Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "During the course of our work for Congress examining the space acquisition workforce, we learned that the Department of Defense (DOD) may not be periodically publishing a list of designated critical acquisition positions as required by statute. We are bringing this matter to your attention not only because it is a requirement to publish this data, but because having it is critical to effectively managing DOD's current workforce. Operating without this critical information may result in flawed decisions regarding this part of the workforce and may put the organization's ability to sustain its mission or function effectively at risk. The designation "critical acquisition positions," according to the 1990 Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA), refers to certain senior-level military and civilian positions that carry significant responsibility and primarily consist of supervisory, oversight, and management duties in the DOD acquisition system. They are a key factor in ensuring that DOD acquisitions--some of which are very expensive and critical to the success of current combat operations--are effectively managed. In accordance with DAWIA and as was later codified in Title 10 of the United States Code, the Secretary of Defense is …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In March 2003, the Department of State (State) awarded a sole-source contract to EmbSEC, a Virginia limited liability corporation, for work at U.S. embassies. The contract currently has a ceiling price of $354 million. The contractor is required to install and maintain technical security equipment, such as alarms, cameras, and controlled-access equipment; establish X-ray capability for special projects; and maintain and repair physical security products. The contractor also procures equipment and materials and operates the warehouse where they are stored. EmbSEC was created as a joint venture, mentor/protege partnership under the Small Business Administration's (SBA) 8(a) business development program. A joint venture in the 8(a) program is an agreement between an 8(a) participant and one or more businesses to work together on a specific 8(a) contract. SBA regulations state that the purpose of the mentor/protege relationship is to enhance the capabilities of the protege and to improve its ability to successfully compete for contracts. The EmbSEC joint venture is comprised of RDR, Inc., the mentor, and BP International (BPI), the protege, an 8(a) firm at the time the contract was awarded. State had awarded 8(a) contracts to RDR …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In March 2003, the Department of State (State) awarded a sole-source contract to EmbSEC, a Virginia limited liability corporation, for work at U.S. embassies. The contract currently has a ceiling price of $354 million. The contractor is required to install and maintain technical security equipment, such as alarms, cameras, and controlled-access equipment; establish X-ray capability for special projects; and maintain and repair physical security products. The contractor also procures equipment and materials and operates the warehouse where they are stored. EmbSEC was created as a joint venture, mentor/protege partnership under the Small Business Administration's (SBA) 8(a) business development program. A joint venture in the 8(a) program is an agreement between an 8(a) participant and one or more businesses to work together on a specific 8(a) contract. SBA regulations state that the purpose of the mentor/protege relationship is to enhance the capabilities of the protege and to improve its ability to successfully compete for contracts. The EmbSEC joint venture is comprised of RDR, Inc., the mentor, and BP International (BPI), the protege, an 8(a) firm at the time the contract was awarded. The terms of the EmbSEC joint venture …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "For many years, the Department of Defense (DOD) has been attempting to improve visibility over its inventory and equipment. The lack of visibility over inventory and equipment shipments increases vulnerability to undetected loss or theft and substantially heightens the risk that millions of dollars will be spent unnecessarily. Additionally, needed supplies may not reach the warfighter when needed, which may impair readiness. In order to improve visibility, DOD began using a technology to enable it to track shipments. This technology is known as radio frequency identification (RFID). RFID technology consists of active or passive electronic tags that are attached to equipment and supplies that are shipped from one location to another. This technology is part of a family of automatic information technologies used to enable hands-off identification of cargo and inventory. This report focuses on active RFID tags, which cost around $100 each and are reusable. DOD has been using active RFID technology since the early 1990s to help with in-transit visibility of shipments, and, as of January 2005, it officially began to implement the use of passive RFID. During the course of our work on the use …

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The recent security breach at the Department of Veterans Affairs, in which personal data on millions of veterans were compromised, has highlighted the importance of the federal government's processes for protecting personal information. As the federal government obtains and processes information about individuals in increasingly diverse ways, it remains critically important that it properly protect this information and respect the privacy rights of individuals. GAO was asked to testify on preventing and responding to improper disclosures of personal information in the federal government, including how agencies should notify individuals and the public when breaches occur. In preparing this testimony, GAO drew on its previous reports and testimonies, as well as on expert opinion provided in congressional testimony and other sources."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Americans spend billions of hours each year providing information to federal agencies by filling out forms, surveys, or questionnaires. A major aim of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) is to minimize the burden that these information collections impose on the public, while maximizing their public benefit. Under the act, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is to approve all such collections. In addition, agency Chief Information Officers (CIO) are to review information collections before they are submitted to OMB for approval and certify that these meet certain standards set forth in the act. GAO was asked to testify on the implementation of the act's provisions regarding the review and approval of information collections. For its testimony, GAO reviewed previous work in this area, including the results of an expert forum on information resources management and the PRA, which was held in February 2005 under the auspices of the National Research Council. GAO also drew on its earlier study of CIO review processes (GAO-05-424) and alternative processes that two agencies have used to minimize burden. For this study, GAO reviewed a governmentwide sample of collections, reviewed processes and …

