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

• Explore aspects of drought in Texas. (National Integrated Drought Information System, accessed September 23, 2025)
• Review ten facts about high blood pressure. (American Heart Association, last reviewed August 14, 2025)
• Examine trends related to fentanyl poisoning in Texas. (Texas Department of State Health Services, last updated July 15, 2025)
• Find charts and other graphics related to agriculture, food production, and food consumption. (Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, accessed September 24, 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 September 25, 2025 at 3:15 PM and has received 89 views. Print this entry.

The 89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session, adjourned Sine Die on Thursday, September 4, 2025.

Wednesday, September 24, 2025, was the last day the governor could sign or veto an enrolled bill (Texas Constitution, Article 4, Section 14). If neither action was taken the bill became law without his signature.

The following bill statistics were calculated on September 25, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.

This entry was posted on September 25, 2025 at 2:55 PM and has received 118 views. Print this entry.

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

• Read about the rising cost of homeownership. (U.S. Census Bureau, September 11, 2025)
• Consider the frequency of redistricting between censuses. (Pew Research Center, August 28, 2025)
• Order vital records online. (Texas Department of State Health Services, accessed September 17, 2025)
• Find food safety tips for dining out. (U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, September 15, 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 September 18, 2025 at 3:15 PM and has received 203 views. Print this entry.

The Library is continually adding new books to its collection. Below are the titles from our September 2025 New & Noteworthy list.

New & Noteworthy titles are available to Legislative offices and agencies. To borrow an item, please submit an online request through the New & Noteworthy page on our website or contact the library at 512-463-1252.

1. Atomic Dreams: The New Nuclear Evangelists and the Fight for the Future of Energy
By Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow
Focuses on the resurgence of nuclear power and its role as an energy source and possible climate solution. Explores the pro-nuclear movement through the lens of a new generation of environmentalists, activists, and politicians who believe that nuclear energy offers a safe path to decarbonization. Focuses on the recent rescue of Diablo Canyon, California’s last nuclear power plant, which was slated to shut down in 2025.
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2025, 274 pages
363.17 T915 2025

 

 

2. Barbs, Bullets, and Blood: The 1880s Texas Barbed Wire Wars
By Harold D. Jobes
Discusses the invention of barbed wire and its dissemination throughout Texas in the 1870s, which set the stage for the Barbed Wire Wars in the 1880s. Profiles the various actors who fueled the violent conflicts: free-range cattle advocates and homesteaders; owners of fenced land; and law enforcement tasked with preventing unlawful fencing and fence cutting. Highlights the Texas Legislature's and Governor John Ireland's actions during the wars, including the passage of HB 528, 18th Legislature, R.S., known as the Land Act of April 12, 1883, and fence-related legislation in the 18th Legislature, 1st C.S. in 1884: HB 2, HB 8, HB 9, HB 50/HB 84, and SB 42.
University of North Texas Press, 2025, 396 pages
976.4 J62 2025

 

 

3. On Privacy and Technology
By Daniel J. Solove
Considers the question, “Is privacy dead?,” while analyzing how recent changes in technology, electronic surveillance, and artificial intelligence (AI) are impacting privacy. Addresses key concepts in the digital realm, including control; manipulation; harm; automation; consent; reputation; and others. Discusses flaws in current laws involving technology and privacy along with common myths about privacy which prevent regulatory progress. Provides recommendations on how AI and privacy law should develop.
Oxford University Press, 2025, 124 pages
342.0858 SO689P 2025

 

 

4. The Origins of Critical Race Theory: The People and Ideas That Created a Movement
By Aja Y. Martinez and Robert O. Smith
Examines the history of the creation and development of critical race theory (CRT). Presents a narrative description of the tenets of CRT, a timeline of milestone events, and seminal works, as well as criticisms of CRT. Explores the lives of individuals who founded or were influential in developing CRT, including Derrick Bell, Richard Delgado, Jean Stefancic, and Kimberlé Crenshaw.
New York University Press, 2025, 247 pages
305.800973 M385 2025

 

 

