Texas on the Brink – 2005
How Texas Ranks Among the 50 States – February 2005~Second Edition
Ours is a great state. Since 1836, Texas has been built by those who believe that any Texan should have the opportunity to rise as high and far as their spirit, hard work and talent might carry them. Texans work hard to educate their children and are full of hope for a prosperous future, which is the heart of the American Dream. Today, that dream is distant, and our state is at a crossroads. Many believe that the 78th Regular Legislative Session marked the passage from compassionate conservatism to just plain old mean spirit.
In the aftermath of the Session, some public officials claimed that they had dealt with our budget shortfall in a way that “meets the basic needs of Texans,” and had done so without raising taxes. In reality, our leaders made a choice to value tax cuts over kids, and budget cuts over the elderly. Public education has been under-funded for years, services for many of the most vulnerable Texans have been devastated, and cuts to research programs at Texas universities and health science centers threaten to make them noncompetitive.
Major costs have been shifted to local communities and taxpayers. Middle class students are now paying $263 million in new tuition, and billions of federal dollars that would otherwise come to our state stayed in Washington D.C. Funding is so inadequate that litigants in major lawsuits against the state argue that key state agencies cannot provide even basic services required under federal and state law.
In 2003, Texas ranked 49th in state spending per capita and on tax revenue raised, with average state government spending nationwide 46 percent higher than in Texas. The state’s rankings are the expected outcome of an inadequate, outdated and terribly regressive tax system; one that taxes those least able to pay the most. As long as Texas ranks near the bottom in the amount of state revenue raised and services offered, Texas will continue to rank near the bottom of the nation on key performance measures.
Simply put, our future prosperity depends on investment in low and middle income working families. Unless we as leaders of this great state make the necessary and critical investment in the education, health and safety of our people, we will leave a legacy of the first generation in Texas history to be less prosperous than the one before.
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The Rankings
Note :
The numbers # immediately after the items reference footnotes located at the bottom of the page listed as Endnotes. The second number i.e. 45th, 32nd is the actual ranking.
Suggest one look at the rankings (50th = lowest, 1st = highest) in relationship to the Headings of each subject title being addressed.
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State Rankings
State Government Taxes and Spending (50th = lowest, 1st = highest)
• Tax Revenue Raised1 49th
• Sales Tax Dependence2 2nd
• Property Tax Collected per Person3 16th
• Total General Expenditures4 49th
Per Capita Spending on:
• Public Health5 45th
• Mental Health6 46th
• Education7 32nd
• Parks and Recreation8 48th
• Police Protection9 35th
• Government Administration10 50th
• Environmental Protection11 46th
• Water Quality12 49th
• Highways13 44th
• State Arts Agencies14 49th
Education (50th-lowest, 1st=highest)
• High School Graduation Rate15 50th
• Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) Scores16 48th
• Secondary Teachers with Degrees in the Subjects they Teach17 45th
• State Aid per Pupil18 39th
• Average Teacher Salaries19 32nd
• Percentage of Adults with at Least a Bachelor’s Degree20 25th
• Percentage of Low Income Students in Public Schools21 11th
State of the Child (50th=lowest, 1st=highest)
• Child Population Growth22 1st
• Percentage of Uninsured Children23 1st
• Percentage of Children Living in Poverty24 4th
• Percentage of Two-Year Olds Not Fully-Immunized25 6th
• Spending on Child Protection26 48th
Health Care (50th = lowest, 1st = highest)
• Percentage of Population with Health Insurance27 50th
• Percentage of Insured Low-Income Children28 50th
• Percentage of Poor Covered by Medicaid29 48th
• Percentage of Population with Employer-based Health Insurance30 45th
• Rate at which Citizens Receive Treatment for Drug and Alcohol Abuse Problems31 45th
• Percentage of Adults who are within Recommended Weight Levels32 42nd
• Percentage of Adults who Meet Recommended Levels of Daily Physical Activity33 40th
• Percentage of Population with Access to Primary Care34 33rd
