Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Understanding the extent and nature of identity theft-related refund fraud is important to crafting a response to it, but Internal Revenue Service (IRS) managers recognize that they do not have a complete picture. Program officials said that one of the challenges they face in combating this type of fraud is its changing nature and how it is concealed. While perfect knowledge about cases and who is committing the crime will never be attained, the better IRS understands the problem, the better it can respond and the better Congress can oversee IRS's efforts. IRS officials described several areas where the extent and nature of identity theft is unknown."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reported in February 2012 that replacing $1 notes with $1 coins could potentially provide $4.4 billion in net benefits to the federal government over 30 years. The overall net benefit was due solely to increased seigniorage and not to reduced production costs. Seigniorage is the difference between the cost of producing coins or notes and their face value; it reduces government borrowing and interest costs, resulting in a financial benefit to the government. GAO’s estimate takes into account processing and production changes that occurred in 2011, including the Federal Reserve’s use of new equipment to determine the quality and authenticity of notes, which has increased the expected life of the note thereby reducing the costs of circulating a note over 30 years. (The $1 note is expected to last 4.7 years and the $1 coin 30 years.) Like all estimates, there are uncertainties surrounding GAO’s estimate, especially since the costs of the replacement occur in the first several years and can be estimated with more certainty than the benefits, which are less certain because they occur further in the future. Moreover, changes to the inputs and assumptions …

Other written product issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO's previous work has shown that, once enacted, tax expenditures and their relative contributions toward achieving federal missions and goals are often less visible than spending programs, which are subject to more systematic review. One reason for this is that they often operate, in practice, like entitlement programs not subject to annual appropriations. Since 1994, GAO has recommended greater scrutiny of tax expenditures, as periodic reviews could help determine how well specific tax expenditures work to achieve their goals and how their benefits and costs compare to those of programs with similar goals. However, the Executive Branch has made little progress in developing a framework for systematically evaluating tax expenditures."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In summary, TSA receives thousands of air passenger screening complaints through five central mechanisms, but does not have an agencywide policy, consistent processes, or a focal point to guide receipt and use of such information. Also, while the agency has several methods to inform passengers about its complaint processes, it does not have an agencywide policy or mechanism to ensure consistent use of these methods among commercial airports. In addition, TSA's complaint resolution processes do not fully conform to standards of independence to ensure that these processes are fair, impartial, and credible, but the agency is taking steps to improve independence. To address these issues, we made four recommendations to TSA with which the agency concurred, and it indicated actions it is taking in response. Finally, TSA officials stated that the agency is undertaking efforts to focus its resources and improve the passenger experience at security checkpoints by applying new intelligence-driven, risk-based screening procedures, including expanding its Pre✓™ program. TSA plans to have this program in place at 35 airports by the end of the calendar year and estimates that it has screened more than 4 million passengers …

Interview with Heather Hays discussing her childhood and inspiration to go into journalism, as well as her education and highlights from her career as a news anchor. She also discusses winning Miss Hawaii in 1992 and how it affected her career path, as well as her perspectives on technology and social media.

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, Ken Paxton, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Authority of a junior or community college to prohibit the carrying of concealed handguns in classrooms or other areas where minors attend class or are routinely present (RQ-0109-KP).

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, Ken Paxton, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: The effect of section 130.0827 of the Education Code on the simultaneous service of an individual as a board trustee of Blinn College and a Brazos County commissioner (RQ-0108-KP).

Minutes for the November 29, 2018 TXSSAR meeting, held by the McKinney chapter.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James Kirk. Kirk joined the Army Air Forces in March 1943 and trained in radio operation and aerial gunnery. When he got overseas, he was assigned to the 96th Bomb Squadron, 2nd Bomb Group in Italy as a gunner. In January, 1945, on his 27th combat mission, Kirk’s B-17 was shot down and he managed to bail out over Hungary. Kirk was captured and made a prisoner of war. After a month in solitary confinement in Hungary, he was moved to Stalag Luft IV. After a long march from camp starting February, Kirk was finally liberated by Russians in April. He was discharged in August, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Norbert Fritz. Fritz joined the Army in 1941 and was sent to radio school in San Antonio and the University of Texas. He received basic training in Amarillo and was reassigned to the Army Air Forces. He completed a radio operator course in Sioux Falls but could not get his Morse code up to speed; so, he was sent to Florida for top-secret radar training and arrived on New Guinea in the spring of 1944. There he serviced B-25 radio equipment, after removing radar equipment so the planes would be light enough for low altitude missions. He continued his work in the Netherlands East Indies, the Philippines, and Okinawa. He sailed through two typhoons on his way back to the States and was discharged in January 1946. Fritz opened a radio repair shop, became a broadcast engineer, and founded several radio stations.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Luther Azel Bookout. Bookout joined the Marine Corps in July of 1941 to attend Officer Training School, and was called to active duty in 1942. He was assigned to Field Artillery School and joined C Battery, 1st Battalion, 12th Marines, 3rd Marine Division, and was promoted to first lieutenant. He landed in Auckland, New Zealand on early 1943, then redeployed in July to Guadalcanal. Luther participated in the battles of Bougainville, Guam, and Iwo Jima. Bookout resigned his commission on 7 June 1946.

Final report of the Texas Department of Transportation Waterborne Freight Corridor Study. The study developed a list of projects which would address existing issues in the waterborne freight infrastructure of Texas.

News release about station art at new stations along DART's new Green Line.