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Responders to the World Trade Center (WTC) attack--individuals involved in rescue, recovery, or cleanup--included New York City Fire Department (FDNY) personnel, federal government workers, and others from New York and elsewhere. They were exposed to numerous hazards, and concerns remain about the long-term effects on their physical and mental health. In February 2006, GAO testified that four of the five key federally funded programs that were monitoring health effects in responders had made progress but that the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) WTC Federal Responder Screening Program, implemented by the Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness (OPHEP), lagged behind (GAO-06-481T). GAO also reported that the Congress appropriated $75 million in December 2005 to HHS's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for monitoring and treatment for responders and that CDC was deciding how to allocate the funds. This statement updates GAO's February 2006 testimony. GAO examined (1) progress made by HHS's WTC federal responder program and (2) actions CDC has taken to award the $75 million appropriated. GAO reviewed program documents and interviewed HHS officials and others involved in WTC monitoring and treatment programs."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The United States, along with coalition partners and various international organizations, has undertaken a challenging and costly effort to stabilize and rebuild Iraq following multiple wars and decades of neglect by the former regime. This enormous effort is taking place in an unstable security environment, concurrent with Iraqi efforts to transition to its first permanent government. The United States' goal is to help the Iraqi government develop a democratic, stable, and prosperous country, at peace with itself and its neighbors, a partner in the war against terrorism, enjoying the benefits of a free society and a market economy. In this testimony, GAO discusses the challenges (1) that the United States faces in its rebuilding and stabilization efforts and (2) that the Iraqi government faces in financing future requirements. This statement is based on four reports GAO has issued to the Congress since July 2005 and recent trips to Iraq. Since July 2005, we have issued reports on (1) the status of funding and reconstruction efforts in Iraq, focusing on the progress achieved and challenges faced in rebuilding Iraq's infrastructure; (2) U.S. reconstruction efforts in the water and sanitation …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Over 25 years ago, Congress transformed federal freight rail transportation policy. At that time, after almost 100 years of economic regulation, the railroad industry was in serious economic decline, with rising costs, losses, and bankruptcies. In response, Congress passed the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 and the Staggers Rail Act of 1980. Together, these pieces of legislation substantially deregulated the railroad industry. Since the passage of the Staggers Rail Act in 1980, we have issued several reports on the freight railroad industry. In October 2006, we issued our most recent report on the freight rail industry. The objectives of this report were to determine (1) the changes that have occurred in the freight railroad industry since the enactment of the Staggers Rail Act, including changes in rail rates and competition in the industry; (2) the actions STB has taken to address concerns about competition and captivity and any alternative approaches that could be considered to address remaining concerns; and (3) the projections for freight traffic demand over the next 15 to 25 years, the freight railroad industry's ability to meet that demand, and potential federal …

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether a reserve peace officer may wear his official uniform and display the insignia of an official law enforcement agency while working as a private security officer licensed by the Texas Private Security Board (RQ-0421-GA)

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether a county or district clerk is required to charge an administration fee for the return of funds deposited with the clerk as a cash bail bond; reconsideration of Attorney General Opinion JC-0163 (RQ-0425-GA)

A document collecting the four certificates given at the "Spring Cleaning Your Finances" League of Professional Women event. They include a green border and a re-made Mount Rushmore with women's faces. The certificates are for Dr. Mark Vosvick, Sindy Kong, Yvon Wang, and Rebecca Turner.

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The size and strength of Hurricane Katrina resulted in one of the largest natural disasters in our nation's history. Hurricane Katrina raised major questions about our nation's readiness and ability to respond to catastrophic disasters. Hurricane Rita increased demands on an already stressed response and recovery effort by all levels of government. The two hurricanes provided a sobering picture of the overwhelming strains on response and recovery if there are back-to-back catastrophic disasters in the same area. GAO has a large body of ongoing work on a range of issues relating to all phases of the preparation, response, recovery, and rebuilding efforts related to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita."

This project developed a comprehensive mathematical and simulation model for calculating thermal hydraulic, electrochemical, and corrosion parameters, viz. temperature, fluid flow velocity, pH, corrosion potential, hydrogen injection, oxygen contamination, stress corrosion cracking, crack growth rate, and other important quantities in the coolant circuits of water-cooled nuclear power plants, including both Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) and Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs). The model is being used to assess the three major operational problems in Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR), which include mass transport, activity transport, and the axial offset anomaly, and provide a powerful tool for predicting the accumulation of SCC damage in BWR primary coolant circuits as a function of operating history. Another achievement of the project is the development of a simulation tool to serve both as a training tool for plant operators and as an engineering test-bed to evaluate new equipment and operating strategies (normal operation, cold shut down and others). The development and implementation of the model allows us to estimate the activity transport or "radiation fields" around the primary loop and the vessel, as a function of the operating parameters and the water chemistry.

