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Research Minute: Linked Minutes Available for 63rd–77th Legislatures

Oct 16

posted by TexasLRL in Committees, Research minute

Scanned committee minutes have been linked to bills in the Legislative Archive System (LAS) for the 63rd–77th Legislatures (1973–2001).

 

If we have committee minutes for a bill in that time period, there will be a "Committee information" tab in the bill's LAS record, and you can see links to committee minutes at the bottom of the History tab view.

 

Linking bills to scanned minutes from the 62nd Legislature and prior is underway. You also can search minutes by committee name, chamber, and session. More recent committee minutes can be accessed via the Committees tab on Texas Legislature Online.

This entry was posted on October 16, 2018 at 3:15 PM and has received 1278 views. Print this entry.

Current Articles & Research Resources, October 11

Oct 11

posted by TexasLRL in Current Articles, Research Resources

In this weekly post, we feature helpful research tools and recent articles of interest to the legislative community. 

  • Consider the amicus brief joined by Texas related to the Second Amendment. (Attorney General of Texas, October 9, 2018)
  • Read about how the USMCA could improve on NAFTA. (National Conference of State Legislatures, October 4, 2018)
  • Examine the economic impact of breweries by state. (U.S. Census Bureau, October 3, 2018)
  • Explore how common it is for teachers to have additional summer employment. (National Center for Education Statistics, October 2018)

Members of the Texas legislative community may request the articles below here or by calling 512-463-1252. 

  • "Losing the democratic habit." By Yoni Appelbaum. Atlantic Monthly, October 2018, pp. 74-77.
    Argues that historically, civic participation has been the norm with United States citizens joining mostly apolitical, democratically-governed associations. Explains we are "no longer a nation of joiners" and public faith in democracy has eroded due to this.
  • "A $250M pill to ease Austin's housing ills?" By Daniel Salazar. Austin Business Journal, September 28, 2018, pp. 4-6.
    Describes Austin's affordable housing bond proposition — one of seven bond proposals on the city's November 6 ballot. Notes the 2018 bond package is 285 percent larger than the $65 million housing package in 2013.
  • "Possible effects of border wall policy take shape." By Daniel Salazar. Austin Business Journal, October 5, 2018, p. A6.
    Reports the latest developments associated with an Austin City Council resolution [No. 20180201-067] directing the city manager to review the economic effects a border wall would have on Austin and to develop a policy requiring companies seeking to do business with the city to disclose their ties to the proposed border wall on the United States–Mexico border. Related information at: http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=292709.
  • "Stops along the way to driverless trucks." By Sean Slone. Capitol Ideas, September/October 2018, pp. 40-43.
    Discusses recent Wisconsin and Mississippi legislation allowing driver assistive truck platooning technology, in which the lead truck controls the other trucks following behind, in a step toward autonomous or "driverless" trucks. Considers the implications of automation in the trucking industry.
  • "Violence against women in rural communities: What we know and what we don't know." By Walter DeKeseredy. Criminal Justice Research Review, Fall 2018, pp. 2-4.
    Explores the study of violence against women in rural communities.
  • "Texas Supreme Court asked to decide 'Jarndyce v. Jarndyce' boundary dispute." By Janet Elliott. Dallas Business Journal, September 14, 2018, p. 69.
    Highlights SB2242, 85th Legislature, R.S., a local bill that gave the Texas Supreme Court original jurisdiction to determine the outcome of a tax boundary dispute that began in 1972, as well as the allocation of property tax refunds.
  • "Teachers running for office show strength in primaries." Education Week, September 26, 2018, pp. 1, 13.
    Discusses what is behind the surge in teachers competing for state legislative seats this election year, which is being referred to as the "year of the teacher."
  • "California's drug transparency law: Navigating the boundaries of state authority on drug pricing." By Katherine L. Gudiksen, et al. Health Affairs, September 2018, pp. 1503-1508.
    Analyzes California's drug transparency bill, comparing it to other states' efforts to address pharmaceutical pricing trends. Considers the political and legal boundaries of state action to rein in drug prices. Related information at: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB17.
  • "Math pathways: Expanding options for success in college math." By Elizabeth Ganga and Amy Mazzariello. Internet Resource, October 2018, pp. 1-9.
    Reviews three math pathway models, including one developed in Texas, that allow college students to study math relevant to their academic or career pursuits.
  • "Everything you know about state education rankings is wrong." By Stan J. Liebowitz and Matthew L. Kelly. Reason, November 2018, pp. 20-25.
    Argues traditional school rankings are riddled with methodological flaws. Presents new rankings which concentrate on student performance, not educational funding, and disaggregate students by age, subject, and race to produce a new quality score. Lists Texas as ranking fifth in quality and second in efficiency.
  • "Opioid bill expands treatment options." By Christine Vestal. Stateline (Pew Charitable Trusts), October 4, 2018, pp. 1-4.
    Highlights proposed federal legislation that would give states more options to expand access to opioid addiction treatment and invests in new law enforcement efforts to curb illicit drugs. Related information at: https://votesmart.org/bill/25268/64254/opioid-crisis-response-act-of-2018#.W74djehKi71.
  • "The battle over biometrics." By John G. Browning. Texas Bar Journal, October 2018, pp. 674, 676.
    Examines variations in laws relating to the collection, storage, and use of biometric data, focusing on the three states that have adopted such laws: Illinois, Texas, and Washington.
  • "The cost of going to law school." By Angela Morris. Texas Lawyer, October 2018, pp. 22-24, 26.
    Provides important data metrics about Texas law schools to help prospective applicants analyze the affordability of law school and to envision their finances after graduation.
  • "Something is wrong with the sex offender registry, and deregulation is the only tool we have to fix it." By Matthew Ferrara and Emma Hamilton. Voice for the Defense, September 2018, pp. 20-30.
    Reports that the vast majority of studies measuring the impact of the registration and community notification of sexual offenders have found that there has been no impact on the number of sexual re-offenses, and that registries might even increase the chance of recidivism by isolating the offender from the community.