• Prevalence of Obesity35 12th
Health and Welfare (50th = lowest, 1st = highest)
• Poverty Rate 36 7th
• Percentage of Population that Goes Hungry37 2nd
• Percentage of Population that is Malnourished38 3rd
• Amount of Welfare and Food Stamp Benefits Paid39 47th
• Amount of Monthly Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) Benefits Paid40 49th
• Minutes of Daily Care by Registered Nurses for Nursing Home Residents41 46th
• Compliance with the Supreme Court Olmstead Decision Declaring that Unjustified Institutionalization of a Disabled Person is Discrimination.42 37th
Health Professionals per Capita (50th = lowest, 1st = highest)
• Physicians43 40th
• Dentists44 41st
• Pharmacists45 44th
• Psychologists46 39th
Women’s Issues (50th = lowest, 1st = highest)
• Overall Birth Rate47 2nd
• Teenage Birth Rate48 2nd
• Number of Women Receiving Prenatal Care49 37th
• Rate of Women Ages 50-65 who Receive Mammograms50 45th
• Rate of Women Ages 18-64 who Receive Pap Smears51 47th
• Women’s Well-Being52 (measured by health and well-being, employment and earnings, social and economic autonomy, reproductive rights) 45th
Diseases (50th = lowest, 1st = highest)
• Risk for Heart Disease53 6th
• Prevalence of Infectious Diseases54 8th
• Prevalence of Diagnosed Diabetes55 8th
• Diabetes Death Rate56 8th
• Rate of Disease per 100,000 People57 9th
Access to Capital (50th = lowest, 1st = highest)
• Percentage of Home Refinance Loans that are Subprime-mortgage Loans (generally 3 to 4 percentage points or more higher than a comparable prime market loan)58 1st
• Households with Savings Accounts59 41st
• Households with Checking Accounts60 43rd
• The Total Assets of Banks, Trust Companies, and Savings Institutions Located in the State61 45th
• Amount of Money that Banks Located in the State Collect through Deposits in Relation to the Amount of Money the Banks Re-channel Back into Communities Through Loans62 47th
• Average Consumer Credit Score63 50th
Environment (50th = lowest, 1st = highest)
• Amount of Toxic and Cancerous Manufacturing Emissions64 1st
• Number of Clean Water Permit Violations65 1st
• Number of Environmental Civil Rights Complaints66 1st
• Number of Hazardous Waste Spills67 2nd
• Number of Hazardous Waste Sites on the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Priorities List68 9th
• Amount of Ozone Pollution Exposure69 2nd
• Per Capita Consumption of Energy70 6th
• Per Capita Consumption of Electricity71 1st
• Open Space Protection72 46th
Workforce (50th = lowest, 1st = highest)
• Unemployment Rate73 9th
• Average Hourly Earnings74 46th
• Income Distribution Equality75 43rd
• Government Employee Wages and Salaries 76 50th
• Workforce Education77 43rd
• Percentage of Adults with Internet Access78 32nd
• Percentage of Workforce Represented by a Union 79 48th
• Number of Job-Discrimination Lawsuits80 1st
Cost of Living (50th = lowest, 1st = highest)
• Home Ownership Rate81 45th
• Homeowner’s Insurance Affordability82 50th
• Auto Insurance Affordability83 39th
• Residential Electric Bill Affordability84 50th
Public Safety (50th = lowest, 1st = highest)
• Number of Executions85 1st
• Number of Gun Shows86 1st
• Rate of Incarceration87 2nd
• Total Crime Rate88 5th
• Violent Crime Rate89 11th
• Murder Rate90 15th
• Rate of Firearm Deaths per 100,000 Population91 33rd
• Number of Registered Machined Guns92 1st
• Number of Deaths Attributed to Floods93 1st
• Number of Highway Fatalities94 2nd
• Number of Road-Rage Traffic Fatalities95 2nd
• Number of Alcohol-Related Traffic Deaths as a Percentage of Highway Fatalities96 9th
Democracy (50th = lowest, 1st = highest)
• Percentage of Eligible Voters that are Registered97 44th
• Percentage of Eligible Voters that Go to the Polls98 47th
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Other Facts
Child Abuse and Neglect
• In 2003, about 50,000 Texas children were victims of abuse and neglect.99
• On average in 2004, each Child Protective Services investigative caseworker had 61 cases.100 Texas caseloads are twice the national average.101 Accreditation agencies and professional groups recommend 12-18 cases per worker.102
• On child protection, Texas only spends $110 per child. The national average is $167 per child.103
Children and Families
• In 2002, 151,464 Texas children were considered “At Risk” (having a significant impairment due to a mental disorder) and eligible for services through the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. However, only 26% of at risk, eligible children were served in 2002.104
