Fellow Texans,

In 2003, State Senator Eliot Shapleigh released the first edition of Texas on the Brink. With this effort, Senator Shapleigh made quality statistics and policy research that affects the lives of Texas’ future easily available to the public. Today, the Texas Legislative Study Group has the distinct pleasure of carrying on the essential public policy service Senator Shapleigh championed with the publication of Texas on the Brink: Fifth Edition.

We hope Texas on the Brink will be a recurring resource for elected officials and the public as we work together on solving the public policy challenges Texas faces in our new century.

We invite you to download a copy of this report at www.texaslsg.org/TexasOnTheBrink. On that site, we will also post reports from policy organizations from here in Texas and throughout the country that detail the impact our public policy decisions have on the lives of Texas families.

Sincerely,

Garnet F. Coleman
Chair, Texas Legislative Study Group State Representative, House District 147

Texas on the Brink

How Texas Ranks Among the 50 States

February 2011 ~ Fifth Edition

Since 1836, Texas has stood as an icon of the American dream.

Blessed with land, rivers, oil, and other abundant natural resources, early Texas welcomed everyone from cattle ranchers to braceros, from cotton farmers to Chinese railroad workers. These pioneers built a great state, and together we fulfilled a destiny.

From humble beginnings, we built a state with the firm belief that every Texan might rise as high and as far as their spirit, hard work, and talent might carry them. With education and determination every Texan might achieve great success – home ownership, reliable healthcare, safe neighborhoods, and financial prosperity.

In Texas today, the American dream is distant. Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured children in the nation. Texas is dead last in the percentage of residents with their high school diploma and near last in SAT scores. Texas has America’s dirtiest air. If we do not change course, for the first time in our history, the Texas generation of tomorrow will be less prosperous than the generation of today.

Without the courage to invest in the minds of our children and steadfast support for great schools, we face a daunting prospect. Those who value tax cuts over children and budget cuts over college have put Texas at risk in her ability to compete and succeed.

Let us not forget that the business of Texas is Texans. To ‘Close the Gap’ in Texas, we must graduate more of our best and brightest with the skills to succeed in a world based on knowledge. If we invest in our greatest resource – our children – Texas will be the state of the future. If we do not, Texas will only fall further behind.

Texas is on the brink, but Texas can do better. The choice is ours.

• Number of Executions94 1st
• Rate of Incarceration95 9th
• Crime Rate96 35th
• Violent Crime Rate97 16th
• Murder Rate98 20th
• Percent of Murders Involving Firearms99 23rd
• Rape Rate100 21st
• Robbery Rate101 14th
• Property Crime Rate102 9th
• Larceny and Theft Rate103 6th
• Rate of Motor Vehicle Fatalities104 13th

• Percent of Voting-Age Population that
  is Registered to Vote105 43rd
• Percent of Voting-Age Population that
  Votes106 45th

Key Facts and Figures

Children and Families:

• In Fiscal Year 2010, there were 78,718 confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect.107
• Over 280 children died due to abuse or neglect in 2009.108
• The rate of immunization in the 4:3:1 series (most basic vaccination series) for Texas children ages 19-35 months was 80.2 percent in 2009, below the national average of 81.5 percent.109

• 49 percent of children in Texas live in low-income families – families whose household income is twice the federal poverty level – as opposed to 42 percent nationwide.110
• 87 percent of children whose parents do not have a high school degree live in low-income families, compared to 30 percent of children whose parents have some college education.111

• In Texas, 66 percent of Latino children and 59 percent of black children live in low-income families, compared to 25 percent of white children.112
• 48 percent of children in urban areas and 55 percent of children in rural areas live in low-income families.113

• The maximum Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) grant for a family of three with no income is $250 per month in Texas, ranking 45th amongst the states.114

• 24 percent of poor children in Texas are uninsured as compared to 17 percent nationwide.116

• In FY 2010, the average monthly benefit for Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) recipients in Texas was $26.86, the lowest in the nation. The national average was $41.52.115

Education:

• In the 2008-2009 school year, Texas 4th graders who were proficient in reading fell 4 percent below the national level with reading levels of 28 percent proficiency.117

• In the 2008-2009 school year, Texas 8th graders who were proficient in reading fell 3 percent below the national level with reading levels of 27 percent proficiency.118

• 79% of 4th graders in families with low incomes were at a basic performance level in math in comparison to 95% of whites.119

• 69% of 8th graders in families with low incomes were at a basic performance level in math in comparison to 89% of whites.120

• One in three high school teachers serving the highest percentages of low-income students lack full certification in the subjects they are teaching.121

