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Week in Review, March 10

In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.
  • Explore Houston's vulnerability to hurricanes. (ProPublica / Texas Tribune, March 3, 2016)
  • Consider encryption on mobile devices and government access to data on such devices. (Congressional Research Service, February 23, 2016)
  • Compare individual income to other American earners. (The Wall Street Journal, March 2, 2016)
  • Map locations of mobile cetacean populations in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. (Marine Geospatial Ecology Laboratory, Duke University, 2016)
 

Interim Hearings - Week of March 14, 2016

Interim Hearings - Week of March 14 

Today's Committee Meetings on the LRL website is a calendar of interim committee hearings with links to agendas. Below are resources related to upcoming Interim Hearings.

 

March 17

House Committee on Defense & Veterans' Affairs  

Topic: Veteran issues of state concern

Topic: Updates on legislation passed by the committee during the 84th Legislature

 

Week in Review, March 3

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

Visit the Texas Capitol while you're here for SXSW!

The Texas Capitol is conveniently located near much of the SXSW action, and is a perfect place to visit if you want to take a break. The building is open M-F, 7am - 10pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 9am-8pm. Here are some spaces you might want to check out if you visit:
  1. Legislative Reference Library (2nd floor, Rm. 2N.3): The library space is original to the building, and has been in continuous use as a library since 1889. There is much to see, including books, paintings, sculptures, and exhibits that will appeal to all ages, even the young ones. While you're in the library, check out Santa Anna's Chair, and learn about some of the artwork on permanent display. We are open to the public, M-F, 8am-5pm.
  2. House and Senate Chambers (2nd floor, east and west wings): Though the Texas Legislature is not in session this year, try not to miss the House and Senate chambers. Both are open to the public, and you'll be able to see where Texas lawmakers debate legislation. In addition, both chambers boast an impressive collection of paintings and photos of early legislatures.
  3. Capitol Rotunda (1st floor): Many an Instagram pic has been taken in the Capitol Rotunda, and for good reason. The space offers some of the best views of the Capitol dome interior. In addition, the Rotunda is lined with portraits of former Texas governors, going all the way back to the early days of Texas statehood (spans four floors). 
  4. The Capitol Visitors Center: Located in its own building in the southeast corner of the Capitol grounds, the Capitol Visitors Center has ongoing exhibits, and serves as a good jumping off point for your visit at the Capitol. They also offer guided tours.
  5. Texas Supreme Courtroom and Texas Appeals Courtroom (3rd floor, north wing): In their early history, the Texas Supreme Court and the Texas Court of Appeals heard cases in the Texas Capitol. Both courts have since moved to new spaces outside of the building, but the rooms are still there, and have been restored to their historic appearance. 
We hope that you enjoy your visit to the Texas Capitol. If you snap any pics, don't forget the #texasstatecapitol hashtag!
 

Photo courtesy of the Texas State Preservation Board.

 

Interim Hearings - Week of March 7, 2016

Interim Hearings - Week of March 7

Today's Committee Meetings on the LRL website is a calendar of interim committee hearings with links to agendas. Below are resources related to upcoming Interim Hearings.

March 7 Top

House Committee on Energy Resources

Charge: Enforcement policies of the Railroad Commission of Texas

Charge: Legislative oversight and monitoring of agencies;  implementation of major energy legislation including regulated surface activity on oil and gas sites; and seismic research needs for the University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology and any response to research findings by the Railroad Commission of Texas 

March 8 Top

House Committees on Energy Resources and International Trade & Intergovernmental Affairs (Joint Hearing)

Joint charge: Mexican energy transformation effect on energy economy in Texas

House Committee on Higher Education

Charge 4: Sexual assault on college campuses

House Committee on Human Services

Charge 4: Medicaid managed care, contract management, Vendor Drug Program

March 10 Top

Charge: Veteran health and mental health in Texas, progress of state strike force teams

Charge: Veteran employment and hiring policies in state agencies

Charge: Veteran's courts, including successes and challenges, rehabilitation, recidivism

 

Week in Review, February 25

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

Week in Review, February 18

In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.
  • Examine children's health insurance coverage state by state. (State Health Access Data Assistance Center, February 2016)
  • Review early voting patterns in Texas. (The Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin, February 15, 2016)
  • Explore health care and health insurance coverage in the South. (Kaiser Family Foundation, February 10, 2016)
  • Read about low-wage workers on public assistance. (Economic Policy Institute, February 9, 2016)
  • Consider poverty in Texas by House District. (Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy / Texas Impact, updated January 29, 2016)
 
 
 

Interim Hearings - Week of February 22, 2016

Interim Hearings - Week of February 22

Today's Committee Meetings on the LRL website is a calendar of interim committee hearings with links to agendas. Below are resources related to upcoming Interim Hearings.

