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

• Read about online scams and attacks experienced by Americans. (Pew Research Service, July 31, 2025)
• Explore U.S. Supreme Court oral argument transcripts. (Free Law Project, July 31, 2025)
• Review the Trump Administration’s tariff actions from January 20, 2025 through July 28, 2025. (Congressional Research Service, July 30, 2025)
• Consider special registration fees for hybrid and electric vehicles by state. (National Conference of State Legislatures, updated July 27, 2025)

Librarians review and select articles from more than 1,000 print and online sources to compile a weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. View this week's Current Articles.

Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles by using our online form or by calling 512-463-1252.

This entry was posted on August 7, 2025 at 3:15 PM and has received 71 views. Print this entry.

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

• See which weekend is the upcoming Sales Tax Holiday in Texas. (Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, accessed July 30, 2025)
• Consider which cities have the worst traffic. (Consumer Affairs, July 16, 2025)
• Explore legal issues related to automated license plate readers. (Congressional Research Service, July 21, 2025)
• Read about reductions of the IRS workforce. (Treasury Inspector General For Tax Administration, July 18, 2025)

Librarians review and select articles from more than 1,000 print and online sources to compile a weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. View this week's Current Articles.

Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles by using our online form or by calling 512-463-1252.

This entry was posted on July 31, 2025 at 3:39 PM and has received 151 views. Print this entry.

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

• Consider potential changes to environmental reviews for spaceport launch sites. (ProPublica, July 22, 2025)
• Read about Social Security’s imminent funding shortfall. (Cato Institute, July 22, 2025)
• Explore questions raised by generative artificial intelligence (AI) relating to copyright law. (Congressional Research Service, July 18, 2025)
• Examine changes over time to religious services attendance. (Heritage Foundation, July 17, 2025)

Librarians review and select articles from more than 1,000 print and online sources to compile a weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. View this week's Current Articles.

Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles by using our online form or by calling 512-463-1252.

This entry was posted on July 24, 2025 at 3:15 PM and has received 187 views. Print this entry.

The Library is continually adding new books to its collection. Below are the titles from our July 2025 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 or contact the library at 512-463-1252.

1. And Housing for All: The Fight to End Homelessness in America
By Maria Foscarinis
Asserts the homelessness crisis in America will only be solved when housing is recognized as a fundamental human right, and reveals how the crisis has been guided by deliberate policy decisions and perpetuated by anti-homeless narratives. Explores why past efforts to end homelessness have failed and makes recommendations on what must change to achieve long-term solutions. Provides legislative and policy analysis interwoven with compelling stories of resilient individuals and families impacted by homelessness.
Prometheus Books, 2025, 378 pages
362 F747H 2025

 

 

2. Deadly Force: Police Shootings in Urban America
By Tom S. Clark, Adam N. Glynn, and Michael Leo Owens
Studies police shootings – fatal and nonfatal – in U.S. cities with populations of 100,000 or more. Discusses the challenges encountered when requesting and collecting records on officer-involved shootings from police departments. Analyzes the data compiled for transparency and patterns for where, when, who, and fatal versus nonfatal rates. Addresses 24 Texas cities including Abilene, Houston, Round Rock, and Wichita Falls.
Princeton University Press, 2025, 300 pages
363.20973 C592D 2025

 

 

3. See Jane Run: How Women Politicians Matter for Young People
By David E. Campbell and Christina Wolbrecht
Discusses the effect women politicians can have on the political beliefs of young people. Finds that across gender, race, and party, successful female politicians help convince young people that women can be leaders. Notes that for young women, this effect is even more profound; female role models enhance their faith in democracy and increases political engagement, including running for office themselves.
University of Chicago Press, 2025, 245 pages
320.082 C187SE 2025

 

 

4. Abortion Pills: US History and Politics
By Carrie N. Baker
Provides a chronological historical overview of medication abortion pills – Mifepristone and Misoprostol – from their development in 1980 to the present day, with a focus on U.S. events. Highlights important federal and state moments for and against the medications through political campaigns; court decisions; and laws and regulations. Includes details from interviews with over 80 people from activists, abortion providers, researchers, and people who have used abortion pills. Discusses SB 8, 87th Legislature, R.S. and SB 4, 87th Legislature, 2nd C.S.
Amherst College Press, 2024, 294 pages
363.46 B167AB 2024

 

 

5. 2024 State Flood Plan
By Texas Water Development Board
Presents Texas’ first state flood plan that resulted from the regional and state flood planning process created by SB 8, 86th Legislature, R.S. Provides a comprehensive analysis of flood risks and hazards with a focus on the people and property exposed to flooding, the flood risk reduction infrastructure, and existing flood plain management practices. Discusses administrative, legislative, and regulatory recommendations relating to flood risk reduction; funding; early warning systems; flood plain management; and a variety of other flooding issues.
Texas Water Development Board, 2024, 245 pages
W605.8 F631P 2024

 

 

6. Can Legal Weed Win?: The Blunt Realities of Cannabis Economics
By Robin Goldstein and Daniel Sumner
Explores the history of the cannabis industry, with emphasis on legal developments over the last quarter century. Posits that in many cases licensing requirements, regulations, and taxes have hampered plans to replace the black market for marijuana with legal channels. Suggests how cannabis-related businesses can thrive and discusses the possible futures of legal and illegal cannabis markets. Points out that the demand for cannabis in Texas, where medical use is limited and recreational use is prohibited, has increased sales across the state line in Oklahoma.
University of California Press, 2022, 211 pages
338.1 G624C 2022

 

 

This entry was posted on July 23, 2025 at 3:15 PM and has received 228 views. Print this entry.