• 29% of two-year olds in Texas are not fully immunized, whereas 20% are not at the national level.105
• About seven percent of Texas children are living in extreme poverty (income below 50% of the poverty level), compared to five percent on the national level.106
• The average Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance for a family is $127 per month in Texas; the monthly national average TANF cash assistance is $354.107
• The average monthly benefit for Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) recipients is $27.92, whereas the national average monthly benefit for WIC recipients in 2004 was $37.67.108
Education
• Annual expenditures per pupil in Texas public schools are $5,444. Annual expenditures per prisoner in Texas prisons is $13,283.109
• 73% of Texas fourth grade students scored below the proficiency level in reading in 2003.110
• 67% percent of Texas fourth grade students scored below the proficiency level in mathematics 2003.111
• The national high school drop-out rate is 9.8%;112 the high school drop-out rate in Texas is 38% – 45% for African-American students, 24% for white students, and 50% for Hispanic students.113
• In 2003, the national combined SAT score was 1026, whereas for Texas, it was 993.114
• Eight institutions in the University of California System are ranked in the top 85 of U.S. News and World Report’s national rankings of public universities. The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University at College Station are the only Texas public institutions of higher education on the list and neither is ranked in the top 50.115
• While the percentage of Americans with high school diplomas has risen to 85%, Texas is still lagging with only 77% of Texans age 25 or older having a high school diploma.
• Nationally, 24% of the population has a bachelors degree or higher; In the Lower Rio Grande Valley the percentage of the population with this level of education is 13%.116
• Nationally, 7.5% of the population has less than a ninth grade education; in Texas 11.5% of the population has less than a ninth grade education.117
Elder Abuse and Neglect
• On average in 2004, each Adult Protective Services caseworkers carried 60 cases.118 Accreditation agencies and professional groups recommend 12-18 cases for each worker.119
• According to a 2002 U.S. House of Representatives report, 86% of nursing homes in Texas did not meet federal standards governing quality of care;120
• 94% of nursing homes did not meet minimum staffing levels;121 39% of facilities had a violation that caused actual harm to nursing home residents or placed them at risk for death or serious injury;122
• The average nursing home in Texas provided just 21 minutes of daily care by registered nurses for each resident–less than half of the minimum required by the regulatory agency.123
• In 2004, the Austin American-Statesman reported that 84% of Texas nursing homes have been cited for fire safety deficiencies.124
The Uninsured
• 22% of Texas children are without health insurance. The national average is 12%. 125
• 5.1 million uninsured people live in Texas.126
• The state’s uninsured rate is 23.5%, giving Texas the highest uninsured rate in the country.127
• Employer-based health insurance in the U.S. dropped from 60.9% in 2000 to 57.8% in 2001. Two-thirds of the decrease was due to workers losing coverage through their employer.128
• Based on the 85 largest metropolitan areas in the country, El Paso has the highest number of uninsured residents.129
• Texas has the highest medical chiropractic costs per claim.130
Health Professionals
• Texas has 162 physicians per 100,000 population; the national average is 198 per 100,000 population.131
• El Paso has 110 physicians per 100,000 population.132
• Texas has only 633 Registered Nurses per 100,000 population, significantly fewer than the national average of 798.133
• Texas has 37 dentists per 100,000 population; the national average is 48 per 100,000 population.134
Income Disparity
• In 2000, the United States was the world’s wealthiest nation and leading economic power, as well as the western industrialized nation with the greatest gap between the rich and poor.135
• The average income in the top fifth of income distribution in Texas is over twelve times greater than the average income in the bottom fifth.136
• Middle and low-income Texas families did not share equally in the economic boom of the eighties and nineties. Families that made $36,000 and under only gained four percent, while families who made $84,500 or more gained 33%.137