• Nearly 30 percent of the teachers in the highest-poverty schools are not fully certified in mathematics including algebra I, one of the most important courses in high school.122

• Almost half of English I teachers working in high schools with the highest proportion of African-American students lack certification in English.123

Achievement Gaps:

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics. It is a nationally recognized assessment of what America’s students “know and can do in various academic subjects.” According to the U.S. Department of Education website, “Achievement gaps are calculated by subtracting the scale scores of one subgroup from the scale scores of another subgroup. NAEP scores are based on a scale from 0 to 500. The scale scores are a measure of student performance on the NAEP.”124

• Only 15.9 percent of Hispanics in Texas earned an associate’s degree within a three-year time frame, compared to 43.8 percent for whites.127

• Undergraduate students in Texas borrowed on average $4,723 in student loans in 2007, up from $2,873 in 1995.128

• Texas currently ranks 42nd in the number of high school graduates going to college, with 55.4 percent.129

• In El Paso County, 18.8 percent of the population has a Bachelor’s degree or higher, as opposed to 43.1 percent in Travis County.130

• The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University at College Station are the only Texas public institutions of higher education ranked in the top 100 in U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges in the U.S., with UT is at #45 and Texas A&M at #63.131

• 50 percent of college freshman in Texas are enrolled in remedial or developmental classes, compared with 28 percent across the U.S.132

• Texas funds only 32 percent of need-based financial aid, as opposed to 89 percent by the top-investing states.133

• The share of Texan family income needed to pay for college expenses at public four-year institutions increased from 18 percent to 26 percent between 2000 and 2008.134

• 36 percent of blacks and 38 percent of Hispanics graduate from a four-year institution within six years, compared with 56 percent of whites.135

• 50 percent of first-time, full-time college students earn a Bachelor’s degree within six years of entering college.136

The Elderly:

• In a 2009 report, Texas had an 18 percent poverty rate among the elderly population (ages 65 and older), compared to the U.S. that had a 14 percent national elderly poverty rate.137

• In 2009, there were 33.1 different prescriptions filled at retail drug stores by the elderly in Texas; in the United States, there were 31.2 prescriptions filled by retail drug stores for the elderly.138

• The population in Texas that is over 65 years of age will be expected to grow from 2.1 to 7.4 million, or 258 percent, by 2040.139

• The National Center on Elder Abuse reports that only one of every 14 elder abuse cases is reported. Only 1 of every 25 cases relating to financial abuse or exploitation – usually committed by family and trusted community members – is reported.140

The Uninsured

• In 2009, about 50 million people in the United States, or 17 percent, of the non-elderly population were uninsured.141

• 28 percent or 6.1 million of the population of Texas is uninsured, the largest share of uninsured in the nation.142

• From 2000 to 2009, the annual family health insurance premiums in Texas rose from about $6,600 to $13,221, or about 50 percent. During the same time period, median earnings rose only 38 percent.143

• Less than 51 percent of Texas workers under age 65 had employer based health coverage in 2008-09; which is down 9 percent from 2000-2001.144

• 16.3 percent of children in Texas were uninsured in 2009, compared to 8.6 percent nationally.145

• Of those uninsured, 59 percent or 3.6 million, are Hispanic.147 • 59 percent of Hispanics under age 65 had no health insurance compared with 11 percent of blacks and 26 percent of whites.148 • 1.3 million Texas children or 21 percent of the population aged 18 and under, were without health insurance in 2009.149

• Texas does not provide Medicaid to parents making even poverty level incomes; therefore, a working parent of two does not qualify for coverage if he or she makes more than $4,943.70 in a year.150

• A working parent in Texas is eligible for Medicaid if his or her income does not exceed 27 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). The FPL for a family of 3 is $18,310.151

Health Professionals:

• Texas will have over 27,000 nursing vacancies by 2010, and that number is expected to double by 2015.152

• By 2015, Texas would need more than 4,500 additional primary care doctors and other medical professionals in order to serve all of the state’s medically disenfranchised population.153

• Harris County, which includes Houston, Texas, has 28,274 licensed Resident Nurses; 20,220 of whom are employed as full- time nurses while 2,921 are unemployed.154

• Travis County, which includes Austin, Texas, has 7,984 licensed Resident Nurses; 5,118 of whom are employed as full-time nurses while 956 are unemployed.155

• Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, Texas, has 16,363 licensed Resident Nurses; 11920 of whom are employed as full- time nurses while 1,582 are unemployed.156

• El Paso County, which includes El Paso, Texas, has 5,424 licensed Resident Nurses; 4,081 of whom are employed as full- time nurses while 517 are unemployed.158

