Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report discusses bank regulators' evaluation of electronic signature systems. Financial institutions use signature systems to verify or authenticate the identity of customers conducting financial and nonfinancial transactions over the Internet and other open electronic networks. Officials at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Reserve told GAO that they are developing an examination strategy for Identrus LLC, which is an entity that provides services to financial institutions to authenticate electronic signatures. OCCofficials have not determined what role they will play in assessing Identrus' operations, but they believe that financial institutions should take an active role in assessing the risks associated with electronic signatures."

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 …

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since September 11, 2001, the Department of Defense (DOD) has mobilized more than 500,000 National Guard and Reserve members. As reservists return to civilian life, concerns exist about difficulties with their civilian employment. The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) of 1994 protects the employment rights of individuals, largely National Guard and Reserve members, as they transition back to their civilian employment. GAO has issued a number of reports on agency efforts to carry out their USERRA responsibilities. DOD, the Department of Labor (DOL), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) have key responsibilities under the act. GAO was asked to discuss the overall process that the agencies use to implement USERRA. Specifically, this testimony addresses (1) organizational accountability in the implementation of USERRA and (2) actions that the agencies have taken to improve their processes to implement USERRA. For this testimony, GAO drew from its most recent reports on USERRA."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The devastation experienced by those throughout the Gulf Coast in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita has called into question the government's ability to effectively respond to such disasters. The government needs to understand what went right and what went wrong, and to apply these lessons to strengthen its disaster response and recovery operations. The federal government relies on partnerships across the public and private sectors to achieve critical results in preparing for and responding to natural disasters, with an increasing reliance on contractors to carry out specific aspects of its missions. At the same time, the acquisition functions at several agencies are on GAO's high-risk list, indicating a vulnerability to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement. GAO was asked to provide an overview of (1) its role in evaluating the contracting community with regard to disaster preparedness and response, (2) GAO's plans for reviewing the performance of the federal government and its contractors in preparing for and responding to the hurricanes, and (3) what GAO has learned so far about the performance of the federal government and its contractors in preparing …

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Terrorist Screening Center (TSC) maintains a consolidated watch list of known or appropriately suspected terrorists and sends records from the list to agencies to support terrorism-related screening. This testimony discusses (1) standards for including individuals on the list, (2) the outcomes of encounters with individuals on the list, (3) potential vulnerabilities in screening processes and efforts to address them, and (4) actions taken to promote effective terrorism-related screening. This statement is based on GAO's report (GAO-08-110). To accomplish the objectives, GAO reviewed documentation obtained from and interviewed officials at TSC, the FBI, the National Counterterrorism Center, the Department of Homeland Security, and other agencies that perform terrorism-related screening."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Congress, law enforcement, and others have expressed concern about the misuse of Social Security numbers (SSNs). Death information collected by the Social Security Administration (SSA), including the SSN, generally reaches financial institutions and other entities within one to two months of a person's death. SSA and the National Technical Information Service could improve the timeliness of the distribution of the Death Master File. Improving the timeliness of death information to the financial services industry would help to narrow the window of time that a criminal has to open new accounts using a deceased individual's identity. Additional education for the financial services industry about the availability and contents of the Death Master File would also be helpful. Providing timely death information and making financial institutions more aware of a reliable source of such information could deter criminals from using deceased individuals' social security numbers to obtain false identities for fraudulent activities."

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 …

Collection of BRAC related news articles and clippings. Produced for Commission staff review.

BRAC Analysis-Research Material-Air Force Team-Tanya Cruz-General Mitchell International Air Guard Station-IN

Red River Army Depot, Texas, local community presentation of 21 June 05

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 the Texas Lottery Commission violates the Americans with Disabilities Act if it fails to provide "meaningful access" to state services.