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.

This entry was posted on October 11, 2018 at 3:15 PM and has received 1205 views. Print this entry.

Interim Hearings – Week of October 15, 2018

Oct 10

posted by TexasLRL in 85th Session, Interim hearings

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.

 

For recent posts on Interim Hearings, see Interim Hearing Resources on the LRL homepage. The "Recent Entries" list on the left provides quick access to interim hearings posts from previous weeks.

October 16

House Committee on Natural Resources (Waco)

Charge 4: Water markets in Texas  

Charge 5: Information and awareness campaign regarding water issues in Texas

Charge 7: Water Availability Models for river basins in this state 

Charge 10: Monitor agencies and programs under the Committee's jurisdiction and oversee the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 85th Legislature

 

 

October 17

House Committee on County Affairs (Houston)

Charge 1: Emergency response activities, impact of natural disasters on county finances

Charge 2: County ordinance-making and enforcement authority to deal with flood risk in unincorporated rural and suburban areas

Charge 3: Defendants' and inmates' behavioral health needs, mental health services upon release from the criminal justice system

Charge 5: Monitor agencies and programs under the Committee's jurisdiction and implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 85th Legislature: indigent defense

This entry was posted on October 10, 2018 at 3:15 PM and has received 1128 views. Print this entry.

Exploring the Texas Album of the Eighth Legislature

Oct 9

posted by TexasLRL in Texas history, Members of the Legislature

Locating photos of Texas legislators from the pre-Civil War period is no easy task. The composites that currently decorate the Capitol's ground floor halls were not yet a tradition, and photography was a relatively new technology.

 

That rarity means the Legislative Reference Library was especially pleased to learn about The Texas Album of the Eighth Legislature. The album is an early attempt to document all of the state's officials, created by a traveling photographer, William DeRyee and his business partner, R.E. Moore. DeRyee took individual albumen portraits of the Eighth Legislature (1860), along with Governors Hardin R. Runnels and Sam Houston, Lieutenant Governor Edward Clark, and Speaker Marion DeKalb Taylor. A short biography and the counties the member represented accompany many of the portraits. Most of the biographies are the usual recitations of the member's family and work, but Rep. George McKnight's stands out—his bio page includes an original poem, "The Wanderer," musing on the loss of his parents and siblings.

 

Original copies of the album are held by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC), the Bancroft Library at University of California-Berkeley, and the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History. Looking at the different copies, you can see evidence of their prior owners' use. In the TSLAC edition, someone scribbled over the faces of some of the officials. They also wrote little notes in the margins, like—on Sam Houston's photo page—"Old Uncle Sam father of Texas — Sam 72 years old."