• The Lower Rio Grande Valley metropolitan area ranks last in the nation in per capita income, averaging only 45% of the U.S. per capita income.138
Taxation
• Texas’ tax system is listed as one of the “Terrible Ten” most regressive states in the nation.139
• Texas requires poor families, those in the bottom 20% of the income scale, to pay more than three times as great a share of their earnings in taxes as the wealthy.140
• Middle income families pay more than twice as high a share of their income in taxes as the wealthiest families.141
• Changes in state and local taxes over the past decade have made state tax systems even more regressive. Overall, low and middle-income taxpayers saw their burden grow, while the top-fifth wealthy Texans primarily received tax reductions.142
Obesity
• 22.4% of 4th graders, 19.2% of 8th graders and 15.5% of 11th graders in Texas are overweight. 143
• Overweight prevalence is highest in Texas among Hispanicboys (29.5-32.6%).144
• 70% of Texas youths do not attend physical education class daily. 145
• Three of the top 10 “Fattest Cities in America” are in Texas, with Houston ranked number one, Dallas ranked number six, and San Antonio ranked number ten. El Paso is ranked number 11.146
Sexual Education
• Texas does not require schools, nor does it provide state funds to give students information on HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, or pregnancy prevention education.147
• 51% of Texas high school students have had sexual intercourse. 38% of those students did not use a condom the last time they had intercourse. 88% of those students did not use birth control pills the last time they had sex.148
• Texas has no state law or administrative rule that addresses attendance for pregnant or parenting students, nor does the state require districts to offer alternative programs for such students.149
Transportation
• Traffic delays cost Texas urban drivers about $5.5 billion per year.150
• Traffic delays in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston cost each driver in those cities $711 a year. In Austin, traffic delays cost each driver $590 a year.151
• Traffic volume is growing 16 times faster than lane miles are added.152
• Every two minutes, someone is injured. The resulting economic loss to Texas is $9.3 billion annually.153
• 3,725 people died on Texas highways in 2002.154
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Endnotes
1. U.S. Census Bureau, Governments Division, 2002, Online. Available: http://www.census.gov/govs/state/02rank.html Accessed: July 6, 2004.
2. Texans for Public Justice, State of the Lone Star State: How Life Measures Up (September 2000), Online. Available: http://www.tpj.org/docs/2000/09/reports/sos/chapter4.pdf Accessed: June 29, 2004.
3. Clay Robison, “Texas our Texas how stingy and shortsighted you are.” Houston Chronicle. (August 22, 2004), Outlook, p. 3.
4. U.S. Census Bureau, Governments Division, 2002, Online. Available: http://www.census.gov/govs/state/02rank.html Accessed: July 6, 2004.
5. Texans for Public Justice, State of the Lone Star State: How Life Measures Up (September 2000), Online. Available: http://www.tpj.org/docs/2000/09/reports/sos/chapter3.pdf. Accessed: June 29, 2004.
6.The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online (March 2004), Online. Available: http://www.statehealthfacts.kff.org/cgi-bin/healthfacts.cgi?action=compare. Accessed: June 23, 2004.
7. The National Education Association, Rankings and Estimates (May 2004), Online. Available: http://www.nea.org/edstats/. Accessed: June 22, 2004.
8. Protex Network for a Progressive Texas, Understanding the Texas Budget (November 2002).
9. U.S. Census Bureau, Governments Division (2002), Online. Available: http://www.census.gov/govs/www/estimate.html. Accessed: July 14, 2004.
10.U.S. Census Bureau, Governments Division, 2000.
11.Council of State Governments, Resource Guide to State Environmental Management, 5th Edition, 1999.
12. Ibid.
13. Ibid.
14. Harold Hovey and Kendra Hovey, CQ’s State Fact Finder 2004 (Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2004).
15. Education Week on the Web, “Quality Counts 2003″, Education Week. Online. Available: http://www.edweek.org/sreports/qc03/. Accessed: July 26,2004.
16. The College Board, Mean SAT I Verbal and Math Scores by State, with Changes for Selected Years, Online. Available: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/about/news_info/cbsenior/yr2003/pdf/table3.pdf Accessed: July 12, 2004.
