Current Articles for March 28, 2024
The Legislative Reference Library produces a weekly list of current journal articles for members of the legislative community. Each week, librarians select and abstract articles of interest to the legislature from the latest issues of over 300 journals, newsletters, state documents, and trade publications. Electronic copies of the Current Articles list are distributed to legislative offices each Thursday.
The Legislative Reference Library is located on the second floor of the State Capitol building in Room 2N.3. For more information, please call the Library at 512-463-1252.
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To punish or not to punish? Juvenile offenders and murder in aid of racketeering.
By Melvin L. Otey.
Baylor Law Review, Fall 2023, pp. 593-629.
Emphasizes the dilemma federal courts face in prosecuting juveniles for murder following the U.S. Supreme Court’s determinations in Miller v. Alabama and Roper v. Simmons that mandated sentences of life imprisonment or death are unconstitutional when applied to juvenile offenders. Proposes enacting a new statute to provide clear guidance to federal courts.
See: https://law.baylor.edu/sites/g/files/ecbvkj1546/files/2024-02/07_otey.pdf
Related information at: https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep543/usrep543551/usrep543551.pdf
Related information at: https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep567/usrep567460/usrep567460.pdf
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Medicaid expansion: Frequently asked questions (updated).
By Laura Harker and Breanna Sharer.
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, March 18, 2024, pp. 1-19.
Answers key questions about expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), using the latest studies and findings from expansion states. Addresses the effects of Medicaid expansion on state budgets, including additional financial benefits for newly expanding states. Discusses positive effects of Medicaid expansion on health insurance coverage rates; health and financial well-being; racial health equity; children and people with disabilities; employment; and hospitals.
See: https://www.cbpp.org/sites/default/files/6-16-21health_series3-18-24.pdf
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A sign of progress or an 'ugly scar'?
By Plamedie Ifasso and Will Anderson.
Dallas Business Journal, March 15-21, 2024, pp. 10-11.
Discusses a proposed bullet train route between Dallas and Fort Worth, including opinions of those who support and those who oppose the plan. -
De-desertification: Uncharted waters.
Economist, March 16th-22nd, 2024, pp. 68-69.
Discusses the potential to harvest water from the atmosphere using new technologies.
See: https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/03/13/how-to-harvest-moisture-from-the-atmosph ...
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Adolescent [Delta 8]-THC and marijuana use in the US.
By Alyssa F. Harlow, Richard A. Miech, and Adam M. Leventhal.
JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), March 12, 2024, pp. 861-865.
Presents data from a survey on adolescent self-reported use of Delta 8-THC and marijuana. Concludes that states lacking marijuana or Delta 8-THC legalization have higher rates of adolescent use.
See: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2816083?resultClick=1
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Seven arguments for open borders.
By John Washington.
Nation, March 2024, pp. 21-22.
Presents a commentary on the U.S.–Mexico border, including the economic and tax contributions of undocumented immigrants.
See: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=175893272&site=ehost-live
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Old school: Have the liberal arts gone conservative?
By Emma Green.
New Yorker, March 18, 2024, pp. 12-18.
Uses the example of a charter school in the Bronx to discuss the classical education movement, a fast-growing effort to fundamentally reorient schooling in America. Notes that this approach prioritizes some ways of teaching that have been used for thousands of years, such as phonics, memorization, and classical literature. Traces the history and changing politics of the movement.
See: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=175925226&site=ehost-live
See: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/03/18/have-the-liberal-arts-gone-conservative
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The short-term outlook for the U.S. economy.
By M. Ray Perryman.
Perryman Report and Texas Letter, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp. 1-3, 6.
Analyzes the recent performance of the U.S. economy, noting that fears of a recession were unfounded and that a "soft landing" is either achievable or has already happened. Notes the economy's gain in jobs and workers (particularly in the education, healthcare, and social assistance industries), the low unemployment rate, and the easing of inflation. Forecasts expansion in real gross domestic product, total employment, and population. -
How natural disasters affect homebuying decisions.
By Wesley Miller.
Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, March 2024, pp. 1-10.
Analyzes the effect of natural disasters on Texans' housing and neighborhood choices, as well as business location and investment choices, using Hurricane Harvey in 2017 as an example. Notes the impact of climate change combined with economic growth in disaster-prone regions. Discusses the effect of residential mobility in flood-prone areas on disaster aid.
See: https://assets.recenter.tamu.edu/Documents/Articles/2408.pdf
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Can SA cash in on an Austin alliance?
By W. Scott Bailey.
San Antonio Business Journal, March 15-21, 2024, pp. 12-15.
Describes greater:SATX, the revamped San Antonio Economic Development Foundation, which has raised nearly $40 million since 2021 to back a multiyear regional recruitment plan. Notes that the group has teamed up with Opportunity Austin and other stakeholders to encourage investment in the region. Describes the challenges and benefits of the two cities in working together.
See: https://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/news/2024/03/13/cover-story-sa-austin-megaregion.html
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Texas, 15 red states sue Biden administration over LNG export permit pause.
By Brad Johnson.
Texan, March 22, 2024, p. 1.
Reports on the lawsuit filed by sixteen Republican-controlled states challenging the U.S. Department of Energy's halt to permit approval for liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects.
See: https://thetexan.news/issues/energy/texas-15-red-states-sue-biden-administration-over-lng-export-per ...
Related information at: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24494290-lng-export-ban-lawsuit-filed
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Toxicant available to help farmers, ranchers control feral hogs.
By Julie Tomascik.
Texas Agriculture, March 1, 2024, p. 15.
Describes Kaput Feral Hog Bait, a new tool available to Texas farmers and ranchers to help control the exploding feral hog population. Notes that Texas has the largest feral hog population in the country and that Texas landowners lose more than $200 million in crops and livestock annually due to feral hogs. Describes the mechanism of the bait, which contains warfarin and turns the hogs' fat bright blue.
See: https://texasfarmbureau.org/toxicant-available-to-help-farmers-ranchers-control-feral-hogs/
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Withholding higher education: How current transcript policies at Texas colleges derail educational aspirations and job opportunities for Texans.
By Jessi Stafford.
Texas Appleseed, March 2024, pp. 1-19.
Discusses the Texas policy allowing higher education institutions to withhold the release of an individual's college transcript if there is unpaid debt to the institution. Analyzes data from six community colleges across the state — Blinn College, Dallas College, Northeast Texas Community College, San Jacinto College, South Plains College, and Victoria College — and finds that there are nearly 55,000 outstanding debts preventing individuals from accessing college transcripts.
See: https://www.texasappleseed.org/sites/default/files/Transcript_Withholding_Report_March2024_Final.pdf
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What happens to the migrants who don't make it?
By Aaron Nelsen.
Texas Monthly, April 2024, pp. 45-54.
Outlines the history of drownings among migrants attempting to cross the Rio Grande into the U.S., noting that the pace of such incidents has increased in recent years. Notes that no U.S. or Mexican agency keeps a comprehensive and accurate count of migrant deaths, and discusses the challenges involved in doing so.
See: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=175977850&site=ehost-live
See: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/migrants-drowning-rio-grande/