• Lamar County, which includes Paris, Texas, has 650 licensed Resident Nurses; 491 of whom are employed as full-time nurses while 67 are unemployed.159

• Potter County, which includes Amarillo, Texas, has 1,228 licensed Resident Nurses; 858 of whom are employed as full- time nurses while 143 are unemployed.160

Income Disparity and Employment

• The personal per capita income for Texans in 2009 was $36,484.161

• 4.26 million Texans live in poverty, representing 17.3 percent of the state’s population.162

• Only 5.5 percent of Texas workers are members of a union.163 • 47 percent of Texas children live in low-income families.164

• Starr County led the state with 78.6 percent of the population considered low income.165

• The richest 20 percent of Texas families have average incomes 7.9 times larger than the poorest 20 percent of families, ranking as the 9th highest gap in the nation. This ratio was 7.0 in the late 1980s.166

• The richest 20 percent of Texas families have average incomes 2.8 times larger than the middle 20 percent of families, ranking as the 5th highest gap in the nation. This ratio was 2.3 in the late 1980s.167

• From the late 1980s to the mid-2000s, the average income of the middle 20 percent of families increased $4,528, from $40,046 to $44,574.169

• From the late 1980s to the mid-2000s, the average income of the richest 20 percent of families increased $32,813, from $93,846 to $126,658.170

Taxation:

• A 2009 study named Texas’ tax system as one of the ten most regressive states in the nation.171
• A 2009 study found that Texas requires families in the bottom 20 percent of the income scale to pay more than three-and-a- half times as great a share of their earnings in taxes as the top one percent.172

• The poor in Texas pay 12.2 percent of their income in taxes, the fifth highest percentage in the country.173
• According to Americans for Prosperity, local government debt in Texas is over $175 billion.174

Transportation:

• Dallas-Ft. Worth and Houston were ranked 5th and 6th respectively among the 15 largest metropolitan cities in the yearly number of hours delayed in traffic.175
• Over the next 25 years, road use in Texas will grow by 214 percent, much of it concentrated in the state’s most congested metropolitan areas.176

• In 2009, there were 3,071 traffic fatalities.178

Sex Education:

• In 2008, the birth rate for ages 15-19 in Texas was 63.4 per every 1,000 people, compared to 41.5 in the U.S., giving Texas the third highest teen birth rate in the nation.179

• According to a 2009 study of sex education materials from 96 percent of all Texas schools, only 4 percent of schools in Texas teach about pregnancy and STD prevention in schools.180

• 3.7 million Texas students are not taught basic information in public schools about STD prevention and unplanned pregnancies, and 25 percent of Texas school districts have no formal policy regulating sex education.181

• 41 percent of sex education materials used in Texas school districts contains factual errors.182

• 53 percent of Texas students have had sexual intercourse, compared with 48 percent nationwide; 17 percent of Texas students have had sexual intercourse with four or more persons in their life, compared with 15 percent nationwide; and 43.6 percent of Texas students did not use a condom during their last instance of sexual intercourse, compared with 38.5 percent nationwide.183

Endnotes

1 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. State Government Tax Collections per Capita, 2009. Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=30&cat=1. Accessed January 17, 2011.

2 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Total State Expenditures per Capita, SFY2008. Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=32&cat=1. Accessed January 17, 2011.

3 Tax Foundation. State General Sales Tax Collections Per Capita, Fiscal Year 2008. Online. Available at: http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/23255.html. Accessed January 17, 2011.

4 National Education Association, Rankings & Estimates (December 2009). Online. Available at: http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/010rankings.pdf. Accessed January 13, 2011.
5 Id.
6 Id.

7 Id.

8 Texas Legislative Budget Board, 2010 Texas Fact Book. Online. Available at: http://www.lbb.state.tx.us/Fact_Book/Texas_FactBook_2010.pdf. Accessed January 14, 2011. 9 Id.

10 U.S. Census Bureau, Public Education Finances 2008 (June 2010). Online. Available at: http://www2.census.gov/govs/school/08f33pub.pdf. Accessed January 21, 2011.

11 College Board, College-Bound Seniors 2009. Online. Available at: http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/cbs-2009-Table-3_Mean-SAT-CR-MATH- and-Writing-Scores-by-State.pdf. Accessed: January 21, 2011.

12 Brookings Institution, State of Metropolitan America. (May 2010). Online. Available at: (http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/Programs/Metro/state_of_metro_america/metro_a merica_report.pdf. Accessed January 19, 2011.