17. Education Week on the Web, “Quality Counts 2003″, Education Week. Online. Available: http://www.edweek.org/sreports/qc03/. Accessed: July 26,2004.
18. National Education Association, Ranking and Estimates Update, 2003.
19. National Education Association, Ranking and Estimates Update, 2003.
20. U.S. Census Bureau Ranking Tables, Percent High School Graduate or Higher, 2002.(September 2003) Online. Available: http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Ranking/2002/R02T040.htm Accessed: June 29, 2004.
21. Clay Robison, “Texas our Texas how stingy and shortsighted you are.” Houston Chronicle. (August 22, 2004), Outlook, p. 3.
22. Polly Ross Hughes, “No unity on fixing children’s services.” Houston Chronicle (November 1, 2004), p. A-1.
23. The Annie E. Casey Foundation, Kids Count Data Book, State Profiles of Child Well-Being ( 2004).
24. United Health Foundation, America’s Health: State Health Rankings–2004 Edition. Available: http://unitedhealthfoundation.org/shr2004/states/Texas.html Accessed: January 18, 2005.
25. Ibid.
26. “Report: Investigators overworked.” Austin American Statesman
(July 26, 2004).
27. Ibid.
28. Corporation for Enterprise Development, 2002 State Asset Development Report Card: Bench marking Asset Development in Fighting Poverty (Washginton, D.C.), Online. Available:http://sadrc.cfed.org/measures/savings.php. Accessed: July 15, 2004.
29. The 2004 Texas Legislative Budget Board, The Texas Fact Book, Austin (pamphlet).
30. Ibid.
31. Texans for Public Justice, State of the Lone Star State: How Life Measures Up (September 2000), Online. Available: http://www.tpj.org/docs/2000/09/reports/sos/chapter3.pdf. Accessed: June 29, 2004.
32. Texans for Public Justice, State of the Lone Star State: How Life Measures Up (September 2000), Online. Available: http://www.tpj.org/docs/2000/09/reports/sos/chapter3.pdf. Accessed: June 29, 2004.
33. Ibid.
34. Morgan Quitno Press, “State Health Care Rankings 2004,” Lawrence, KS, 2004. Online. Available: http://www.morganquitno.com/HC04sam2.pdf Accessed: June 22, 2004.
35. United Health Foundation, State Rankings (2004), Online.
Available: http://www.unitedhealthfoundation.org/shr2004/states/Texas.html Accessed: November 30, 2004.
36. U.S. Census Bureau Ranking Tables 2002, Percent of People Below Poverty Level (September 2003), Online. Available: http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Ranking/2002/R01T040.htm. Accessed: June 29, 2004.
37. Texans for Public Justice, State of the Lone Star State: How Life Measures Up (September 2000), Online. Available: http://www.tpj.org/docs/2000/09/reports/sos/chapter3.pdf. Accessed: June 29, 2004.
38. Ibid.
39. Ibid.
40. Clay Robison, “Texas our Texas how stingy and shortsighted you are.” Houston Chronicle. (August 22, 2004), Outlook, p. 3.
41. Ibid.
42. Jennifer LaFleur, ”Seeking Independence. Many With Disabilities, Forced into Nursing Facilities Despite Court Decision, Fight to Live On Their Own .” Dallas Morning News (October 3, 2004), p. 1-A.
43. Bureau of Health Professions, State Health Workforce Profiles, Online. Available: http://www.bhpr.hrsa.gov. Accessed: July 10, 2004.
44. Ibid.
45. Ibid.
46. Ibid.
47. Polly Ross Hughes, “No unity on fixing children’s services.” Houston Chronicle (November 1, 2004), p. A-1.
48. The Annie E. Casey Foundation, Kids Count Data Book, State Profiles of Child Well-Being (2004).
49. Texans Care for Children, The Children’s Campaign: An Agenda for the Decade (2004), Online. Available: http://www.texanscareforchildren.org/chcamp/cc_findings.pdf. Accessed: July 10, 2004.
50. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online (March 2004), Online. Available: http://www.statehealthfacts.kff.org/cgi-bin/healthfacts.cgi?action=compare. Accessed: July 14, 2004.