Minutes for the November 8, 2008 TXSSAR meeting, held by the McKinney chapter.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Lew Jinks. Jinks joined the Army in June 1943 and trained as a medic. In November, he went overseas in January 1944 and was assigned to the 147th Infantry Regiment. Jinks went to Emirau with the unit, then the Mariana Islands. He also served as a medic with the unit on Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Jinks relates several stories from his experiences overseas.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bunichi Ohtsuka. Ohtsuka describes growing up in wartime Japan. He discusses seeing bombing raids and the resulting damage. Ohtsuka also describes the military training he received in school. He joined the Imperial Japanese Navy in March 1945. Ohtsuka details his training in the Navy and how a nearby unit training for suicide boat operations was completely wiped out in a bombing raid. He briefly mentions his thoughts on the atomic bomb and his post-war life.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with G. Earl Paulk. In 1933 Paulk completed 15 months with the Civilian Conservation Corps in Arizona, building roads and serving as a telephone linesman. He was drafted into the Navy in September of 1943. He completed diesel engine school in Chicago. He completed advanced mechanic school in Boston. Beginning in December of 1943 Paulk served as a Motor Machinists Mate aboard USS LST-1017. He also served as a 20mm antiaircraft gunner. He provides some details of the LST and the weapons on board. In 1944 they traveled to New Guinea and Mindanao to deliver fuel and supplies to the Army. They provided support and supplies for the battles of Leyte Gulf, Luzon and the invasion at Lingayen Gulf. After the bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they transported Japanese Army soldiers back to Japan. Paulk was discharged in January of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Lee. Lee entered the Army Air Forces in November, 1942 as an aviation cadet trainee. After washing out of pilot training, he volunteered to go to gunnery school. After gunnery training, Lee was assigned as a waist gunner on a B-24 crew and went overseas in January, 1945. He arrived in England and was assigned to the 409th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group. Lee flew on 19 bombing missions between January and April, 1945. His crew returned to the US in May. Lee stayed in the Reserves until 1982.

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 oral interview with Larry Pierce. Pierce graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1938 and began his career as a gunnery officer aboard USS Chester (CA-27). In 1940 he boarded USS Buck (DD-420) as assistant engineer, commissary officer, assistant gunnery officer, electrical officer, and a member of the examination board. In 1941 he enrolled in flight school, specializing in low-altitude scouting missions. In the Pacific War, Pierce flew SOCs, OC2Us, and SOC3s, which he criticized for its numerous design flaws. Serving aboard USS Honolulu (CL-48), he describes the perils of flying in the Aleutian Islands with poor visibility, finite fuel, radio silence, and limited navigation instruments. Later, from his primitive base in Tulagi, he reported to Brigadier General Woods and flew daily missions from Guadalcanal to the Russell Islands and Malaita. One of his pilots, George Polk, crash-landed amongst natives and later became a journalist for CBS. Upon returning to the States, Pierce was promoted to squadron commander. While based in Seattle he discovered and destroyed a Japanese hot air balloon. Pierce went on to teach aviation and retired as a captain in 1961.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bunichi Ohtsuka. Ohtsuka begins by describing growing up in Japan in the 1930s. Then he describes military training in the Imperial Japanese Navy. He volunteered for service in the Navy in March, 1945. Ohtsuka recalls his military training school being bombed by the Americans. He also speaks about his impressions of the atomic bombs being dropped on Japan. Ohtsuka emigrated to the UNited States in 1967 to study English at the University of Texas.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Fred Leighton. Leighton joined the Navy in 1939. After basic training, he was assigned to the USS Ramsay (DM-16). He was aboard when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Afterwards, Leighton stayed aboard the Ramsay and headed for Samoa to lay mines, then to the Aleutian Islands. Leighton was then assigned to the YMS-395 and returned to Samoa. Afterwards, he was assigned to the USS Navarro (APA-215) and was wounded aboard the ship during the Okinawa invasion.

Flier for the Regent's Faculty Lecture for Samuel E. Matteson, professor in the department of arts and sciences at the University of North Texas.

Program for the Regent's Faculty Lecture for Samuel E. Matteson, professor in the department of arts and sciences at the University of North Texas.

News release about shopping locations near DART stations.