13 Texas Legislative Budget Board, 2010 Texas Fact Book. Online. Available at: http://www.lbb.state.tx.us/Fact_Book/Texas_FactBook_2010.pdf. Accessed January 14, 2011. 14 Id.
15 Id.

16 ArtBistro, States Ranked by Funding for the Arts. Online Available at http://artbistro.monster.com/careers/articles/9960-states-ranked-by-funding-for-the-arts?print=true. Accessed January 31, 2011.

17 US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, National Vital Statistics Report, 59(03). Online. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr59/nvsr59_03.pdf Accessed January 17, 2011.

18 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Population Distribution by Age, states (2008-2009), U.S. (2009). Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparebar.jsp?typ=2&ind=2&cat=1&sub=1&cha=1&o=a. Accessed January 31, 2011.

19 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Health Insurance Coverage of Children 0-18, states (2008-2009), U.S. (2009). Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?typ=2&ind=127&cat=3&sub=39&sortc=5&o=a. Accessed January 31, 2011.

20 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Poverty Rate by Age, states (2008-2009), U.S. (2009). Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=10&cat=1&sub=2&yr=199&typ=2 Accessed January 31, 2011.

21 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Percent of Children Age 19-35 Months Who Are Immunized, 2009. Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?typ=2&ind=54&cat=2&sub=15&sortc=1&o=a. Accessed January 31, 2011.

22 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Percent of Children (10-17) who are Overweight or Obese, 2007. Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?typ=2&ind=51&cat=2&sub=14&sortc=1&o=a. Accessed January 31, 2011.

23 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online, Health Insurance
Coverage of the Total Population, states (2008-2009). Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?ind=125&cat=3. Accessed January 14, 2011.

24 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Health Insurance Coverage of Nonelderly 0-64, states (2008-2009), U.S. (2009) . Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?ind=126&cat=3. Accessed January 14, 2011.

25 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online, Health Insurance Coverage of Low Income Adults 19-64 (under 200% FPL) , states (2008-2009), U.S. (2009). Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?ind=878&cat=3. Accessed January 14, 2011.

26 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online, Employer-Sponsored Coverage Rates for the Nonelderly by Age, states (2008-2009), U.S. (2009). Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?ind=149&cat=3. Accessed January 16, 2011.

27

Expenditures as Percent of the Gross State Product

Total State Government Health

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online,

. Online. Available at:

http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=263&cat=5 January 16, 2011. 28

http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=278&cat=5 January 16, 2011.

29 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online, Total Medicaid Spending, FY2008. Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?ind=177&cat=4&sub=47&yr=44&typ=4&sort=a. Accessed January 14, 2011.

30 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online, Percents of Adults who Participated in Moderate or Vigorous Physical Activities, 2009. Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=92&cat=2 Accessed January 14, 2011.

. Accessed

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online, State Mental Health Agency

Per Capita Mental Health Services Expenditures, FY2005. Online. Available at:

. Accessed

31 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online, Health Care Expenditures per Capita by State of Residence, 2004. Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=596&cat=5. Accessed January 14, 2011.

32 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online, Hospital Beds per 1,000 Population, 2008. Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=384&cat=8 Accessed January 14, 2011.

33 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, 2000. Online. Accessed January 17, 2011. http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/reports/statesummaries/texas.html
34 Id.

35 Id.

36 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Distribution of Total Population by Federal Poverty Level, states (2008-2009), U.S. (2009). Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparebar.jsp?typ=2&ind=9&cat=1&sub=2&cha=1803&o=a. Accessed February 1, 2011.

37 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Prevalence of Household-level food insecurity and very low food security by State, average 2006-08 (November 2007) at Table 7. Online. Available at http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR83/ERR83.pdf. Accessed February 1, 2011.

38 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services, WIC Program: Average Monthly Benefit Per Person, FY 2009. Online at: http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/25wifyavgfd$.htm. Accessed February 1, 2011.

39 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Percent of Adults Who are Overweight or Obese, 2009. Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?typ=2&ind=89&cat=2&sub=26&sortc=1&o=a. Accessed February 1, 2011.

40 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Number of Deaths Due to Diseases of the Heart per 100,000 Population, 2007. Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?typ=3&ind=77&cat=2&sub=23&sortc=1 &o=a. Accessed February 1, 2011.

41 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Percent of Adults Who Have Ever Been Told by a Doctor that They Have Diabetes (2009). Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?typ=2&ind=70&cat=2&sub=22&sortc=1&o=a. Accessed February 1, 2011.

42 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Number of Diabetes Deaths per 100,000 Population, 2007. Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?typ=3&ind=74&cat=2&sub=22&sortc=1&o=a. Accessed February 1, 2011.