51. Ibid.
52. April Bethea, “In pay, politics and health, woman ‘have a long way to go.’”Austin American Statesman. (November 17, 2004).
53. United Health Foundation, State Rankings (2003), Online. Available: http://www.unitedhealthfoundation.org/shr2003/states/Texas.html. Accessed: June 30, 2004.
54. Ibid.
55. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online (March 2004), Online. Available: http://www.statehealthfacts.kff.org/cgi-bin/healthfacts.cgi?action=compare. Accessed: July 14, 2004.
56. Ibid.
57. Texans for Public Justice, State of the Lone Star State: How Life Measures Up (September 2000), Online. Available: http://www.tpj.org/docs/2000/09/reports/sos/chapter3.pdf Accessed: June 29, 2004.
58.Center for Community Change, Risk or Race? Racial Disparities and the Subprime Refinance Market (July 2002), Online. Available: http://www.knowledgeplex.org/kp/report/report/relfiles/ccc_0729_risk.pdf. Accessed: July 6, 2004.
59. Corporation for Enterprise Development, 2002 State Asset Development Report Card: Benchmarking Asset Development in Fighting Poverty (Washginton, D.C.), Online. Available: http://sadrc.cfed.org/measures/savings.php. Accessed: July 15, 2004.
60. Corporation for Enterprise Development, 2002 State Asset Development Report Card: Benchmarking Asset Development in Fighting Poverty (Washginton, D.C.), Online. Available: http://sadrc.cfed.org/measures/savings.php. Accessed: July 15, 2004.
61. Harold Hovey and Kendra Hovey, CQ’s State Fact Finder 2004 (Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2004).
62. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, U.S. Department of Treasury, 2003 Host-State Loan-to-Deposit Ratios (June 30,2002), Online. Available: http://www.occ.treas.gov/ftp/bulletin/2003-19a.pdf. Accessed: June 22, 2004.
63. The Home Improvement Web, State by State Average Consumer Credit Scores, Ranking and Ratings. Online. Available http://www.the-home-improvement-web.com/information/finance-money/state-credit-scores.htm. Accessed: October 13,2004.
64. Texans for Public Justice, State of the Lone Star State: How Life Measures Up (September 2000), Online. Available: http://www.tpj.org/docs/2000/09/reports/sos/chapter1.pdf. Accessed: June 16, 2004.
65. Ibid.
66. Ibid.
67. Ibid.
68. Ibid.
69. Ibid.
70. Ibid.
71. The 2004 Texas Legislative Budget Board, The Texas Fact Book, Austin (pamphlet).
72. Ibid.
73. The 2004 Texas Legislative Budget Board, The Texas Fact Book, Austin (pamphlet).
74. Ibid.
75. Texans for Public Justice, State of the Lone Star State: How Life Measures Up (September 2000), Online. Available: http://www.tpj.org/docs/2000/09/reports/sos/chapter4.pdf. Accessed: June 29, 2004.
76. Protex Network for a Progressive Texas, Understanding the Texas Budget (November 2002).
77. The Progressive Policy Institute, The 2002 State New Economy Index, Benchmarking Economic Transformation in the States, Online. Available: http://www.neweconomyindex.org/states/2002/texas.html. Accessed: July 12, 2004.
78. The 2004 Texas Legislative Budget Board, The Texas Fact Book, Austin (pamphlet).
79. Texans for Public Justice, State of the Lone Star State: How Life Measures Up (September 2000), Online. Available: http://www.tpj.org/docs/2000/09/reports/sos/chapter4.pdf. Accessed: June 29, 2004.
80.Ibid.
81. The 2004 Texas Legislative Budget Board, The Texas Fact Book, Austin (pamphlet).
82. Texans for Public Justice, State of the Lone Star State: How Life Measures Up (September 2000), Online. Available: http://www.tpj.org/docs/2000/09/reports/sos/chapter4.pdf. Accessed: June 29, 2004.
83. Ibid.
84. Ibid.
85. Death Penalty Information Center, Number of Executions by State and Region Since 1976, Online. Available: www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=8&did=186. Accessed: July 27, 2004.
