Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Each year thousands of international science students and scholars apply for visas to enter the United States to participate in education and exchange programs. They offer our country diversity and intellectual knowledge and are an economic resource. At the same time, the United States has important national security interests in screening these individuals when they apply for a visa. At a House Committee on Science hearing in March 2003, witnesses raised concern about the length of time it takes for science students and scholars to obtain a visa and about losing top international students to other countries due to visa delays. GAO reviewed 1) how long it takes a science student or scholar from another country to obtain a visa and the factors contributing to the length of time, and 2) what measures are under way to improve the process and decrease the number of pending cases."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) almost one year ago represents an historic moment for the federal government to fundamentally transform how the nation will protect itself from terrorism. DHS is continuing to transform and integrate a disparate group of agencies with multiple missions, values, and cultures into a strong and effective cabinet department. Together with this unique opportunity, however, also comes significant risk to the nation that could occur if this transformation is not implemented successfully. In fact, GAO designated this implementation and transformation as high risk in January 2003. Congress provided DHS with significant flexibility to design a modern human capital management system. GAO reported in September 2003 that the design effort to develop the system was collaborative and consistent with positive elements of transformation. Last Friday, the Secretary of DHS and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released for public comment draft regulations for DHS's new human capital system. This testimony provides preliminary observations on selected major provisions of the proposed system."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "To address overfishing, the National Marine Fisheries Service started using individual fishing quotas (IFQ) as a fishery conservation and management tool in 1990. Under an IFQ program, a regional fishery management council sets a maximum, or total allowable catch, and allocates the privilege to harvest a certain portion of the catch in the form of quota to individual vessels, fishermen, or other eligible recipients. IFQ programs have achieved many of the desired conservation and management benefits, such as helping to stabilize fisheries, reducing excessive investment in fishing capacity, and improving safety. However, concerns have been raised about the economic effects of IFQ programs on fish processors and fishing communities, among others. This testimony is based on two GAO reports on issues related to the use of IFQs (Individual Fishing Quotas: Better Information Could Improve Program Management, GAO-03- 159, Dec. 11, 2002, and Individual Fishing Quotas: Methods for Community Protection and New Entry Require Periodic Evaluation, GAO-04-277, Feb. 24, 2004). Specifically, GAO addressed the (1) economic effects of the Alaskan halibut IFQ program on processors and (2) the methods available for protecting communities under an IFQ program."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002 authorized an additional Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round in 2005. The legislation requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to provide Congress in early 2004 with a report that addresses excess infrastructure and certifies that an additional BRAC round is needed and that annual net savings will be realized by each military department not later than fiscal year 2011. GAO is required to assess this information as well as the selection criteria for the 2005 round and report to Congress within 60 days of DOD's submission. The legislation also retains the requirement for GAO to assess the BRAC 2005 decisionmaking process and resulting recommendations. This testimony addresses (1) the BRAC process from a historical perspective, (2) GAO's role in the process, and (3) GAO's initial observations on key issues DOD is required to address in preparation for the 2005 round. Because DOD had not submitted its required 2004 report at the time we completed this statement, this testimony relies on our prior work that addressed issues associated with excess capacity and BRAC savings."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Floods have been, and continue to be, the most destructive natural hazard in terms of damage and economic loss to the nation. From fiscal year 1992 through fiscal year 2002, about 900 lives were lost due to flooding and flood damages totaled about $55 billion. Some properties have been repeatedly flooded and the subject of federal flood insurance claims. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) within the Department of Homeland Security is responsible for assisting state and local governments, private entities, and individuals to prepare for, mitigate, respond to, and recover from natural disasters, including floods. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is the primary vehicle for FEMA's efforts to mitigate the impact of floods. The Senate Subcommittee on Economic Policy, Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, asked GAO to discuss (1) FEMA's approach to flood mitigation, (2) the effect of repetitive loss properties on the NFIP, and (3) recent actions taken or proposed to address the impact of repetitive loss properties on the NFIP."

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Bennie Whitley. Whitley joined the Army and served as sergeant in the motor pool in Battery A, 57th Field Artillery, 7th Infantry Division. He participated in the Battle of Okinawa. Whitley continued his service after the war ended, receiving his discharge in 1947.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with George Haggerty. Haggerty was employed as a civilian contractor with the US Army when WWII started. When his contract expired, he enlisted in the Marine Corps in December 1942. By June, 1943, Haggerty had been through basic training at Parris Island and was commissioned a second lieutenant after officer candidate school at Quantico. When Haggerty went overseas, he boarded the SS Extavia (1941) for a trip through the Panama Canal to New Caledonia. He was in charge of training a navy construction battalion at Noumea before he was assigned to the First Marine Division and left to join them at Pavuvu. When he arrived on Pavuvu, Chesty Puller assigned him to the 1st Regiment. There they trained for the Peleliu invasion. At Peleliu, Haggerty served as a platoon leader. He recalls the fighting on the day he landed and the Japanese counterattack with tanks and infantry near the airfield. Haggerty was wounded by a shell fragment and evacuated to a transport ship serving as a hospital. He recovered and returned to Peleliu the next day. After reducing a Japanese position, Haggerty was again wounded and evacuated. This time, …