5. Reimagining Social Security: Global Lessons for Retirement Policy Changes
By Romina Boccia and Ivane Nachkebia
Analyzes problems with current Social Security policies and how retirement system reforms in Canada, New Zealand, Germany, and Sweden could work in the U.S. Provides a guide for modernizing and restructuring the U.S. Social Security system to restore fiscal stability.
Cato Institute, 2025, 262 pages
368.43 B664 2025

 

 

6. As If Human: Ethics and Artificial Intelligence
By Nigel Shadbolt and Roger Hampson
Explores the ethical challenges surrounding artificial intelligence (AI). Argues that AI decisions, actions, and products should be evaluated as if they came from a human being. Offers a new framework for building a more ethical machine intelligence.
Yale University Press, 2024, 260 pages
006.31 SH524 2024

 

 

7. Flash Floods in Texas
By Jonathan Burnett
Provides historical accounts of major flash floods in Texas from 1900 to 2002. Notes that Texas’ location and landscape makes the entire state, and particularly the Balcones Escarpment and Edwards Plateau in Central and West Texas, prone to flooding. Presents each flood incident in its own chapter, with background on the causes and effects of the flooding and archival photography.
Texas A&M University Press, 2008, 330 pages
551.48 B964 2008

 

 

This entry was posted on September 17, 2025 at 3:15 PM and has received 191 views. Print this entry.

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

• Review the Hourly Wildfire Potential Index. (NOAA Research, August 28, 2025)
• Discover how to avoid healthy eating mistakes. (AARP, September 8, 2025)
• Find the new free anti-tobacco and vaping program. (Texas Department of State Health Services, September 9, 2025)
• Read about the 2025 App Privacy Index. (Tenscope, accessed September 10, 2025)
• Explore the Cooperative National Geologic Map. (U.S. Geological Survey, August 28, 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 September 11, 2025 at 3:15 PM and has received 258 views. Print this entry.

The 89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session, convened on Friday, August 15, 2025, and adjourned Sine Die on Thursday, September 4, 2025.

The last day for the Governor to sign or veto a bill is Wednesday, September 24, 2025 (Texas Constitution, Article 4, Section 14). If neither action is taken, the bill becomes law without the governor's signature.

The following bill statistics were calculated on September 10, 2025, at 8:00 a.m.

This entry was posted on September 10, 2025 at 11:00 AM and has received 1599 views. Print this entry.

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

• See county-by-county impacts of Affordable Care Act health insurance enrollment in Texas. (Episcopal Health Foundation, July 21, 2025)
• Review similarities and differences in state-level artificial intelligence (AI) laws. (Center for Data Innovation, August 28, 2025)
• Consider the impact of the end of the de minimis exemption. (CNBC, August 29, 2025)
• Examine victimization rates and crime reporting in immigrant populations in the U.S. (Cato Institute, August 26, 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 September 4, 2025 at 3:15 PM and has received 197 views. Print this entry.

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

• Explore features of congressional districts. (Congressional Research Service, August 21, 2025)
• Map power grid vulnerability throughout the U.S. (Texas A&M University, August 14, 2025)
• Check out the 2025-2026 hunting season dates in Texas. (Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, accessed August 27, 2025)
• Review consumer privacy legislation by state. (National Conference of State Legislatures, updated July 28, 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 28, 2025 at 3:15 PM and has received 263 views. Print this entry.

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

• Track flood gages, lake conditions, and weather alerts in real time. (Texas Water Development Board, accessed August 20, 2025)
• Explore data visualizations of SEC statistics. (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, accessed August 20, 2025)
• Try finding flight deals with AI. (Google, August 14, 2025)
• Read about the national debt. (Pew Research Center, August 12, 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 21, 2025 at 3:15 PM and has received 385 views. Print this entry.

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

• Review the dangers of hyperthermia. (Texas Department of State Health Services, © 2025)
• Find recalls from six federal agencies. (Consumer Product Safety Commission, accessed August 13, 2025)
• Read about different online tools to find older versions of internet websites. (How-To Geek, August 4, 2025)
• Look at climate forecasts for cities all over the world. (University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, accessed August 13, 2025)
• See bird migration forecasts as fall migration starts. (BirdCast, updated daily through November 15, 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 14, 2025 at 3:15 PM and has received 450 views. Print this entry.