86. Violence Policy Center, Gunland, U.S.A. (June 28, 2000), Online. Available: http://www.vpc.org/studies/gunfive.htm. Accessed: July
27, 2004.
87. Ibid.
88. Harold Hovey and Kendra Hovey, CQ’s State Fact Finder 2004 (Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2004).
89. Ibid.
90. Ibid.
91. Violence Policy Council, Who Dies? A Look at Firearms Deaths and Injuries in America (Washington, D.C., February, 1999), Online. Available: http://www.vpc.org/studies Accessed: July 7, 2004.
92. Ibid.
93. Texans for Public Justice, State of the Lone Star State: How Life Measures Up (September 2000), Online. Available: http://www.tpj.org/docs/2000/09/reports/sos/chapter1.pdf.
Accessed: June 16 2004.
94. The 2004 Texas Legislative Budget Board, The Texas Fact Book, Austin (pamphlet).
95. Texans for Public Justice, State of the Lone Star State: How Life Measures Up (September 2000), Online. Available: http://www.tpj.org/docs/2000/09/reports/sos/chapter5.pdf.
Accessed: June 16 2004.
96. Ibid.
97. Federal Elections Commission, Voter Registration and Turnout-2000, Online. Available: www.fec.gov/pages/2000turnout/reg&to00.htm. Accessed: July 27,
2004.
98. Ibid.
99. Ibid.
100. Department of Family and Protective Services, Governmental Relations Specialist, e-mail to Senator Shapleigh’s Office, December 22, 2004.
101.”Child Protective Services agency finally gets the attention needed. Corpus Christi Caller-Times (October 23, 2004).
102. “Report: Investigators overworked.” Austin American Statesman (July 26, 2004).
103. “Report: Investigators overworked.” Austin American Statesman (July 26, 2004).
104. Mental Health Association in Texas, Children’s Mental Health Facts (March 2003), Online. Available:
http://mhatexas.org/FACTSHEETChildren21. Accessed: July 1, 2004.
105. Ibid; Arkansas.gov, Press Release, National Infant Immunization Week Urges Parents to Vaccinate, (April 22, 2004). Online.
Available: http://www.healthyarkansas.com/news/pr_immunize_042204.htmll
Accessed: February 7, 2005.
106. Celia Hagert, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Public Policy Priorities, “Below 50% FPL -US,” e-mail to Senator Shapleigh’s Office, February 8, 2005.
107. Courtney Yantis, Governmental Relations Specialist, “TANF Information,” e-mail to Senator Shapleigh’s office, February 4, 2005.
108. Ibid; Supplemental Food Programs Division, Food and Nutrition
Service, “Re: Information on WIC,” e-mail sent to Senator Shapeligh’s office, February 3, 2005. Online. Available:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/wifyavfd$.htm. Accessed: February 7, 2005.
109. Children’s Defense Fund, The State of Children in America’s Union (2002), Online. Available: http://www.childrensdefense.org/data/minigreenbook.pdf. Accessed: July 7, 2004.
110. U.S. Department of Education, The Nation’s Report Card: Report for Texas Reading 2002 (June 2003). Online. Available:
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard. Accessed: July 13, 2004.
111. Ibid.
112. The University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston, Lower Rio Grande Valley Nutrition Intervention Research Initiative, Nourishing the Future (2004).
113. Intercultural Development Research Association, “Attrition Rates in Texas Public Schools by Race-Ethinicity, 2002-03,” Online.
Available: www.idra.org. Accessed: January 31, 3005
114. College Board, Mean SAT I Verbal and Math Scores by State, with Changes for Selected Years, Online. Available:
http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/about/news_info/cbsenior/yr2003/pdf/table3.pdf. Accessed: July 12, 2004.
115. U.S. World & News Report, America’s Best Colleges, Ranking of 731 U.S. Colleges, 2004.
116. Lower Rio Grande Valley Nutrition Intervention Research
Initiative, Nourishing the Future (The University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston, 2004).
117. Ibid.
118. Department of Family and Protective Services, Government Affairs Liaison, e-mail to Senator Shapleigh’s Office, December 22, 2004.