 

February 23

House Committee on Urban Affairs 

Charge 2: Cities' cybersecurity policy

 

New & Noteworthy List for February 2016

The Library is continually adding new books to its collection. Below are the six titles from our February 2016 New & Noteworthy list.

 

Check out and delivery of New & Noteworthy titles is available to legislative staff in Capitol and District offices. To arrange check out of any of these items, please contact the library at 512-463-1252.

 

 


1. The Tejano community, 1836-1900. By Arnoldo De Leon
Examines the daily lives of Mexican Americans from 1836-1900. Paints a picture of a vibrant group of people: enterprising, success –oriented, and interested and active in politics. Includes chapters on religion, folklore, education, and entertainment revealing a complex community of people in the process of social change. Defines the life that the Tejanos made for themselves at a time when they were an exploited minority.
The University of New Mexico Press, 1982. 277 pages.
976.4 D34T 1982


 

2. Riding fence. By June Rayfield Welch
Explores the periphery of the state, the outlying communities and people whose stories have often fallen through the cracks of Texas history. Presents a treasure trove of Texana, giving special attention to border counties and towns that have acted as filters for adjoining cultures. Highlights specific geographic areas such as the Louisiana Line, Roy Bean Country, and the Staked Plains to show how specific people and events have created the Texas story.
GLA Press, 1983. 209 pages.
976.4 W444R 1983


 

3. Texas: the dark corner of the confederacy. By Edited by B.P. Galloway
Presents a history of Texas during the Civil War years through firsthand descriptions, dating from the eve of the Civil War to the collapse of the Confederacy, by civilians and soldiers from all over the state. Includes excerpts from diaries, journals, almanacs, official documents, speeches, reminiscences, and memoirs, as well as maps of the counties of Civil War Texas and counties voting for and against secession.
University of Nebraska Press, 1994. 286 pages.
973.7464 G135T 1994


 

 

4. Muleshoe & more: the remarkable stories behind the naming of Texas towns. By Bill Bradfield and Clare Bradfield
Lists over 700 Texas towns, alphabetically from Abilene to Zephyr, and how they received their monikers. Offers a variety of interesting backstories and little known facts for Texas towns from the Rio Grande to the Pan Handle. Illustrates the eclectic cities that help define Texas' uniqueness.
Gulf Publishing Company, 1999. 218 pages.
917.64003 B727M 1999


 

 

5. Dining at the Governor's Mansion. By Carl. R. McQueary
Presents the culinary and social history of the Texas Governor’s Mansion from the mid-nineteenth century forward. Focuses on food, food preparation, and entertainment at the mansion and their place in the lives of the first ladies and their families. Includes brief biographical sketches of the first ladies, highlighting the imprint each woman left on the Governor’s Mansion and on the history of Texas. Contains over 200 historic recipes.
Texas A&M University Press, 2003. 317 pages.
641.59764 M879D 2003
 


 

6. The Texas League, 1888-1987: a century of baseball. By Bill O'Neal
Examines the then-100 year history of The Texas League, which was officially formed in 1888, and recognized as a minor-league within the National Association system in 1901. Details all aspects of the league, from its pre-1888 history as an amateur/semi-pro league, through the ebb-and-flow of baseball's popularity throughout the 20th century, and to its centennial season in 1987. Includes information on the cities of the league, their ballparks, and both team and player statistics.
Eakin Press, 1987. 389 pages.
796.357 ON2T 1987
 


 

 

 

Week in Review, February 11

In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.
  • Track the economic recovery from the Great Recession by state. (Pew Charitable Trusts, February 3, 2016)
  • Review litigation between the states and the federal government related to the enforcement of immigration law. (Congressional Research Service, January 27, 2016)
  • Read about the gig economy and on-demand services. (Congressional Research Service, February 5, 2016)
  • Find the 2016 March primary election candidate filings by county. (Texas Secretary of State, accessed February 10, 2016)
 
 

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