On Tuesday, December 13, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a recommendation calling for the first-ever nationwide ban on the use of personal electronic devices while driving. To read the NTSB press release and view a synopsis of the report, please visit: http://www.ntsb.gov/news/2011/111213.html

Below are resources for learning more about this issue.

Texas laws and legislation:
The following Texas laws relate to the use of a wireless communication device while operating a motor vehicle. Currently, no statewide ban on texting while driving exists in Texas.

Transportation Code § 545.424 Operation of a Vehicle by Person Under 18 years of Age
Transportation Code § 545.425 Use of Wireless Communication Device
Education Code Ch. 1001 Driver and Safety Education

Relevant bills that passed the 82nd Legislature (2011) are below. To find all introduced legislation on this topic, as well as legislation from previous sessions, you may do a subject search in Texas Legislature Online on the subjects EMAIL & ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS (S0321) and Vehicles & Traffic--Rules of the Road (I0860) combined.

HB 242: Relating to the enforcement of public safety, including the privileges and duties of certain types of law enforcement officers.
Vetoed by the Governor on June 17, 2011.

HB 1899: Relating to the posting of signs in school crossing zones regarding the prohibited use of a wireless communication device while operating a motor vehicle.

HB 2466: Relating to the licensing and operation of motor vehicles by minors.

SB 1330: Relating to driving safety courses for individuals younger than 25 years of age receiving deferred disposition for certain traffic offenses.

50-State surveys:
The National Conference of State Legislatures has compiled a chart, "Cell Phone Use and Texting While Driving Laws." The chart covers cell phone and texting bans, and whether crash data is collected by the state related to cell phone use or texting while driving. (Updated December 2011)

The Governors Highway Safety Association provides a chart, "Cell Phone and Texting Laws," outlining all state cell phone and text messaging laws that affect drivers. A brief overview summarizing which states have enacted various laws on the issue precedes the chart. (Updated December 2011)

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety incorporates maps into the chart, "Cellphone and texting laws." The maps illustrate handheld bans, young driver bans, bus driver bans, and texting bans. (Updated December 2011)

Research studies:

This entry was posted on December 14, 2011 at 3:53 PM and has received 7540 views. Print this entry.

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

• Examine the growing 65-and-older and 90-and-older populations reflected in the most recent census data. (U.S. Census Bureau, November 2011)
• Consider the rising cost of health insurance premiums. (Kaiser Health News, November 17, 2011)
• Explore borrower rights during the foreclosure process. (Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, November 2011)
• Note that the Texas commissioner of education has adopted minimum standards concerning school district financial conditions that must exist for declaration of a financial exigency by the board of trustees of the district. (Texas Education Agency, November 22, 2011)

This entry was posted on December 8, 2011 at 3:15 PM and has received 1203 views. Print this entry.

Three cases related to Texas redistricting are pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. The following article from SCOTUSBlog provides background and analysis: What's at stake in the Texas election cases? (12/04/11)

To track news about these cases, as well as other developments related to the 2011 Texas redistricting cycle, please visit:
Texas Redistricting Library (Texas Legislative Council)
Texas Redistricting (independent blog)

Below are documents related to the cases. Additional documents are available and may be linked from the TLC Redistricting Library or Texas Redistricting (mentioned above).

This entry was posted on December 8, 2011 at 9:35 AM and has received 2263 views. Print this entry.

This entry was posted on December 6, 2011 at 9:34 AM and has received 2422 views. Print this entry.

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

• Track state-to-state migration in America and note that the moving rate has dropped. (U.S. Census Bureau, November 15, 2011)
• Check out the Autism Legislative Database to find autism legislation from 2008 to the present. (National Conference of State Legislatures, updated November 21, 2011)
• See how poverty is re-emerging in metropolitan areas. (Brookings Institution, November 3, 2011)
• Consider the effect of unemployment and recession on American workers, and policies for increasing economic growth and employment. (Hamilton Project, November 2011 / Congressional Budget Office, November 15, 2011)
• Read about the process of assessing the extent of damage to the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and plans for restoring the ecology in affected areas of the Gulf. (National Research Council, November 10, 2011)
• Explore shale gas mining: managing its risks, assessing the future of the natural gas market, and recognizing the hazards to drinking water and wildlife. (Resources for the Future, November 14, 2011 / Deloitte, 2011 / National Wildlife Federation, November 16, 2011)

This entry was posted on December 1, 2011 at 3:15 PM and has received 1283 views. Print this entry.

• "After the Space Shuttle: Mission Uncertain: The End of the Programme Will Reverberate in Texas and Beyond," The Economist, June 30, 2011
• State Support for Commercial Space Activities, Federal Aviation Administration, Office of Commercial Space Transportation, 2008
• Texas Aerospace and Aviation Industry Report, Office of the Governor, Economic Development & Tourism, September 2011

This entry was posted on November 29, 2011 at 2:09 PM and has received 779 views. Print this entry.

Was Texas the real site of the first Thanksgiving? According to many historians, the first Thanksgiving celebration in the United States took place in 1598 near El Paso. An expedition led by Spanish explorer Don Juan de Oñate journeyed from Mexico and, after months of arduous travel, arrived at the Rio Grande near what is now San Elizario. The exploration party and the indigenous people celebrated their accomplishment with a feast and Catholic ceremonies - 23 years before the Pilgrims held their famous dinner at Plymouth Rock.

The Texas House and Senate each commemorated this historical milestone in 1990, and Gov. Rick Perry has recognized April 30 as the official day of the First Thanksgiving. For 20 years, the El Paso Mission Trail Association has conducted an annual historical reenactment of the event, and their work was honored by the Texas House in 2006.

This entry was posted on November 21, 2011 at 3:10 PM and has received 9664 views. Print this entry.

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

• Explore veterans' mental health. (U.S. Government Accountability Office, October 2011)
• Track legislation related to the military and veterans affairs. (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2011)
• Review state legislation and actions challenging certain health reforms from 2011. (National Conference of State Legislatures, updated November 15, 2011)
• Read about the growing household income gap and the rising age gap in economic well-being. (Congressional Budget Office, October 2011 / Pew Research Center, November 7, 2011)
• See how employer-based health insurance is declining in availability. (Gallup, November 11, 2011)
• Consider how upgrading water and wastewater infrastructure could benefit the economy. (Green for All, October 4, 2011)

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The recently published Texas State Cemetery highlights the history of the state cemetery and the noteworthy Texans who are buried there. Established by an act of the Texas Legislature in the winter of 1851, the cemetery has become the final resting place for hundreds of notable Texans, from military and political figures such as Stephen F. Austin and Edwin Waller, to cultural figures like J. Frank Dobie and Tom Landry. The first individual to be buried in the cemetery was Edward Burleson, veteran and vice president of the Republic of Texas, who died unexpectedly in 1851 in Austin. He remained the lone occupant of the cemetery for four years until Abner Smith Lipscomb, a lawyer, veteran, secretary of state during the Mirabeau B. Lamar administration, and Texas Supreme Court justice, died and was buried near Burleson's grave in 1856. Biographical information and photographs for Burleson and many other individuals who are buried in the cemetery are provided in the book, divided into chapters on the Republic of Texas and the Civil War, public officials, cultural figures, educators, and Texas Rangers. You can learn more about the Texas State Cemetery and the individuals who are buried there by looking at the cemetery website and also by searching the cemetery database. The library's two copies of this book can be viewed by visiting the library and may be checked out by members of the legislative community.

This entry was posted on November 15, 2011 at 3:00 PM and has received 1960 views. Print this entry.