Deposit summary of $25.00 made on May 8, 2006.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ralph Schaal. Schaal was born in Plymouth, Indiana on 22 November 1922 and was drafted into the Army Air Forces on 2 January 1943. He completed basic training at Miami, Florida. After attending two training schools for aircraft engine mechanics, he was assigned to Pinellas Army Air Force Camp in Tampa, Florida as a ground crew chief for P-40 fighter planes. He had similar duty at Columbia Army Air Force Base, South Carolina on the P-39 fighter. He volunteered as a gunner on the B-17 bomber and, following training, was sent to England on RMS Aquitania. He provides very detailed descriptions of thirty bombing runs he made as tail gunner and assistant engineer in various B-17 raids over Germany between 24 August and 15 December 1944. He describes many instances where the planes suffered flak damage, but none of his fellow crew members were injured. He describes his ground crew duties while in England as maintenance and repair of P-39, P-40 and B-17 aircraft. Upon returning to the States, he performed instructor duty on the B-29 electronics at Chanute Field, Illinois until his discharge on 9 October 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Glen Delos Amor. Delos Amor was drafted into the US Army Engineers in the fall of 1943. He was assigned to the 171st Combat Engineers and the 84th Infantry Division. He completed basic training at Camp Carson, Colorado. In the spring of 1944 he traveled to England. He was stationed at a base in Liverpool. His unit traveled to Normandy for the D Day invasion. He discusses his officers and some of their experiences during D Day and at the Battle of the Bulge. His unit constructed Bailey bridges wherever they were needed across rivers. He was discharged around late 1945 after the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Donald L. Campbell. Campbell joined the Navy in August 1943, at the age of eighteen. He completed gunnery school in Gulf Port, Mississippi and served as an Armed Guard aboard Merchant Marine ships. In February 1944, he was transported to Fremantle, Australia. Campbell shares his experiences getting initiated upon crossing the equator, and transporting supplies of ammunition, bombs, planes and Army trucks to Calcutta, India. He notes going through the Suez Canal in their travels to New York. In August 1944, he was assigned to SS Ralph W. Emerson, and traveled to Scotland and unloaded food and ammunition supplies to Omaha Beach in September. In December, they traveled through the Panama Canal on their way to deliver supplies to Manus Island and Bougainville and landed in Manila by the end of May 1945. He continued his service after the war ended, receiving his discharge in March 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Vern A. Kissinger. Kissinger joined the Army Air Forces on 10 June 1942, at the age of seventeen. He received only basic infantry training, then arrived in Ipswich, England in September. He served as a private with Headquarters 12th Air Force. In November, Kissinger was shipped to Oran, Africa. He describes some of the events of the North African Campaign. Kissinger was then transferred to Corsica in the spring of 1943. He then headed to Italy, where he worked as a GMC 6 by 6 cargo truck driver transporting German prisoners and later General Mark Clark. Around September, he transferred to Marseille, France. He returned to the US and received his discharge on October 5, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Buddy McLeroy. McLeroy joined the Navy in 1943 and was sent aboard USS Dallas (DD-199). He was then sent to signalman school in Maine. McLeroy was then assigned to the USS Hilary P. Jones (DD-427). He describes his duties as a signalman, the equipment he used, and shipboard life. McLeroy took part in convoy escort duty in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. He describes the transfer of his ship to the Pacific and mentions some of the activity that it was involved with. McLeroy was at his watch station when he observed the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay. He left the service when he returned to the US.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Harry Ogg. Ogg joined the Navy in June of 1941. Beginning around September he served as Boatswain’s Mate First Class aboard USS Neosho (AO-23). They transported high octane fuel to the Naval Air Station on Ford Island, and just prior to leaving, the attack on Pearl Harbor commenced. In early 1942 Ogg was transferred to New York City to work on new construction and complete Minesweeping School. From May of 1944 through March of 1945 he served aboard USS Hazard (AM-240). They traveled to Hawaii, Corregidor, Eniwetok, Ulithi, Okinawa and Kerama Retto, minesweeping and providing anti-submarine patrols. Ogg was discharged in the summer of 1946.

This article deals with the protest that occured on April 08, 2006 when 500 people gathered to demonstrate against granting amnesty to undocumneted workers. Both the original Spanish article and the English translation are included.

News release about DART's reduced service schedule in observance of the Memorial Day Holiday.

News release about DART's reduced service schedule in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.