 

Many of the photos in the Bancroft copy have faded, and someone attempted to recreate some of the disappearing eyes, mouths, and other features—not to good effect. (Trying to pencil in eyes and noses on a photo never works well.) In some instances where the photo was missing all together, a previous owner attempted penciled-in portraits. Let us say that these portraits are more cartoonish than realistic. See page 237's cartoon of Rep. L.B. Camp—who has a perfectly respectable portrait in TSLAC's copy—as one example, and scroll to the end of our digital album to check out more caricatures/doodles. (Some of the drawings at the end of the album appear to be women; however, there were no biographies to go with them.) The photos and the bios in Bancroft's album are also jumbled up: Sam Houston's photo is almost 350 pages after his biography.

 

In an effort to pull the best of the originals together, the LRL has compiled a digital album and integrated photos and information from it into our Texas Legislators: Past & Present database, where you can view information about legislators in Texas from 1846 through the present.

 
Interesting historical side note: Following the 1860 publication of The Texas Album of the Eighth Legislature, photographer William DeRyee continued his photography business a little longer, but the Confederacy saw another use for his chemistry background. He was appointed state chemist and put in charge of the Texas Percussion Cap Manufactory. He also worked with the Confederate Nitre and Mining Bureau. He made various innovations and developments in explosives, but the Confederacy lacked well-trained chemists to assist him with his work. Following the Civil War, he opened a drugstore in Corpus Christi and developed a treatment of chlorine water with creosote as an antiseptic that helped alleviate a yellow fever epidemic. His son, Charles DeRyee, is credited with first documenting the presence of the boll weevil in Texas.

This entry was posted on October 9, 2018 at 3:15 PM and has received 1595 views. Print this entry.

Current Articles & Research Resources, October 4

Oct 4

posted by TexasLRL in Current Articles, Research Resources

In this weekly post, we feature helpful research tools and recent articles of interest to the legislative community. 

  • Track economic and social mobility in America. (U.S. Census Bureau, October 1, 2018)
  • Read about voter enthusiasm for the upcoming midterm election. (Pew Research Center, September 26, 2018)
  • Consider whether current public opinion is in favor of gambling on sports. (The Weekly Standard, October 3, 2018)
  • Check for downtown Austin street closures for upcoming events. (Downtown Alliance, accessed October 3, 2018)

Members of the Texas legislative community may request the articles below here or by calling 512-463-1252. 

  • "Whose land is it?" By Simon Montlake. Christian Science Monitor, September 10, 2018, pp. 25-30.
    Considers the tribal sovereignty claims brought forth in Royal v. Murphy, a current Oklahoma case before the United States Supreme Court, and the potential for claims by Native Americans across the country. Related information at: https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/17/17-1107/34619/20180206172951133_17-__PetitionForAWritOfCertiorari.pdf.
  • "Timing helped Texas resolve its statue controversy." By Cailin Crowe. Chronicle of Higher Education, September 21, 2018, p. A18.
    Examines the removal of the Jefferson Davis statue from the University of Texas at Austin campus and its relocation to a permanent exhibit, "From Commemoration to Education" at the Briscoe Center for American History. Suggests this action might serve as a model for other schools.
  • "A university broke a promise to 62 students — and tested an entire profession's ideals." By Eric Hoover. Chronicle of Higher Education, September 28, 2018, pp. A12-A17.
    Highlights the problem caused by the University of Texas at Tyler revoking scholarships to 62 Nepali students and how various counselors came together to find other scholarships for these students.
  • "Does too much credit recovery inflate graduation rates?" By Catherine Gewertz. Education Week, September 26, 2018, p. 6.
    Details study on high school credit-recovery programs and their impact on graduation rates.
  • "Jeff Bezos' pre-K move sparks wary reactions." By Michele Molnar. Education Week, September 26, 2018, pp. 1, 10.
    Discusses Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos' plan to launch and operate a network of "Montessori inspired" preschools in low-income neighborhoods. Addresses concerns of education experts.
  • "True impact of immigrant, Hispanic community relies on accurate 2020 Census." Houston Business Journal, September 13, 2018, p. 46.
    Proposes that with the addition of a citizenship question on the 2020 Census questionnaire, immigrants may be wary of providing any information. Argues the importance immigrants have on the local Texas economy.
  • "Reducing maternal mortality in the United States." By Michael C. Lu. JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), September 25, 2018, pp. 1237-1238.
    Considers the challenge of addressing maternal mortality in the United States. Calls for analysis of every maternal death, ensuring quality and safety of maternity care, and working to improve women's health throughout their lives.
  • "State limits on property taxes hamstring local services and should be relaxed or repealed." By Iris J. Lav and Michael Leachman. Journal of MultiState Taxation and Incentives, October 2018, pp. 18-32.
    Examines property tax revenue caps adopted in the states beginning in the 1970s, and the resulting reductions in funding for education and local government services. Focuses on property tax limits in four states: Michigan, Massachusetts, Oregon, and New York.
  • "Consider the dusky gopher frog." By Shawn Regan. National Review, October 1, 2018, pp. 18-19.
    Reviews the history of the Endangered Species Act and discusses some of the land-use and recovering species issues being considered in attempts to modernize and reform the act.
  • "Mobile technology expands emergency water treatment options." By Rick Moro. Opflow, August 2018, pp. 8-9.
    Identifies steps that facilities can take to respond effectively to an emergency situation. Includes an example of implementing a mobile water unit in Cisco, Texas, during flooding in 2016.
  • "The regressive effects of child-care regulations." By Ryan Bourne. Regulation (CATO Institute), Fall 2018, pp. 8-11.
    Examines the unintended consequences of child-care policies that give little thought to prices, parental preferences for care, and the availability of care for the poor.
  • "Pulling equal weight." By Irin Carmon. Time, October 8, 2018, pp. 34-41.
    Explores whether Sweden's model for gender equality is a plausible method for closing the gender gap in the United States.

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.

This entry was posted on October 4, 2018 at 3:15 PM and has received 946 views. Print this entry.

Interim Hearings – Week of October 8, 2018

Oct 3

posted by TexasLRL in 85th Session, Interim hearings

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.

 

For recent posts on Interim Hearings, see Interim Hearing Resources on the LRL homepage. The "Recent Entries" list on the left provides quick access to interim hearings posts from previous weeks.

 

October 9

House Committee on Appropriations  

Charge: Availability of federal funding and Governor's Criminal Justice grants that may directly or indirectly improve school safety; potential costs of proposals identified by the Governor and House Committees related to improving access to mental health services for children, improved school safety, and enhanced firearm safety

Topic: Special Education Strategic Plan

 

October 10

House Committee on Agriculture & Livestock

Charge: Central filing system for filing financing statements that cover farm products being sold and purchased in this state that are subject to an agricultural lien

 

October 12

House Committee on Pensions (Houston) 

Charge: Legislative oversight – state's oversight of pension systems and implementation of relevant legislation passed during the 85th Legislature

Charge: Funding soundness – ways to strengthen and improve Texas public pension systems; including effectiveness of corrective mechanisms, such as the Funding Soundness Restoration Plan and Pension Review Board Funding Guidelines

Charge: State retirement systems – governance structures of the Employees Retirement System, Texas Municipal Retirement System, Texas County and District Retirement System, and Texas Emergency Services Retirement System; including best practices and recommendations to strengthen oversight within the systems

This entry was posted on October 3, 2018 at 3:51 PM and has received 1170 views. Print this entry.

Research Minute: Legislative Archive System Updated through 85th Legislature

Oct 2

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, Search tips, Research minute

The Legislative Archive System (LAS) recently has been updated with scans of the session laws for the 85th Regular Session and the 85th 1st Called Session. Use LAS to find bill information such as:

  • Authors and sponsors
  • Actions
  • Bill analyses
  • Conference committee membership and reports
  • Session law PDFs from General and Special Laws of Texas
  • Signature statements by the Governor
  • Signed copies of legislation
  • Subjects
  • Index to Sections Affected
  • News clips and Current Articles from the library's journals, law reviews, and newsletters
  • Bill-session law chapter cross reference. (In the direct search, you may search by bill number, or for a list of all legislation that became law, use "search by session law chapter," select 85th, leave the chapter space blank, and click "search by chapter.")

With Advanced Search, users can combine multiple search terms, such as authors/sponsors, subjects, caption keyword, etc. You also can search across multiple legislative sessions.

 

The Legislative Archive System is an ongoing project, so all of these documents and access points are not available for all sessions. You can find scanned PDF bill files from the 33rd–43rd (1913–1933) and 46th–79th (1939–2005); bill information for the 80th–85th Legislatures is also searchable in the database. See the project status chart for details.

This entry was posted on October 2, 2018 at 3:15 PM and has received 1014 views. Print this entry.

Current Articles & Research Resources, September 27

Sep 27

posted by TexasLRL in Current Articles, Research Resources

In this weekly post, we feature helpful research tools and recent articles of interest to the legislative community. 

  • Track the fiscal impact of Hurricane Harvey on state agencies. (Legislative Budget Board, September 11, 2018)
  • Review recent oil and gas production statistics from across the state. (Railroad Commission of Texas, September 25, 2018)
  • Be ready to vote by registering or confirming your registration. (Texas Secretary of State, September 7, 2018)
  • Find hunting, fishing, and boating regulations in TPWD's Outdoor Annual. (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 2018-2019)

Members of the Texas legislative community may request the articles below here or by calling 512-463-1252. 

  • "Military bets on Austin's big ideas." By Mike Cronin. Austin Business Journal, September 21, 2018, pp. 4-7.
    Discusses how landing the Army Futures Command and the increase in defense spending will impact the Austin region's business community and the developing national security industry.
  • "Final opioid package should include several Medicaid provisions that improve access to care: But one remains a serious concern." By Anna Bailey, et al. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Updated September 18, 2018, pp. 1-7.
    Provides a status update on federal legislation to address the opioid epidemic, including Medicaid access to substance abuse treatment. Related information at: https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/6.
  • "Does it matter if a political candidate has huge student-loan debts? Georgians will decide." By Dan Bauman. Chronicle of Higher Education, September 7, 2018, p. A55.
    Considers how voters might weigh significant student-loan debt when deciding on candidates to support. Highlights the case of Stacey Abrams, Democratic candidate for Georgia governor.
  • "Animal harm." By Jacob Holzman. CQ Weekly, September 17, 2018, pp. 22-25.
    Describes environmental implications of the border wall, particularly for animal and butterfly habitat. Discusses 2010 flooding along the existing border wall on the Rio Grande River.
  • "Narrow banking: A hornets' nest." Economist, September 22nd-28th, 2018, p. 69.
    Reports on a complaint against the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for stalling the creation of a bank with a novel business model — a bank that restricts itself to receiving deposits but does not make loans to companies or individuals. Considers the operation risks associated with narrow banking. Related information at: https://faculty.chicagobooth.edu/john.cochrane/research/papers/Complaint%20(filed).pdf.
  • "DNA testing seeks answers for dyslexia." By Sarah D. Sparks. Education Week, September 12, 2018, pp. 1, 9.
    Details Yale University study that could lead to the development of a genetic screening tool for early identification of students with dyslexia. Addresses benefits and concerns of using DNA testing in a school environment.
  • "Quality counts 2018: K-12 assessment and change for success." By Alyson Klein, et al. Education Week, September 5, 2018, pp. 1, 16-26.
    Compares performance among the 50 states on several accountability measures, including test scores, high school graduation rates, poverty gaps, and student achievement. Grades Texas an overall C- on K-12 achievement, C on chance for success, and D+ on school finance.
  • "Checkpoint nation: Border agents are expanding their reach into the country's interior." By Melissa del Bosque. Harper's Magazine, October 2018, pp. 35-42.
    Explores the powers of Customs and Border Protection to set up security checkpoints and conduct search and detention operations within the "border zone," defined as 100 miles from any land or coastal boundary of the United States.
  • "The price of health care: Why is the United States an outlier?" By Tal Gross and Miriam J. Laugesen. Journal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law, October 2018, pp. 771-791.
    Examines and deconstructs various explanations why the United States spends more than any country on health care. Argues that since policy makers cannot adjust provider reimbursement rates down, they need to rework the nature of reimbursement all together.
  • "Cities getting smarter." Public Utilities Fortnightly, September 2018, pp. 36-40.
    Features an interview with the CEO of CPS Energy, Paula Gold-Williams, regarding how the municipal utility is adapting to the evolving industry.
  • "Fiscal decentralization and financial condition: The effects of revenue and expenditure decentralization on state financial health." By Akheil Singla and Samuel B. Stone. State and Local Government Review, June 2018, pp. 119-131.
    Analyzes several economic, political, and demographic indicators to explore the relationship between fiscal decentralization to the local government level and long-term state financial condition.
  • "Drop in Mexican-born immigrants attributed to hostility here, opportunity there." By Tim Henderson. Stateline (Pew Charitable Trusts), September 20, 2018, pp. 1-5.
    Discusses factors that have reduced the number of Mexican-born immigrants living in the United States. Includes Texas among the states with the largest drop in Mexican immigrant population.
  • "Financial squeeze." By Sean Price. Texas Medicine, September 2018, pp. 23-24, 26-27.
    Examines the firing of physicians and closure of seventeen Children's Health Pediatric Group clinics in the Dallas area. Highlights the problems of low Medicaid payment rates, relying on nurse practitioners and physician assistants to provide the majority of medical care, and the possibility of reduced access to care for Medicaid patients.
  • "The life of the American teacher." By Katie Reilly. Time, September 24, 2018, pp. 26-33.
    Examines the current experience of public school teachers, including declining teacher salaries and benefits, education budget cuts, and a record-high pay gap between teachers and other comparably educated professionals. Notes teacher walkouts and demonstrations in states from Arizona to Oklahoma this year.

