In this weekly post, we feature helpful research tools and recent articles of interest to the legislative community.
- Explore trends in criminal justice reforms by state. (The Sentencing Project, January 2020)
- See maps of where Americans are least active. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, January 16, 2020)
- Find out if you are registered to vote before the deadline for registering to vote in the March primary election. (Texas Secretary of State, accessed January 22, 2020)
- Review the Administrative Law Handbook 2020. (Texas Attorney General, 2020)
Members of the Texas legislative community may request the articles below here or by calling 512-463-1252.
- 20.01.33 / "Preventing tragedy: Learning from one another, states take steps to make schools safer." By Joel Sams. Capitol Ideas, Issue 5 2019, pp. 22-25.
Discusses school safety provisions of Florida Senate Bill 7026 (2018), and school safety policies adopted in several states relating to building security, extreme risk protection orders, and threat assessment programs. - 20.01.34 / "Attrition rate down to 21%, but Texas high schools lost over 88,000 students last year." By Roy L. Johnson. IDRA Newsletter (Intercultural Development Research Association), November-December 2019, pp. 5-6.
Presents the results of the 34th annual report on trends in dropout and attrition rates in Texas public schools. Explains latest data shows continued, gradual improvement, but Latino and Black students were two times more likely to leave school without graduating than White students. - 20.01.35 / "Large-capacity magazine bans linked with fewer mass shootings, deaths." By Jennifer Abbasi. JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), January 14, 2020, pp. 108-109.
Considers a recent study published in the American Journal of Public Health that found a correlation between large-capacity magazine bans and lower rates of high-fatality mass shooting deaths. - 20.01.36 / "Rurality and risk of perinatal depression among women in the United States." By Nichole Nidey, et al. Journal of Rural Health, Winter 2020, pp. 9-16.
Reports that the odds of perinatal depression risk were higher by 21 percent among rural versus urban women, adjusted for race, ethnicity, and maternal age. Notes that the risk difference is not significant when adding maternal education, health insurance coverage, and WIC participation. - 20.01.37 / "Observations from the trenches — Wayfair, a year and a half later." Journal of State Taxation, Winter 2019, pp. 29-34.
Describes the effects of economic nexus changes in South Dakota v. Wayfair from a business compliance perspective. Addresses sales and use tax compliance software and the role of state governments in regulating sales tax sourcing and e-filing and online registration. - 20.01.38 / "The border of business." By Jessica Corso. San Antonio Business Journal, January 10, 2020, pp. 11-14.
Examines how the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement [USMCA] may impact the Texas economy. Highlights the value of exports from Texas to Mexico, estimated at $260 billion per year, and how the USMCA might affect this value. - 20.01.39 / "Gentrification transforming neighborhoods in big Texas cities." By Yichen Su. Southwest Economy (Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas), Fourth Quarter 2019, pp. 3-7.
Analyzes gentrification and neighborhood transition trends in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin. Includes statistics on college graduates, income, racial and ethnic groups, housing construction, and home values in these cities, and discusses the implication of displacing at-risk, vulnerable populations to suburban areas. - 20.01.40 / "Body cameras may not be the easy answer everyone was looking for." By Lindsey Van Ness. Stateline (Pew Charitable Trusts), January 14, 2020, pp. 1-7.
Highlights studies showing mixed results on body cameras leading to reductions in use of force by police or how people view the police. - 20.01.41 / "Texas Legislature to study, focus on interim charges in 2020." By Julie Tomascik. Texas Agriculture, January 3, 2020, p. 9.
Reports on some of the issues the Texas Legislature will examine in interim studies. Lists topics important to rural Texans and farmers, including eminent domain, rural broadband, personal property tax, groundwater regulation, hemp, food labels, and pesticide application. - 20.01.42 / "Breaking down barriers." By Sean Price. Texas Medicine, January 2020, pp. 42-44.
Describes the benefits of long-acting reversible contraceptives [LARCs] and the regulatory barriers to prescribing them for women and their physicians. Notes the Texas Health and Human Services Commission's plans to study ways to improve access to LARCs by decreasing financial and administrative burdens. - 20.01.43 / "Something in the air." By Christopher Collins. Texas Observer, January/February 2020, pp. 24-29.
Investigates the effect of fecal dust pollution generated by cattle feedlots on Texans living in the Panhandle. Reports communities in feedlot hot spots have some of the highest levels of asthma in Texas and have little recourse but to move due to the lack of state regulation.
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.
