Name: Multi-Issue Briefing From Experts at Rice’s Baker Institute
Start: 1737662400
End: 1737669600

Join experts from the Baker Institute for Public Policy as they address major issues shaping the 89th Texas legislative session. Discussions will focus on energy, health, and drug policy, offering insights into the challenges and opportunities facing lawmakers in these areas. This event is an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of how policy decisions in these key areas will shape Texas’ future.

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Agenda

2:00 pm

Key Issues in Energy: Water Management, Grid Reliability, and Consumer Costs

Presenter: Michael D. Maher, Ph.D., Senior Program Advisor, Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies, Rice University

Texas’ energy sector is at a crossroads with energy transmission and distribution, rising consumer costs, renewable energy integration, and grid reliability concerns. This session will address how policy decisions can balance economic growth, environmental sustainability, and affordability for Texans.

2:45 pm

Improving Health Outcomes in Texas

Presenter: Charles W. Mathias, Ph.D., Director, Texas Consortium for the Non-Medical Drivers of Health, Baker Institute, Rice University

Policy plays a vital role in improving health outcomes across our state. This session will cover Texas’ health expenditures and available policy levers for improving health without increasing spending, with a focus on addressing the major drivers of health and opportunities for intervention by the health care sector.

3:30 pm

Drug Policy at a Crossroads

Presenter: Katharine Neill Harris, Ph.D., Alfred C. Glassell, III, Fellow in Drug Policy, Baker Institute, Rice University

This session will address the evolving landscape of drug use and discuss opportunities for Texas lawmakers to improve the state’s overdose crisis response strategy and address the public health risks posed by the rapidly growing hemp industry.