In this weekly post, we feature helpful research tools and recent articles of interest to the legislative community.
- Read about the tangled system of electronic health records in America. (Fortune, March 18, 2019)
- Consider the growth of the cottage food industry and how states approach its regulation. (Stateline, March 19, 2019)
- See health rankings for Texas by county. (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, March 2019)
- Find Texas attorney general opinions back to 1939. (Attorney General of Texas, accessed March 21, 2019)
Members of the Texas legislative community may request the articles below here or by calling 512-463-1252.
- "Accenture grilled over IT contract gone awry." By Kimberly Reeves. Austin Business Journal, March 8, 2019, p. A4.
Reports on the delays and ballooning costs associated with the overhaul of the state's child support system. Includes comments by Representative Giovanni Capriglione. - "Infrastructure: Derailment in California." By Mark Niquette. Bloomberg Businessweek, March 4, 2019, pp. 42-43.
Explores the costs and controversy related to the California bullet-train project. Contrasts the California project with the Texas Central Partners' Texas bullet-train project.. - "How UT-Austin's bold plan for reinvention went belly up." By Lindsay Ellis. Chronicle of Higher Education, March 8, 2019, pp. A12-A14, A16, A18.
Examines the University of Texas at Austin's Project 21, an initiative aimed at reimagining the undergraduate experience through a redesign of curricula and increased use of live, online classes. Suggests many problems led to the demise of the project, including a lack of clear direction, bureaucratic issues, and funding. - "Measles: Fever Pitch." Economist, March 9th-15th, 2019, p. 81.
Provides an overview of measles outbreaks in America. Points out almost half of the counties in the United States have a vaccination rate lower than the level needed to prevent an outbreak. - "Texas politics: Twilight in Austin." Economist, March 9th-15th, 2019, pp. 23-24.
Discusses Texas Republicans' change of tone and approach in the 86th Legislature and the move away from divisive social issues that marked the 2017 session. Includes comments by former House Speaker Joe Straus. - "Firearm policies that work." By April M. Zeoli and Daniel W. Webster. JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), March 12, 2019, pp. 937-938.
Examines policies that have been implemented with the hope of reducing firearm injury deaths, including prohibiting individuals who have committed violence in the past from possessing a firearm and deregulation of civilian gun-carrying policies. Argues that evidence indicates prohibiting high-risk individuals from possessing firearms is most effective. - "Defund it already." By Alexandra DeSanctis. National Review, March 11, 2019, pp. 35-37.
Reviews previous attempts to defund Planned Parenthood from federal programs. - "What is the Green New Deal?" By Travis Kavulla. National Review, March 11, 2019, p. 14-16.
Describes the body of the Green New Deal as being direct government investment in renewable energy coupled with progressive social policies. Argues instead for a Customer Empowerment Act that allows more choice for electric customers and suggests the marketplace is the best model for uniting customers with clean energy at an economical price. - "The myth of de facto segregation." Phi Delta Kappan, February 2019, pp. 35-38.
Explains how racial segregation exacerbates student achievement gaps by concentrating children with the most serious challenges at the same schools. Argues prevailing patterns of residential segregation arose from specific government policies and not de facto personal decisions. - "Can victims' rights go too far?" By Matthew Harwood. Reason, April 2019, pp. 34-40.
Reviews the background and rise of the Marsy's Law movement and its goal of increasing victims' rights in state laws. Details concerns about the laws' assault on due process and the presumption of innocence. - "Dubious diagnosis." By Charles Piller. Science, March 8, 2019, pp. 1026-1031.
Examines the tenuous diagnosis of "prediabetes" and whether patients diagnosed with the condition benefit from treatment with pharmaceuticals. - "Mental health trails metal detectors in school safety dollars." By Christine Vestal. Stateline (Pew Charitable Trusts), March 13, 2019, pp. 1-5.
Examines the debate over how much state money to invest in school mental health services versus metal detectors and alarm systems. Mentions Governor Greg Abbott's school safety action plan and the Austin Independent School District's mental health centers. - "Farmers, ranchers advocate for eminent domain reform in Austin." By Jennifer Dorsett. Texas Agriculture, March 1, 2019, p. 12.
Highlights Texas farmers' and ranchers' concerns regarding eminent domain. Mentions HB991 and SB421. - "Closing a loophole." By Joey Berlin.Texas Medicine, March 2019, pp. 36-38.
Describes how some hospital systems may be circumventing the intent of SB1148, 85th Legislature, R.S., which puts the decision of whether to require MOC [maintenance of certification] into the hands of the physicians on staff. Calls for bill clarifying the statute. - "Dammed to fail." By Naveena Sadasivam. Texas Observer, March/April 2019, pp. 12-17.
Investigates the failure rate of unregulated dams in Texas. Addresses legislation that removed state oversight of small dams in 2011. Mentions Representative Charlie Geren.
The Legislative Reference Library compiles this weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. Professional librarians review and select articles from more than 300 periodicals, including public policy journals, specialized industry periodicals, news magazines, and state agency publications. Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles using our online form.