43 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Percentage of Adults Who Visited the Dentist or Dental Clinic with the Past Year, 2008. Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?typ=2&ind=108&cat=2&sub=30&sortc=1&o=a. Accessed February 1, 2011.

44 US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, National Vital Statistics Report, 59(03). Online. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr59/nvsr59_03.pdf Accessed January 17, 2011.
45 Id.
46 Id.

47 Id.

48 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Health Insurance Coverage of Women 0-64, states (2008-2009), U.S. (2009). Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?typ=2&ind=132&cat=3&sub=178&sortc=5&o =a. Accessed January 15, 2011.

49

Dentist or Dental Clinic within the Past Year, 2006.

Percentage of Women who Visited the

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online,

Online. Available at:

http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=486&cat=10. Accessed January 12, 2011.

50 The Kaiser Family Foundation, Percent of Women Age 40 and Older Who Report Having a Mammogram Within the Last Two Years, 2008. Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?ind=479&cat=10&sub=113&yr=63&typ=2&sort=a. Accessed January 17, 2011.

51 The Kaiser Family Foundation, Percent of Women Age 18 and Older Who Report Having a Pap Smear Within the Last Three Years, 2008. Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?ind=482&cat=10&sub=113&yr=63&typ=2&sort=a. Accessed January 17, 2011.

52 The Kaiser Family Foundation, Breast Cancer Incidence Rate per 100,000 Women, 2006. Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?ind=469&cat=10&sub=112&yr=17&typ=3&sort=a. Accessed January 17, 2011.

53 The Kaiser Family Foundation, Cervical Cancer Incidence Rates per 100,000 Women, 2006. Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?ind=473&cat=10&sub=112&yr=17&typ=3&sort=a. Accessed January 17, 2011.

54 The Kaiser Family Foundation, Percent Women Who Report Ever Being Told by a Doctor they have High Blood Pressure, 2007. Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?ind=477&cat=10&sub=112&yr=18&typ=2&sort=a. Accessed January 17, 2011.

55 Guttmacher Institute, Contraceptive Needs and Services: National and State Date, 2008 Update. Online. Available at: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/win/contraceptive-needs-2008.pdf. Accessed January 17, 2011.

56 United Health Foundation: America’s Health Rankings, Prenatal Care 2010. Online. Available at: http://www.americashealthrankings.org/Measure/2010/Listpercent20All/Prenatalpercent20Care.aspx. Accessed January 17, 2011.

57 US Census Bureau: Voting and Registration, Table 4B: Reported Voting and Registration of the Voting Age Population, by Sex, Race and Hispanic Origin, for States: November 2008. Online. Available at: http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/socdemo/voting/publications/p20/2008/Tablepercent2004b.xls. Accessed January 17, 2011.

58 Id.

59 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Adult Poverty Rates by Gender, states (2008-2009), US (2009). Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?ind=12&cat=1&sub=2&yr=199&typ=2 Accessed January 17, 2011.

60 Institute for Women’s Policy Research, The Status of Women in Texas, 2004. Online. Available at: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/state_data/states/texas.pdf. Accessed January 12, 2011. Figures based on the 2000 Census.

61 US Census Bureau, Survey of Business Owners, Women-Owned Businesses, 2007, Summary Statistics for Women-Owned Business by State: 2007. Online. Available at: http://www2.census.gov/econ/sbo/07/final/tables/women_table2.xls. Accessed January 17, 2011.

62 US Census Bureau, Median Earnings for Female Full-Time, Year Round Workers , 2005-2009. Online. Available at: http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-context=gct&- ds_name=ACS_2009_5YR_G00_&-mt_name=ACS_2009_5YR_G00_GCT2002_US9F&-CONTEXT=gct&- tree_id=5309&-geo_id=&-format=US-9F&-_lang=en. Accessed January 17, 2011.

63 IBM, Visualizations: Subprime loans per 1000 Online. Available at: http://www- 958.ibm.com/software/data/cognos/manyeyes/visualizations/89ade5ae1acac007011ad6a6255b0313/com ments/3d7f0cf6ad9f11ddb3a3000255111976. Accessed January 17, 2011.

64 Corporation for Enterprise Development, Assets and Opportunity Scorecard, 2009-2010, Median Debt as % of Home Value. Online. Available at: http://scorecard.cfed.org/housing.php?page=mortgage_debt_percentage_home_value. Accessed January 17, 2011.

65 Corporation for Enterprise Development, Assets and Opportunity Scorecard, 2009-2010, Foreclosure Rate. Online. Available at: http://scorecard.cfed.org/housing.php?page=foreclosure_rate. Accessed January 17, 2011.

