This report identifies and analyzes the patent law aspects of the current avian influenza drug situation. First, the report explains the role that patent rights have played in affecting the availability of Tamiflu. Second, the report examines options for increasing the drug’s production, including the possibility of governments abrogating Roche’s patent rights by issuing compulsory licenses to other drug companies to manufacture generic versions of Tamiflu without Roche’s consent.

Animal protection activists in the United States have long sought legislation to modify or curtail some practices considered by U.S. agriculture to be both acceptable and necessary to animal health. Some Members of Congress over the years have offered various bills that would affect animal care on the farm, during transport, or at slaughter. The House and Senate Agriculture Committees from time to time have held hearings on farm animal welfare issues, but their members generally express a preference for voluntary rather than regulatory approaches to humane methods of care. This report briefly provides an overview of the subject.

This report introduces the Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Restoration program, and discusses whether it might have muted the impacts of hurricanes of the magnitude and paths of Katrina or Rita and whether the devastation caused by both hurricanes might cause the Corps to consider different restoration options.

The First Circuit’s ruling in Harvey v. Veneman brought much attention and uncertainty to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program. In the case, Harvey alleged that multiple provisions of the National Organic Program Final Rule (Final Rule) were inconsistent with the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (OFPA). The First Circuit sided with Harvey on three counts, putting into question the use of synthetics and commercially unavailable organic agricultural products, as well as certain feeding practices for dairy herds converting to organic production. On remand, the district court ordered a two-year time frame for the implementation and enforcement of new rules consistent with the ruling; however, in the FY2006 agriculture appropriations act (P.L. 109 97), Congress amended the OFPA to address the holdings of the case. This report describes the OFPA, discusses those holdings where the court determined that a provision of the Final Rule was inconsistent with the OFPA and analyzes the most recent legislative action.

A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.

BRAC Commissioner's Notes - Commissioner Gehman - Oceana Naval Air Station, VA Regional Hearing

BRAC Commission - Commissioner's Notes - Commissioner Turner - Los Angeles, CA Regional Hearing

BRAC Commission - Commissioner Notes - Commissioner Turner - OSD, GAO, OBC Hearings

BRAC Commission - BRAC Commissioner's Notes - Commissioner Turner - Adds Hearing

BRAC Commission - Commissioner's Notes - Commissioner Turner - San Antonio, TX Regional Hearing

BRAC Commission - Commissioner's Notes - Commissioner Turner - Boston, MA Regional Hearing

BRAC Commission - BRAC Commissioner's Notes - Commissioner Turner - Washington, DC Regional Adds Hearing

BRAC Commission - Commissioner's notes - Commissioner Turner - Department of Defense Final Presentation

BRAC Commission - Commissioner's Notes - Commissioner Turner - New Orleans, LA Regional Hearing

A22 - Base Input - Anniston Army Depot, AL -Title: America's Combat Vehicle Support Center

Community input from the state of Montana

Weekly student newspaper from Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas that includes local, state and campus news along with advertising.

Daily student newspaper from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas that includes local, state and campus news along with advertising.

Jazz vocals concert performed at the UNT College of Music Kenton Hall.

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "On July 16, 2004, the director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) declared a suspension, or stand-down, of laboratory operations to address safety and security concerns. LANL is one of three laboratories that conduct nuclear weapons research for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) within the Department of Energy (DOE). In deciding to stand down operations, LANL's director consulted with senior officials from NNSA and the University of California, the management and operating contractor for the laboratory. GAO was asked to assess (1) the extent to which LANL's and NNSA's estimates capture the total cost of the stand-down, (2) the effect of the stand-down on LANL's major research programs, and (3) whether there was a reasonable basis for NNSA's decisions regarding the reimbursement of stand-down costs to the University of California."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Under 10 U.S.C. 2466, the military departments and defense agencies can use no more than 50 percent of annual depot maintenance funding for work performed by private-sector contractors. The Department of Defense (DOD) must submit a report to Congress annually on the division of depot maintenance funding between the public and private sectors during the preceding fiscal year and projected distribution for the current and ensuing fiscal years. As required, GAO reviewed the report submitted in April 2005 and is, with this report, submitting its views to Congress on whether (1) the military departments complied with the "50-50 requirement" for fiscal year 2004 and (2) the projections for fiscal years 2005 and 2006 represent reasonable estimates. Additionally, GAO is assessing whether the data currently provided in DOD's annual 50-50 report are useful to Congress in exercising its oversight role."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Large trucks make up 3 percent of the nation's registered vehicles, but they were involved in 11 percent of all fatal crashes in 2003. To reduce the fatality rate, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) sets national safety goals and works in partnership with states to reach them. Crash data collected by states and submitted to FMCSA is key to these efforts, and to be fully useful, this data must be complete, timely, accurate, and collected in a consistent manner. GAO addressed (1) what is known about the quality of commercial motor vehicle crash data, and what states are doing to improve it, and (2) the results of FMCSA's efforts to help states make improvements."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 required the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to broadly disseminate information on the program to the millions of Medicare beneficiaries--seniors and people under age 65 with permanent disabilities--who are eligible for a drug discount card. In response, CMS began education and outreach efforts designed to publicize the availability and features of the drug discount cards, provide information to facilitate beneficiary choice, and assist beneficiaries with the enrollment process. Congress asked us to provide information on CMS's efforts because the agency's experience in supporting the drug card program may yield important insights relevant to implementing the new prescription drug benefit that becomes effective in 2006. In this report, we (1) describe CMS's education and outreach efforts in support of the drug card program and review assessments of these efforts by public and private health care research organizations and (2) provide data on enrollment in the drug card program and identify factors that may have limited this enrollment."