119. “Report: Investigators overworked.” Austin American Statesman (July 26, 2004).
120. U.S. House of Representatives Special Investigations Division, Nursing Home Conditions in Texas: Many Nursing Homes Fail to Meet Federal Standards for Adequate Care, prepared by Represnetative. Ciro D. Rodriguez and Representative Gene Green
(Washington, D.C.,October 2002), Online. Available: http://www.house.gov/reform/min/pdfs/pdf_inves/pdf_nursing_TX_rep2.pdf Accessed: June 23, 2004.
121. Ibid.
122. Ibid.
123. Ibid.
124. “Study finds fire safety problems in nursing homes.” Austin American Statesman (July 26, 2004).
125. Kids Count Data Book, State Profiles of Child Well-Being (The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2004).
126. The 2004 Texas Legislative Budget Board, The Texas Fact Book, Austin (pamphlet).
127. Ibid.
128. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. State Health Facts Online. (March 2004) Online. Available:
http://www.statehealthfacts.kff.org/cgi-bin/healthfacts.cgi?action=compare Accessed: July 14, 2004.
129. R. E. Brown et al., Disparities in Health Insurance and Access to Care for Residents Across U.S. Cities (UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, August, 2000), Online. Available: http://www.cmwf.org/programs/insurance/Brown85MSAsreport.pdf
Accessed: July 6, 2004.
130. Ibid.
131. Bureau of Health Professions, State Health Workforce Profiles for Texas, Online. Available:
ftp://ftp.hrsa.gov/bhpr/workforceprofiles/TX.pdf Accessed: June 30, 2004.
132. Texas State Data Center, Texas Department of Health & Texas State Board of Medical Examiners; Bureau of Health Professions.
133. Ibid.
134. Ibid.
135. Kevin Phillips, Wealth and Democracy: A Political History of the American Rich (New York: Random House, 2002).
136.The Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy, Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All 50 States (January 2003), Online. Available: http://www.itepnet.org/wp2000/text.pdf
Accessed: July 13, 2004.
137. Protex, Network for a Progressive Texas, Understanding the Texas Budget (November 2002).
138. The University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston, Lower Rio Grande Valley Nutrition Intervention Research Initiative, Nourishing the Future (2004).
139. Ibid.
140. Ibid.
141. Ibid.
142. Ibid; Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All 50 States, (January 2003).
143. Hoelsher et al., “Measuring the Prevalence of Overweight in Texas Schoolchildren.” The American Journal of Public Health, June 2004.
144. Ibid.
145. Ibid.
146. “America’s Fattest Cities 2005.” Men’s Fitness. Online.
Available: www.mensfitness.com/rankings/304. Accessed: January 31, 2005.
147. National Association of State Boards of Education, Healthy Schools: State Level School Health Policies (May 27, 2004), Online. Available: http://www.nasbe.org/HealthySchools/States/Texas.html.
Accessed: July 22, 2004.
148. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results (2003), Online. Available: http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/pdfs/statefacts/texas.pdf
Accessed: July 27, 2004.
149. Ibid.
150. The Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Transportation Partnerships..Connecting You to the World (Austin, Texas, August 2001), p. 7.
151. The Texas Transportation Institute, 2003 Urban Mobility Study (College Station, Texas), Online. Available: http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/mobility_data/central_map.stm.
Accessed: July 27, 2004.
152. The Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Transportation Partnerships: Connecting You to the World (Austin, Texas, August 2001), p. 7. http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/administration/driver_licensing_control/arb.htm. 153. The Texas Department of Public Safety, Motor Vehicle Traffic Accidents 2001 (Austin, Texas), Online. Available: Accessed: July 27, 2004.
154. U.S. Department of Transportation-Federal Highway Administration, Targeting Highway Fatalities (2002), Online. Available:
http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/pubs/stats2002/index.htm#map1.
Accessed: July 15,2004.
__________
Edited by Andrea Varnell, Director of
Projects
Research Assistants:
Emilia Guerin
Mack McCullough
Eric Muñoz
Andrea Pérez
Marisol Sánchez-Castillo
Annie Shepard
Clinton Yu