66 Corporation for Enterprise Development, Assets and Opportunity Scorecard, 2009-2010, Private Loans to Small Businesses. Online. Available at: http://scorecard.cfed.org/business.php?page=private_loans_small_business Accessed January 17, 2011.

67 Corporation for Enterprise Development, Assets and Opportunity Scorecard, 2009-2010, Asset Poverty Rate. Online. Available at: http://scorecard.cfed.org/financial.php?page=asset_poverty_rate. Accessed January 17, 2011.

68Corporation for Enterprise Development, Assets and Opportunity Scorecard, 2009-2010, Net Worth. Online. Available at: http://scorecard.cfed.org/financial.php?page=net_worth. Accessed January 17, 2011.

69 Experian, National Score Index. Online. Available at http://www.nationalscoreindex.com/. Accessed January 17, 2011.

70 Corporation for Enterprise Development, Assets and Opportunity Scorecard, 2009-2010. Online. Available at: http://scorecard.cfed.org/business.php?page=retirement_plan_participation. Accessed January 17, 2011.
71 Id.

72 CreditReport.com, Average Credit Scores by State. Online. Available at: http://www.creditreport.com/creditscores/creditratings/average-credit-scores.aspx. Accessed January 17, 2011.

73 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Energy CO2 Emissions by State, (2005). Online . Available at: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/downloads/CO2FFC_2005.xls. Accessed January 12, 2011.

74 Scorecard: The Pollution Information Site, Rankings of States by Air Pollutants Emissions. Online. Available at http://www.scorecard.org/env-releases/cap/rank-states-emissions.tcl. Accessed January 14, 2011.

75 Scorecard: The Pollution Information Site, States with Reported Releases of Toxics Release Inventory: Water Releases. Online. Available at: http://www.scorecard.org/ranking/rank- states.tcl?how_many=100&drop_down_name=Water+releases. Accessed January 14, 2011.

76 Scorecard: The Pollution Information Site, States with Reported Releases of Recognized Carcinogens to Air. Online. Available at: http://www.scorecard.org/ranking/rank- states.tcl?how_many=100&drop_down_name=Recognized+carcinogens+to+air. Accessed January 14, 2011.

77 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Biennial Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Hazardous Waste Report: Based on 2009 Data, (November 2010), Exhibit 1.2. Online. Available at: http://www.epa.gov/osw/inforesources/data/br09/national09.pdf. Accessed January 31, 2011.
78 Id.

79 Id.
80 Texas Legislative Budget Board, 2010 Texas Fact Book. Online. Available at:

http://www.lbb.state.tx.us/Fact_Book/Texas_FactBook_2010.pdf. Accessed January 14, 2011.

81 U.S. Department of Energy, “Table R2. Energy Consumption by Source and Total Consumption per Capita, Ranked by State, 2008.” Online. Available at: http://www.eia.gov/emeu/states/hf.jsp?incfile=sep_sum/plain_html/rank_use_per_cap.html. Accessed January 14, 2011.

82 Bureau of Labor Statistics. Average hours and earnings of production employees on manufacturing payrolls in States. Government Employment & Payroll. Online. Available at: http://www.bls.gov/sae/eetables/saetableb19.pdf. Accessed January 17, 2011.

83 US Census Bureau. Government Employment & Payroll. Online. Available at: http://www2.census.gov/govs/apes/09stlall.xls. Accessed January 17, 2011.

84 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Total Number of Workers Represented by Unions, 2010. Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?yr=138&typ=2&ind=20&cat=1&sub=5. Accessed January 17, 2011.

85 Corporation for Enterprise Development, Assets and Opportunity Scorecard, 2009-2010, Workers Compensation Coverage. Online. Available at: http://scorecard.cfed.org/business.php?page=workers_comp_coverage. Accessed January 17, 2011.

86 PBS. State-by-state income inequality. Online. Available at: http://www.cbpp.org/states/4-9-08sfp-fact- tx.pdf. Accessed January 25, 2011.
87 Id.

88 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Median Annual Household Income, 2007-2009. Online. Available at http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=15&cat=1. Accessed January 17, 2011.

89 Assets and Opportunity Score Card, Homeownership Rate. Online. Available at http://scorecard.cfed.org/housing.php?page=homeownership_rate. Accessed January 17, 2011.

90 Suite101, Average Home Insurance Rates by State (November 2009). Online. Available at http://www.suite101.com/content/average_home_insurance_rate_by_state_a168687 Accessed January 17, 2011.