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense's (DOD) two major tactical aircraft fighter programs, the F/A-22 and the Joint Strike Fighter, represent an investment of about $280 billion. Problems in the F/A-22 development program have led to a 10-year delay in delivering the initial capability and development cost increases of $16 billion. The Joint Strike Fighter, which experienced problems early in the program, is now at a critical crossroad in development. Any discussion of DOD's sizeable investment that remains in these programs must also be viewed within the context of the fiscal imbalance facing the nation within the next 10 years. GAO was asked to testify on the status of the F/A-22 and draw comparisons between both F/A-22 and Joint Strike Fighter programs' acquisition approaches."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In recent years, rates for cable service have increased at a faster pace than the general rate of inflation. GAO agreed to (1) examine the impact of competition on cable rates and service, (2) assess the reliability of information contained in the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) annual cable rate report, (3) examine the causes of recent cable rate increases, (4) assess the impact of ownership affiliations in the cable industry, (5) discuss why cable operators group networks into tiers, and (6) discuss options to address factors that could be contributing to cable rate increases. GAO issued its findings and recommendations in a report entitled Telecommunications: Issues Related to Competition and Subscriber Rates in the Cable Television Industry (GAO-04-8). In that report, GAO recommended that the Chairman of FCC take steps to improve the reliability, consistency, and relevance of information on cable rates and competition in the subscription video industry. In commenting on GAO's report, FCC agreed to make changes to its annual cable rate survey, but FCC questioned, on a cost/benefit basis, the utility of revising its process to keep the classification of effective competition up to date. …

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "On June 30, 2004, the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) intends to transfer power in Iraq to a fully sovereign Iraqi interim government. CPA and the Iraq Governing Council took a fundamental step toward this goal in March 2004, when they signed the Law of Administration for the State of Iraq for the Transitional Period (hereafter referred to as the transitional law). The transitional law is intended to govern the affairs of Iraq until Iraqis approve a permanent constitution and a permanent Iraqi government takes office. GAO has ongoing and completed work reviewing various aspects of the U.S. effort to reconstruct Iraq. Our ongoing work includes reviewing the costs associated with reconstruction; the process used to award reconstruction contracts; efforts to develop Iraq's security forces; the rebuilding of Iraq's oil, electricity, and water infrastructure; and programs to help Iraq develop a unified, democratic government. For this report, we describe the following information as it exists at this time: (1) the time frames and Iraqi governmental structures established by the transitional law; (2) arrangements in the law for the U.S.-led multinational force, Iraqi security forces, and militias; and (3) mechanisms …

Interview with Lindsey Zeb Wilcox, a Water Tender 2nd Class in the US Navy. He describes life in the military and the sinking of the USS Indianapolis.

Photocopy of a document listing the total cost of booth materials for the Houston, Texas State Democratic Party. A receipt of $248.00 listing the prices of the booth materials. Booth sales items for the Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucus at the Texas Democratic Party Convention.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Franklin Paulsen. Paulsen joined the Navy in March of 1943. He served as Quartermaster 2nd Class aboard USS North Carolina (BB-55). In December of 1943 they joined forces and bombarded the island of Nauru in the Philippines. Going into early February of 1944 they participated in the Gilbert Islands operation. They later bombarded Kwajalein, Saipan and Tinian. Additionally, they operated in the North China Sea. Paulsen recalls steering the North Carolina into Tokyo Bay in September of 1945. He was discharged in February of 1946.

Stonewall supply inventory listing items and quantities of materials.

Deposit summary with a total of $20.00 on August 23, 2004.

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 liens for public improvement district assessments levied against property that was not a homestead at the time of assessment may be enforced by foreclosure even though the property has become a homestead between the date of assessment and the date of the enforcement action (RQ-0187-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 deputy sheriffs are "police officers" for purposes of Local Government Code chapter 174, The Fire and Police Employee Relations Act (RQ-0189-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 the Board of the Professionals Land Surveying may establish a "retired status" catergory for its registrants, set a reduced renewal fee, and waive continuing education requirements for those individuals (RQ-0191-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; Authority of the Board of Pardons and Paroles to consider applications for pardons and based on innocence (RQ-0192-GA)

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Craig. Craig was inducted into the Army Air Forces on 20 October 1942. After basic training at Miami Beach, he was assigned to the 2002nd Ordnance Maintenance Company and sailed across the Atlantic on the RMS Queen Mary arriving in England on 29 July 1943. He was assigned to the 1962nd Ordnance Depot Company (Aviation) a part of the 8th Air Force. His duties included servicing and modifying B-17 and B-24 bombers. Smith was once placed in charge of German POWs tasked with painting military vehicles returned from North Africa. He provides a detailed account of his involvement in the famous truck convoys known as the Red Ball Express. He also recalls his role in cannibalizing bombers which had crash landed in England upon returning from their missions. He remembers returning to the States on the RMS Queen Elizabeth and being discharged on November 10, 1945.