Research Library

The Texas House of Representatives is considering House Bill 3256, which would legalize syringe exchange programs (SEPs) as a means of reducing the transmission of infectious and communicable diseases among people who inject drugs. On April 25, William Martin, director of the Drug Policy Program, appeared before the Texas House Committee on Public Health to testify in support of HB 3256. Martin also authored an op-ed in TribTalk supporting the establishment of SEPs.

This blog post examines how Donald Trump's status as the presumptive GOP presidential nominee could impact Texas Republicans running for offices in the November general elections.

This blog post examines four factors of globalization that make Texas a “ground zero” for new infectious tropical diseases and outlines steps the state must take to better mitigate global health threats.

Baker Institute political science fellow Mark Jones describes eight key takeaways from Houston’s Nov. 3 city elections, including the defeat of HERO, the odds of a future equal rights ordinance being passed in the city, and runoffs in the mayoral race and several key city council posts. Read his post in the Nov. 4 Baker Institute Blog.

If past trends hold for Annise Parker’s successor, this fall Houstonians may well be in actuality electing the person who will guide the city until January 2022.

Texas loses between five to six million acre-feet of water per year to evaporation from surface water supply reservoirs. Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR), whereby water supplies are stored underground, may provide a useful strategy for managing and protecting water supplies.

George Zodrow, the Cline Professor of Economics at Rice University and a Rice faculty scholar at the Baker Institute, is interviewed in State Tax Notes, providing expert insight on state tax policies, including thoughts on the looming tax relief debate in the next session of the Texas legislature.