91 Insure.com, The Most and Least Expensive States for Car Insurance in 2010 (July 2010). Online. Available at http://www.insure.com/car-insurance/most-and-least-expensive-states-2010.html Accessed January 17, 2011

92 CreditCards.com, Bankruptcy Filings, State by State, 2005-2010. Online. Available at http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/state-bankruptcy-filings-statistics-1276.php Accessed January 17, 2011.

93 Household Internet Usage by Type of Internet Connection and State: 2009 (October 2009). Online. Available at http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2011/tables/11s1156.pdf Accessed January 17, 2011.

94 Death Penalty Information Center, Number of Executions by State and Region Since 1976.
Online. Available at http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/number-executions-state-and-region-1976. Accessed January 14, 2011

95 BURDEN OF INCARCERATION By John Bebow | Published: March 17, 2010. http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/burden-of-incarceration/. Accessed January 14, 2011

96 2011, CQ Press, A Division of SAGE Publications. All Rights Reserved.
Available online http://os.cqpress.com/rankings/2010/Crime_State_Rankings_2010.pdf. Accessed January 14, 2011

97 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online Violent Crime Offenses
Rate per 100,000 Inhabitants, 2009 Online. Available at http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=117&cat=2. Accessed January 14, 2011

98 The Disaster Center.com United States: Uniform Crime Report — State Statistics from 1960 – 2009. Online. Available at http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/txcrime.htm. Accessed January 14, 2011

99 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online Number of Deaths Due to
Injury by Firearms per 100,000 Population, 2007. Available at http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=113&cat=2. Accessed January 14, 2011

100 The Disaster Center.com United States: Uniform Crime Report — State Statistics from 1960 – 2009. Online. Available at: http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/txcrime.htm. Accessed January 14, 2011
101 Id.
102 Id.
103 Id.
104 Id.

105 U.S. Census Bureau, Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2008, Table 4b, Reported Voting and Registration of the Voting-Age Population, by Sex, Race and Hispanic Origin, for States: November 2008. Online. Available at:

http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/socdemo/voting/publications/p20/2008/tables.html. Accessed January 15, 2011.
106 Id.

107 Texas Department of Family Services. 2010. Online. Available at: http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/about/Data_Books_and_Annual_Reports/2010/cps_27-70.asp. Accessed January 31, 2011.

108 “Texas Dept. of Family & Protective Services Marks Go Blue Day Against Child Abuse.” KBTX, April 6, 2010. http://www.kbtx.com/state/headlines/90021092.html Accessed January 31, 2011.

109 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Information Services Survey, 2009. Online. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/stats-surv/nis/data/tables_2009.htm Accessed January 31, 2011

110 National Center for Children in Poverty, Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, Demographics of Low-Income Children: Texas (January 2011). Online. Available at http://nccp.org/profiles/TX_profile_6.html. Accessed January 15, 2011.
111 Id.

112 Id. 113 Id.

114 Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, TANF Payment Levels (June 2009). Online. Available at: http://www.isedsolutions.org/sites/default/files/TANFpercent20levelspercent20mappercent20( 5)percent5B1percent5D_0.ppt. Accessed January 13, 2011.

115 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Average Monthly WIC Benefits per Person, 2010 (Preliminary). Online. Available at http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/25wifyavgfd$.htm Accessed January 14, 2011.

116 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online, Health Insurance Coverage of Children 0-18 Living in Poverty (under 100percent FPL), states (2008-2009), U.S. (2009).
Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparebar.jsp?ind=128&cat=3. Accessed January 14, 2011.

117 U.S. Department of Education, Texas State Detailed Snapshot, 2008. Online. Available at: http://www.eddataexpress.ed.gov/state-report-detailed.cfm?state=TX . Accessed February 2, 2011. 118 Id.
119 Id.
120 Id.

121 Germeraad, Stephanie. Educational Trust, Ed Trust Releases Their Fair Share Report and Web Tool Exposing Gaps in Teacher Quality in Texas, 2008. Online. Available at: http://www.edtrust.org/dc/press- room/press-release/ed-trust-releases-their-fair-share-report-and-web-tool-exposing-gaps-in-. Accessed on February 2, 2011.
122 Id.
123 Id.

124 U.S. Department of Education, Texas State Detailed Snapshot, 2008. Online. Available at: http://www.eddataexpress.ed.gov/state-report-detailed.cfm?state=TX . Accessed February 2, 2011.

125 The College Board, “The College Completion Agenda 2010 Progress Report”. Online. Available at: http://completionagenda.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/reports_pdf/Progress_Report_201 0.pdf. Accessed February 2, 2011.