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

• Explore U.S. Supreme Court cases from 1781 through 1990. (U.S. Government Publishing Office, accessed July 16, 2025)
• Note that some taxpayers in counties affected by disaster my be eligible for an extension. (Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, July 2025)
• Compare data removal services for deleting online data. (ZDNET, July 9, 2025)
• Read about free trade agreements. (USAFacts, May 30, 2025)
• Review an open access publication about AI law, ethics, and policy. (Cambridge University Press, February 2025)
• Find local journalists in your area. (Rebuild Local News, © 2025)

Librarians review and select articles from more than 1,000 print and online sources to compile a weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. View this week's Current Articles.

Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles by using our online form or by calling 512-463-1252.

This entry was posted on July 18, 2025 at 9:42 AM and has received 219 views. Print this entry.

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

• Report damage and losses to residential, commercial, or agricultural property. (Texas Division of Emergency Management, accessed July 9, 2025)
• Avoid scams and fraud related to charitable giving. (Attorney General of Texas, July 8, 2025)
• Review domestic missile defense systems and policies. (Congressional Research Service, June 30, 2025)
• Read about ways to encourage good nutrition early in young children. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, June 30, 2025)

Librarians review and select articles from more than 1,000 print and online sources to compile a weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. View this week's Current Articles.

Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles by using our online form or by calling 512-463-1252.

This entry was posted on July 10, 2025 at 3:15 PM and has received 293 views. Print this entry.

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.

July 15, 2025
House Committee on Natural Resources
Topic: Invited testimony only regarding the impact of high-capacity and large volume groundwater production in the Neches & Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District

• Neches and Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District Tables Aquifer Project Decision for 90 Days, CBS 19 (Tyler), updated June 19, 2025
• Water District Responds to Groundwater Permit Scandal, The Messenger (Houston and Southern Anderson Counties), June 17, 2025
• Groundwater Conservation District Information (H-N), Neches & Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District, Texas Water Development Board (Legislation, groundwater management plans)

This entry was posted on July 9, 2025 at 10:45 AM and has received 240 views. Print this entry.

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

• Read about Americans accessing news online. (Pew Research Center, June 24, 2025)
• Search wildfire mitigation plans by state. (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, accessed June 25, 2025)
• Review U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention standards and statistics. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, accessed June 25, 2025)
• Consider how large language models like ChatGPT affect critical thinking skills. (MIT Media Lab, June 10,2025)
• Identify and share plants and wildlife via a smartphone. (Gizmodo, June 21, 2025)

Librarians review and select articles from more than 1,000 print and online sources to compile a weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. View this week's Current Articles.

Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles by using our online form or by calling 512-463-1252.

This entry was posted on June 26, 2025 at 3:15 PM and has received 327 views. Print this entry.

Sunday, June 22, 2025, was the last day the governor could sign or veto an enrolled bill from the 89th Regular Session. If neither action was taken, the bill became law without his signature.

89th Legislature, R.S., Statistics

The following bill statistics were calculated on June 24, 2025, at 8:30 a.m.

To see how these statistics have changed, please view our previous bill statistics blog posts:

• Bill Statistics & Upcoming Deadlines, May 5, 2025
• Bill Statistics & Upcoming Deadlines, May 12, 2025
• Bill Statistics & Upcoming Deadlines, May 19, 2025
• Bill Statistics, May 21, 2025
• Bill Statistics, 133rd Day, 89th R.S.
• What's Next? Post-Session FAQ and Bill Statistics, 89th R.S.
• Updated Bill Statistics, June 9, 2025
• Bill Statistics, Two Weeks After Sine Die, June 16, 2025

You can also view lists of bills by the governor's action on Texas Legislature Online (TLO).

1. On TLO's homepage, click on the "Reports" link under Additional Searches.

 

2. Then click on the "General Reports" tab to see the lists of bills by the governor's action.

 

This entry was posted on June 24, 2025 at 1:10 PM and has received 668 views. Print this entry.

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

• Find parking anywhere. (Parkopedia, accessed June 17, 2025)
• Read about immigration enforcement in the U.S. interior. (Congressional Research Service, June 13, 2025)
• Examine hate crime data by incident and bias. (FBI Crime Data Explorer, last updated January 15, 2025)
• See which public water systems have water use restrictions in place to avoid shortages. (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, report generated June 13, 2025)

Librarians review and select articles from more than 1,000 print and online sources to compile a weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. View this week's Current Articles.

Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles by using our online form or by calling 512-463-1252.

This entry was posted on June 19, 2025 at 3:15 PM and has received 543 views. Print this entry.