Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Deposit Insurance Reform Act of 2002 would change the definition of the reserve ratio for the deposit insurance fund, and provide the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) with the flexibility to set the fund's designated reserve ratio within a range. Current law requires FDIC to maintain the deposit insurance fund balances at a designated reserve ratio of at least 1.25 percent of estimated insurance deposits. If the reserve ratio falls below that level, FDIC's Board of Directors must set semiannual assessment rates that are sufficient to increase the reserve ratio to the designated reserve ratio within a year, or in accordance with a recapitalization schedule of 15 years or less."

A statement of record issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Federal, state, and local governments share responsibility for terrorist attacks. However, local government, including police and fire departments, emergency medical personnel, and public health agencies, is typically the first responder to an incident. The federal government historically has provided leadership, training, and funding assistance. In the aftermath of September 11, for instance, one-quarter of the $40 billion Emergency Response Fund was earmarked for homeland security, including enhancing state and local government preparedness. Because the national security threat is diffuse and the challenge is highly intergovernmental, national policymakers must formulate strategies with a firm understanding of the interests, capacity, and challenges facing those governments. The development of a national strategy will improve national preparedness and enhance partnerships between federal, state, and local governments. The creation of the Office of Homeland Security is an important and potentially significant first step. The Office of Homeland Security's strategic plan should (1) define and clarify the appropriate roles and responsibilities of federal, state, and local entities; (2) establish goals and performance measures to guide the nation's preparedness efforts; and (3) carefully choose the most appropriate tools of government to implement …

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report reviews efforts by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), 24 of the largest federal agencies, and the agencies' inspectors general to implement requirements set forth as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001. GAO discusses (1) OMB's assessment of the top six security weaknesses within federal agencies, (2) information security weaknesses in federal information systems, and (3) the most significant barriers to securing federal information technology resources and what can be done to overcome these barriers."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Deposit Insurance Reform Act of 2002 would change the definition of the reserve ratio for the deposit insurance fund and provide the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) with the flexibility to set the fund's designated reserve ratio within a range. Current law requires FDIC to maintain the deposit insurance fund balances at a reserve ratio of at least 1.25 percent of estimated insurance deposits. If the reserve ratio falls below that level, FDIC's Board of Directors must set semiannual assessment rates that are sufficient to increase the reserve ratio to the designated reserve ratio within a year, or in accordance with a recapitalization schedule of 15 years or less."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Air Force launched an acquisition program to develop and produce a revolutionary laser weapon system, known as the Airborne Laser, in 1996. Being developed for installation in a modified Boeing 747 aircraft, it is intended to destroy enemy ballistic missiles almost immediately after their launch. The Air Force originally estimated development costs at $2.5 billion and projected fielding of the system in 2006. However, by August 2001, the Air Force determined that the development cost estimate rose 50 percent to $3.7 billion, and the fielding date slipped to 2010. The Department of Defense transferred responsibility for the Airborne Laser in October 2001 to the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization. Subsequently, the Defense Secretary designated the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization as the Missile Defense Agency and granted the agency expanded responsibility and authority. The Air Force was unable to meet the Airborne Laser's original cost and schedule goals because it did not fully understand the level of effort that would be required to develop the critical system technology needed to meet the user's requirements. The Missile Defense Agency's new strategy for developing the Airborne Laser incorporates some knowledge-based practices …

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) hazardous waste ombudsman was first established within the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response as a result of the 1984 amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Over time, EPA expanded the national ombudsman's jurisdiction to include Superfund and other hazardous waste programs managed by the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, and, by March 1996, EPA had designated ombudsmen in each of its 10 regional offices. Although the national ombudsman's activities ranged from providing information to investigating the merits of complaints, in recent years, the ombudsman played an increasingly prominent role through his investigations of citizen complaints. Pending legislation would reauthorize an office of the ombudsman within EPA. In November 2001, the EPA Administrator announced that the national ombudsman would be relocated from the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and would address concerns across the spectrum of EPA programs. Although there are no federal requirements or standards specific to the operation of ombudsman offices, several professional organizations have published standards of practice relevant to ombudsmen who deal with inquiries from …

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The following eight "encroachment" issues are hampering the military's ability to carry out realistic training: endangered species' critical habitat, unexploded ordnance and munitions, competition for radio frequency spectra, protected marine resources, competition for airspace, air pollution, noise pollution, and urban growth around military installations. Officials at all the installations and major commands GAO visited in the continental United States reported that encroachment had affected some of their training range capabilities, requiring work-arounds that are unrealistic. Service officials believe that population growth is responsible for current encroachment problems in the United States and is likely to cause more training range losses in the future. Despite concerns about encroachment, military readiness reports do not indicate the extent to which encroachment is harming training. Improvements in readiness reporting can better reveal shortfalls in training, but the ability to fully assess training limitations and their impact on capabilities and readiness will be limited without (1) more complete baseline data on training range capabilities, limitations, and requirements and (2) consideration of how live training capabilities may be complemented by training devices and simulations. Progress in addressing individual encroachment issues has been made, but …

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Violence Against Women Office (VAWO) was created in to lead the national effort to end violence against women, including domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Since its inception, VAWO has grown both in the number of discretionary grants awarded and dollars awarded for those grants. Unfortunately, monitoring activities and impact evaluation data provide little basis to assess program results. Both VAWO and the Office of Justice Programs made a commitment to improve, citing reorganization plans that anticipate management information system as the foundation for improved grants management. However, reorganization and management information tools and are only as good as the management that wields them. Commitment to improvement and oversight are needed to ensure progress."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Small Business Administration (SBA) has made organizational structure and service delivery changes during the past 10 years. However, ineffective lines of communication, confusion over the mission of district offices, complicated and overlapping organizational relationships, and a field structure not consistently matched with mission requirements all combine to impede SBA staff efforts to deliver services effectively. SBA's structural inefficiencies stem in part from realignment efforts during the mid-1990s that changed SBA's functions but left aspects of the previous structure intact, congressional influence over the location of field offices and centers, and legislative requirements such as specified reporting relationships. In response to GAO's findings and additional challenges identifies by the Office of Management and Budget and the SBA Inspector General, SBA recently announced a draft 5-year workforce transformation plan that discusses many of GAO's findings regarding the difficulties posed by its current structure. Organizational alignment is crucial if an agency is to maximize its performance and accountability. As SBA executes its workforce transformation plan, it should employ strategies common to successful transformation efforts both here and abroad. Successful efforts begin with instilling senior-level leadership, responsibility, and accountability for organizational …

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "A central focus of welfare reform has been to help needy adults with children find and keep jobs. The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) unifies a fragmented employment and training system. Despite its similar fundamental focus, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program was not required to participate in the one-stop system, although many states are coordinating their TANF services through one-stop centers. GAO found that coordination between TANF programs and WIA's one-stop centers has risen since WIA was first implemented in the spring of 2000. WIA funds may not be readily used to serve TANF clients in the one-stops because WIA's performance measures may be discourage serving clients who may not be successful. Moreover, when TANF clients need training to achieve self sufficiency, WIA funds may be unavailable because the amount of training provided under WIA has been reduced. Some local areas have found innovative ways to provide TANF services in the one-stops, often focusing on resolving the issues that had plagued the fragmented employee training system."

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Ping. Ping joined the Navy in 1940. Beginning in early 1941, he served with the deck force aboard USS Louisville (CA-28). In July he transferred to USS Canopus (AS-9). When the Japanese invaded the Philippines, he was on liberty in Manila. He was captured by the Japanese and imprisoned in the 92nd Garage POW Camp on Corregidor. After 3 months, he was transferred to the Old Bilibid Prison in Manila, and then to Cabanatuan, where he remained until his liberation in 1945. After the war ended, Ping continued his naval service in the Naval Reserves for a total of 42 years.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Arthur Campbell. Campbell joined the Army and leanred how to fly. Then he was sent to the Philippines, where he was when the Japanese invaded. He was attached to the 34th Pursuit Squadron, but could not get assigned an aircraft as only a few remained. Eventually, Campbell was surrendered and forced to walk out of Bataan on the Death March. He also decribes being put on a train and shipped part of the way to Camp O'Donnell. Eventuall, Campbell was put on a hell ship and sent to Manchuria. He was liberated from a prison camp in Manchuria by the Russians and repatriated after the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James Stroud. Stroud joined the Army in June of 1943. He served in the 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. In January of 1944, they traveled to Goodenough Island in the Solomons, and participated in the battles of Hollandia and Leyte, where he went ashore with the 15th wave. Stroud received a medical discharge in July of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Liz Irvine. Irvine was born in 1927 in Baguio, Philippines. Her parents were school teachers. After Japan invaded the Philippines in 1941, when she was 14-years-old, the Japanese invaded her hometown of Manila and imprisoned her and her family in the Santo Tomas Internment Camp. They lived and worked in the camp until their liberation in February of 1945. They returned to live and work in the US in 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard Beck. Beck joined the Army in November of 1939. He was stationed at Hickam Field on Oahu beginning September of 1941. He served as an aircraft radio operator. He traveled to the Del Monte Airfield in Mindanao, Philippines where he completed radio repair work and was assigned the 81st Division Communication Chief. In May of 1942 they, along with native Filipinos, were captured by the Japanese and held at Camp Keithley. Beck shares his grim experiences with his captors, including executions and exhaustive marches. He was imprisoned at Bilibid for 19 months, where he contracted a neuromuscular disease. In June of 1944 he was sent to Cabanatuan and liberated by the US Army Rangers. After extensive medical treatment he was discharged in September of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Luke Campeau. Campeau joined the Army Air Corps in August of 1940. He served as Master Sergeant with the 15th Weather Squadron. They traveled to Australia. In December of 1942 he was commissioned to Milne Bay, New Guinea. He also served as a member of the American Guerrillas of Mindanao, Philippines. He shares vivid details of his work experience, life in general overseas and his specialized training in guerrilla warfare. He was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joanne Lothrop Crandall. Crandall shares that her father, Major Robert B. Lothrop, graduated from West Point in 1930, and served as an Army Engineer. Their family, including Joanne, was transferred to Fort McKinley in Manila, Philippines in 1940. In June of 1941, Joanne, her mother and brother returned to the US. Major Lothrop was transferred to Corregidor Island in September of that same year. After the Japanese invaded the Philippines, he was captured by the Japanese and imprisoned at Cabanatuan, from May of 1942 through September of 1944. He was then transferred to Manila, then placed on the Arisan Maru in October. While traveling, he jumped overboard, was shot and killed by the Japanese guards. Joanne shares intimate details of her father and what knowledge she retains of his experiences in a POW camp.

An annual report of the External Court Auditor on the Court Ordered Desegregation of the Dallas Independent School District 2001-2002.

News release about DART's promotion of Lynda Jackson to Vice President of Human Resources.

News release about public meetings to be conducted by DART concerning a proposed general fare increase.

News release about a DART public hearing at which potential sites for a new light rail maintenance facility, necessitated by DART's light rail expansion, will be reviewed.

News release about public meetings to be conducted by DART concerning a proposed general fare increase.

News release about DART's promotion of Lynda Jackson to Vice President of Human Resources.