126 Id. 127 Id. 128 Id.

129 The College Board, “The College Completion Agenda: Texas”. Online. Available at: http://completionagenda.collegeboard.org/state-performance/state/texas. Accessed February 2, 2011.

130 US Census Bureau, Fact Finder. “2005-2009 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates”. Online. Available at: http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en Accessed February 2, 2011.

131 US News and World Report, “Best Colleges 2011”. Online. Available at: http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/national-universities-rankings/state+TX. Accessed February 2, 2011.

132 Commission for a College Ready Texas, The Report of the Commission for a College Ready Texas (November 2007) at 18. Online. Available at: http://www.collegereadytexas.org/documents/CCRTpercent20Reportpercent20FINAL.pdf. Accessed January 12, 2011.

133 The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, Measuring Up 2008, The State Report Card on Higher Education at 7. Online. Available at: http://measuringup2008.highereducation.org/print/state_reports/long/TX.pdf. Accessed January 12, 2011.

134 Id

135 The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, Measuring Up 2008, The State Report Card on Higher Education at 9. Online. Available at: http://measuringup2008.highereducation.org/print/state_reports/long/TX.pdf. Accessed January 12, 2011. 136 Id.

137 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Poverty Rate by Age, states (2008-2009), U.S. (2009). Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparebar.jsp?ind=10&cat=1. Accessed February 2, 2011.

138 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Retail Prescription Drugs Filled at Pharmacies (Annual per Capita by Age), 2009. Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?ind=268&cat=5. Accessed February 2, 2011.

139 Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services, Legislative Appropriations Request for Fiscal Year 2008-2009 (August 2006). Online. Available at http://cfoweb.dads.state.tx.us/lar/2008_09/VolumeI//AdministratorStatement.pdf. Accessed January 12, 2011.

140 Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (October 2009). Online. Available at http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/About/News/2009/2009-10-02_exploitation.asp. Accessed February 02, 2011.

141 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Medicaid and the Uninsured (September 2010). Online. Available at: http://www.kff.org/uninsured/upload/7806-03.pdf.Accessed February 2, 2011.

142 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online, Health Insurance Coverage of the Total Population, states (2008-2009), U.S. (2009). Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?typ=1&ind=125&cat=3&sub=39 Accessed February 2, 2011.

143 United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. County-Level Unemployment and Median Household Income for Texas. Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?typ=4&ind=271&cat=5&sub=67. Accessed February 2, 2011.

144 Bailey, W. Scott.San Antonio Buiness Journal. Reach of employer-sponsored health coverage shrinking in Texas. Online. http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/print-edition/2010/11/26/reach-of-employer- sponsored-health.html. Accessed on February 2, 2011.

145 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online, Uninsured Estimates of Children 0-17, American Community Survey (ACS), 2009. Online. Available at:http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=883&cat=3. Accessed February 2, 2011.

146 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online, Texas: Health Insurance Coverage of Adults 19-64 Living in Poverty (under 100percent FPL), states (2008-2009), U.S. (2009). Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?ind=131&cat=3&rgn=45. Accessed on February 2, 2011.

147 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online, Texas: Distribution of the Nonelderly Uninsured by Race/Ethnicity, states (2008-2009), U.S. (2009). Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?ind=138&cat=3&rgn=45. Accessed on February 2, 2011. 148 Id.

149The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online, Texas: Nonelderly Uninsured. Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?cat=3&sub=40&rgn=45. Accessed on February 2, 2011.

150 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online, Texas: Nonelderly Uninsured. Online. Available at: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?cat=3&sub=40&rgn=45. Accessed on February 2, 2011.

151 Charles, Thomas. Medicaid Income Guidelines in Texas. Ehow. Online. Available at: http://www.ehow.com/list_6772571_medicaid-income-guidelines-texas.html. Accessed on February 2, 2011.

152 Texas Department of State Health Services, The Supply of and Demand for Registered Nurses and Nurse Graduates in Texas. Online. Available at: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/chs/cnws/SB132rep.pdf. Accessed January 12, 2011.

153 National Association of Community Health Centers, Access Transformed (August 2008). Online. Available at: http://www.nachc.com/client/documents/ACCESSpercent20Transformedpercent20fullpercent20report.PDF Accessed January 12, 2011.

154 Texas Board of Nursing, Texas Board of Nursing Currently Licensed Texas RN’s by County of Residence- 09/2010.Online. Available at: http://www.bon.state.tx.us/about/stats/10-co-rn.pdf. Accessed February 2, 2011.
155 Id.

156 Id.

157 Id. 158 Id. 159 Id. 160 Id.

Online. Available at: