide End-of-Course Results), Texas Education Agency, June 8, 2012
• STAAR Statewide Summary Reports 2011–2012, Texas Education Agency, June 8, 2012

• "ADA [Americans With Disabilities Act] Compliance Is a 'Major Vulnerability' for Online Programs,"; Chronicle of Higher Education, Wired Campus, November 12, 2010; Managing Online Education, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, November 2010
• The Digital Revolution and Higher Education, Pew Internet & American Life Project, August 28, 2011
• Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies, U.S. Department of Education, September 2010
• Report of the Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities, U.S. Department of Education, December 6, 2011

• 2012 Texas Public Higher Education Almanac, Developmental Education Profile (p. 15), and developmental education statistics by institution, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, May 2012
• The Role of Minority-Serving Institutions in Redefining and Improving Developmental Education, Southern Education Foundation, 2012
• Unlocking the Gate: What We Know About Improving Developmental Education, MDRC, June 2011

• Sealing the Gaps: Supporting Low-Income, First-Generation Students at Four-Year Institutions in Texas Post-Transfer, Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education, November 2011
• "Yesterday's Nontraditional Student Is Today's Traditional Student (fact sheet)," Center for Law & Social Policy, Updated June 29, 2011

This entry was posted on June 12, 2012 at 12:52 PM and has received 1766 views. Print this entry.

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

• See how young high school and college graduates are faring in the current labor market. (Economic Policy Institute, May 3, 2012)
• Explore federal youth employment and job training programs. (Congressional Research Service, May 11, 2012)
• Read estimates about young adults' health care access and use. (National Center for Health Statistics, May 2012)
• Examine how proposed fuel economy standards would affect cash flows of the Highway Trust Fund. (Congressional Budget Office, May 2, 2012)
• Consider the pitfalls of predatory credit card lending. (Center for Responsible Lending, May 8, 2012)
• Find articles, graphics, and videos on Louisiana prisons in a multi-part series. (The Times-Picayune, May 2012)
• Track legislative changes made in 2012 to reduce incarcerated populations. (American Civil Liberties Union, June 4, 2012)

This entry was posted on June 7, 2012 at 3:15 PM and has received 1509 views. Print this entry.