Current Articles for November 16, 2023

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.

• Remember the Alamo: A tale for Texas' education freedom fighters. By Jeanne Allen. Center for Education Reform, October 2023, p. 1.
  Discusses recent legislation from the 88th Legislature, 3rd C.S., about school choice. Notes the successes of school choice programs in other states.
  See: https://edreform.com/2023/10/texas-education-the-alamo/
  
• Early approaches to community-based organization networks and community care hubs to address the non-medical drivers of health in Texas. By Anna Spencer, Amanda Bank, and Diana Crumley. Center for Health Care Strategies, October 2023, pp. 1-21.
  Highlights the recent release of an action plan related to non-medical drivers of health (NMDOH) by the Texas Department of Health and Human Services. Assesses the state of the network of community-based organizations (CBOs) in Texas and provides recommendations.
  See: https://www.chcs.org/media/Early-Approaches-to-Community-Based-Organization-Networks-and-Community-C ...
  Report at: https://www.hhs.texas.gov/about/process-improvement/improving-services-texans/medicaid-chip-quality- ...
  
• A penny saved can be a dollar earned: State policies supporting retirement security accounts. By Cody Allen. CSG South, September 27, 2023, pp. 1-12.
  Discusses ways states are implementing tax-advantaged retirement savings plans for low- and middle-income workers, relieving burdens on small businesses and helping families create self-sufficient plans for retirement.
  See: https://online.fliphtml5.com/bedhm/gwvv/#p=1
  
• Creating safer schools: A case study. By Nancy Duchesneau and Manny Zapata. Education Trust, November 2023, pp. 1-24.
  Presents results from a case study looking at the implementation of various school safety measures in two school districts in the U.S. Provides recommendations for improving school safety.
  See: https://edtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Safer-Schools-V7.pdf
  
• Financial deregulation, school finance, and student achievement. By Xi Yang and Jian Zou. EdWorkingPaper, Annenberg Institute at Brown University, November 2023, pp. 1-45; 1-17.
  Examines the effect that interstate bank branching deregulation has on school finance and student achievement. Concludes that student achievement has a positive correlation to deregulation. Focuses on nation-wide data.
  See: https://www.edworkingpapers.com/sites/default/files/ai23-874.pdf
  
• Texans' experiences affording and accessing health care. By Shao-Chee Sim, Jazmyne Sutton, and Eran Ben-Porath. Episcopal Health Foundation, October 2023, pp. 1-13.
  Provides the results of a recent study on Texans' ability to afford health care and the non-medical factors that influence health. Discuses how challenging social and economic circumstances have changed in the five-year history of the poll.
  See: https://www.episcopalhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/EHF-Texas-Health-Poll-10.23.pdf
  
• In the H2 know. By Jishnu Nair. Houston Business Journal, November 3-9, 2023, pp. 14-15.
  Discusses the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) selection of Houston as one of its clean hydrogen hubs. Describes the initial negotiation between the DOE and Hy Velocity Hub, a consortium of oil and gas industry leaders led by the nonprofit Center for Houston's Future. Notes some potential challenges, including labor worries, and emphasizes the DOE's commitment to transparency and environmental justice.
• Return to office is causing a costly mismatch for workers. By Marq Burnett. Houston Business Journal, November 3-9, 2023, p. 20.
  Discusses the "mismatch" between employees who want continued remote-work opportunities and flexibility, and employers prioritizing a return to the office. Summarizes a study finding that employees working in their preferred setting, whether office or home, were happier and more productive. Notes various ways that companies can address these "mismatches."
  See: https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/news/2023/10/27/employee-wellbeing-remote-work-return-office ...
  
• More states seek to curb anonymous CPS reports against parents. By Jeremy Loudenback. The Imprint: Youth & Family News, November 7, 2023, p. 1.
  Reviews new laws in California and Texas (HB 63, 88th Legislature, R.S.) that require anonymous child welfare callers to identify themselves. Notes both states are switching to "confidential reporting" in which CPS screeners will ask for callers' name and phone number.
  See: https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/more-states-seek-to-curb-anonymous-cps-reports-against-parents/2 ...
  
• The Model State Indoor Air Quality Act. By Lawrence O. Gostin, James G. Hodge, Jr., and Gigi K. Gronvall. JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), October 24/31, 2023, pp. 1525-1526.
  Discusses the importance of indoor air quality (IAQ), especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlights the development of the Model State Indoor Air Quality Act (MSIAQA), arguing states should adopt the legislation to reduce the risks of long-term health problems and reduce infectious disease transmission.
  Related information at: https://centerforhealthsecurity.org/our-work/research-projects/indoor-air-quality/model-clean-indoor ...
  
• Needed: More school psychologists. By Seth Lipkin. Phi Delta Kappan, November 2023, pp. 20-23.
  Explores the national shortage of school psychologists; cites estimates that U.S. schools contain one psychologist for every 1,127 students, opposed to the 1 to 500 ratio recommended by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). Makes policy recommendations for the training and retention of school psychologists, based on a model proposed by the NASP.
  See: https://kappanonline.org/needed-more-school-psychologists-lipkin-nasp/
  
• The rural teacher shortage. By Richard M. Ingersoll and Henry Tran. Phi Delta Kappan, November 2023, pp. 36-41.
  Reports on findings that rural schools have the worst teacher staffing issues, which the research suggests is primarily the result of high turnover. Suggests focusing on teacher job satisfaction may be a more effective strategy in these areas than new teacher recruitment and training.
  See: https://kappanonline.org/rural-teacher-shortage-ingersoll-tran/
  
• How Texas got here: School choice leading up to the fourth special session. By Cameron Abrams. Texan, November 9, 2023, p. 1.
  Reviews the school choice debate in the 88th Legislature, Regular and Called Sessions, and the roles of Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Speaker of the House Dade Phelan, Senator Brandon Creighton, and Representative Brad Buckley.
  See: https://thetexan.news/issues/education/how-texas-got-here-school-choice-leading-up-to-the-fourth-spe ...
  
• Session overview. Texas Builder, Fall 2023, pp. 18-23.
  Summarizes the 88th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature from the perspective of the Texas Association of Builders and the home building industry. Discusses legislation on business and property tax relief, real estate development, county authority, special purpose districts, and business issues.
  See: https://cdn.coverstand.com/69733/800542/b1f2122f745080c0c0758f095d32c40a89bee83f.pdf#page=18
  
• The death toll. By Josephine Lee. Texas Observer, November / December 2023, pp. 14-23.
  Addresses the lack of protection and responsibility for roadway workers in Texas from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Reflects on the history between TxDOT and private contractors in relation to construction of toll roads in Texas. Explores why Texas has the highest rate of highway worker fatalities.
• In Texas, guns are protective orders' weak spot. By Michelle Pitcher. Texas Observer, November/December 2023, pp. 32-39.
  Focuses on the relationship and correlation between gun ownership and intimate partner homicides in Texas. Examines current state law and procedure regarding firearms and protective orders. Mentions the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court case, U.S. v. Rahimi, to consider the constitutionality of firearm prohibitions for domestic violence protective orders and the potential outcome in Texas.
  Report at: https://tcfv.org/wp-content/uploads/TCFV-2022-HTV-Report_Final-Web.pdf
  Related information at: https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/22-915.html
  See: https://www.texasobserver.org/protective-orders-domestic-abusers-guns/