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.

This entry was posted on September 27, 2018 at 3:15 PM and has received 765 views. Print this entry.

Interim Hearings – Week of October 1, 2018

Sep 26

posted by TexasLRL in 85th Session, Interim hearings

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.

 

For recent posts on Interim Hearings, see Interim Hearing Resources on the LRL homepage. The "Recent Entries" list on the left provides quick access to interim hearings posts from previous weeks.

October 2

House Committee on Land & Resource Management (Dallas) 

Charge: Texas' eminent domain statutes and balance between infrastructure growth and fair compensation for landowners

Charge: State Power Program operated by the GLO

 

October 3

House Committee on Land & Resource Management (Corpus Christi) 

Charge: General Land Office (GLO) role and efforts during the recovery period following Hurricane Harvey, disaster readiness and protocols, assessment of public lands

Charge: Texas' eminent domain statutes and balance between infrastructure growth and fair compensation for landowners

 

Charge: State Power Program operated by the GLO

 

 

Topic: Monitoring and prescribing of controlled substances in this state

This entry was posted on September 26, 2018 at 3:15 PM and has received 1265 views. Print this entry.

New & Noteworthy: September 2018

Sep 25

posted by TexasLRL in New & Noteworthy

The Library is continually adding new books to its collection. Below are the six titles from our September 2018 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 and delivery of any of these items, you can submit an online request through the New & Noteworthy page on our website, contact the library at 512-463-1252, or use our PDF request form.

 

1. Start Here: A Road Map to Reducing Mass Incarceration
By Greg Berman and Julian Adler
Analyzes various successful criminal justice reform programs and initiatives that could help redefine what justice looks like in America. Points out that no one "silver bullet" exists that could single-handedly reform the American justice system; however, there are proven reforms that could impact and improve the lives of justice-involved individuals right now rather than simply locking them away.
The New Press, 2018. 211 pages.
364.60973 B456S 2018


 

 

2. Election Law in a Nutshell
By Daniel P. Tokaji, Charles W. Ebersold, and Florence Whitcomb
Offers a brief survey of election law's development over time. Highlights key court cases and issues that have shaped voting rights and elections in the United States.
West Academic Publishing, 2017. 330 pages.
342.7307 T573E 2017


 

 

3. Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black People in America from the Civil War to World War II
By Douglas A. Blackmon
Presents a Pulitzer Prize-winning examination of how American slavery continued, even after the Emancipation Proclamation, in the form of forced labor without compensation, buying and selling of labor, physical coercion, and leasing convicts. Describes primary documents and personal narratives of African Americans arrested and forced into labor in the U.S. economic system in the 20th century.
Doubleday, 2008. 403 pages.
305.896 B566S 2008


 

 

4. Once Upon a Time in Texas: A Liberal in the Lone Star State
By David Richards
Examines in a heartfelt and humorous memoir the four decades David Richards devoted to civil rights, voter rights, labor law, school finance reform, and general civil liberties in Texas, as an attorney and former husband of Governor Ann Richards. Describes a small but vibrant group of liberal activists and politicians fighting for social justice from the 1950s to the 1990s in a very conservative state.
University of Texas Press, 2002. 275 pages.
942.085 R39ON 2002


 

 

5. Interim Report to the 86th Texas Legislature
By House Select Committee on Economic Competitiveness
Summarizes the select committee's work examining how Texas can remain competitive in attracting and retaining private sector businesses. Includes a list of public hearing witnesses, analysis of factors contributing to Texas' business environment, letters from businesses and organizations, and recommendations for continued improvement.
House Select Committee on Economic Competitiveness, 2018. 50 pages.
Online at: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/interim/85/Ec74hc.pdf
L1836.85 EC74HC


 

 

6. Report to the 86th Legislature
By Senate Select Committee on Violence in Schools and School Security
Provides an overview of testimony and discussion heard by the select committee as it explored various approaches to reducing violence in schools and improving school security. Concludes each interim charge's section with the committee's policy recommendations.
Senate Select Committee on Violence in Schools and School Security, 2018. 30 pages.
Online at: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/interim/85/SCmteSchoolViolence.pdf
L1836.85 IN8S

This entry was posted on September 25, 2018 at 3:15 PM and has received 916 views. Print this entry.

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