Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) has made progress in improving its overall management of information technology, including centralization of information technology functions, programs, and funding under the department-level chief information officer (CIO). The department has also made progress in developing an enterprise architecture, improving information security, and managing important information systems initiatives being pursued by the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). GAO reviewed (1) whether VA's proposed business and enabling functions provide the management tools necessary to start the process for implementing VA's enterprise architecture; (2) how veterans have benefited from the VETSNET Program; (3) what must be done to assure successful implementation of the Federal Health Information Exchange (FHIE); and (4) whether VA can realistically implement HealtheVet-Vista by the end of 2005. GAO found that the Federal CIO's Council's guidance on enterprise architecture advises organizations to develop a set of controls to help them successfully manage the process of creating, changing, and using an enterprise architecture. Although the enterprise business functions and key enabling functions are essential components of the architecture that VA is developing, they cannot be considered a primary …

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Over the past 2 years, we have been raising concerns and have made recommendations regarding the lack of sufficient and timely periodic information on the U.S. Postal Service's financial condition and outlook available to the public between publications of its audited year-end financial statements. This report responds to a request that we provide periodic updates on several key areas related to the Service's financial outlook, including improvements in financial and performance reporting. Specifically, this report discusses actions taken by the Service to address our past recommendations to provide sufficient, more timely, and accessible financial reports as well as our assessment of the Service's responses."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Small Business Act requires small businesses to have the maximum practicable opportunity to participate in the performance of federal government contracts. Congress directed the President to set a governmentwide goal of at least 23 percent of the total dollar value of the federal government's prime contract awards to be awarded to small businesses each fiscal year. The small Business Administration's (SBA) Procurement Center Representatives (PCRs) work with federal agencies and procuring activities by reviewing proposed acquisitions to determine whether they can be set aside for small businesses. GAO found that the number of PCR-recommended small businesses set-asides has declined by almost one-half since fiscal year 1991. Overall, contracting officers accepted 76 percent of the set-aside recommendations. Of the 24 percent rejected, SBA did not pursue 85 percent. Of the 15 percent appealed, 26 percent were successful. SBA officials attributed the decline to several factors, including (1) downsizing the number of PCRs; (2) assigning other duties to PCRs, such as requiring some PCRs to be Commercial Marketing Representatives, further reducing available PCR resources; and (3) fewer set-aside opportunities due to increasing size and individual federal procurements. SBA officials …

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 went under a governmentwide review by GAO earlier this year. The act required each federal agency to issue a regulation adjusting its covered maximum and minimum civil monetary penalties for inflation by October 23, 1996, and requires them to make necessary adjustments at least once every 4 years thereafter. GAO determined that the Mine Safety and Health Administration within the Department of Labor published its first round of penalty adjustments in April 1998, but has not published a second round of adjustments for at least two eligible penalties."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Earlier this year, GAO began a governmentwide review of the implementation of the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990. The act requires each federal agency to issue a regulation adjusting its covered maximum and minimum civil monetary penalties for inflation by October 23, 1996, and requires them to make necessary adjustments at least once every 4 years thereafter. During the review, GAO determined that the United States Coast Guard published its first round of penalty adjustments in 1997, but has not published a second round of adjustment for 56 eligible penalties."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In light of the increasing significance and potential costs of dealing with transportation in the national park system, we reviewed the Park Service's administration of the Alternative Transportation Program. Specifically, we are reporting on the Park Service's processes for (1) ensuring that alternative transportation projects are needed and cost-effective, and (2) evaluating the performance of the program. It is important to point out that in addressing these issues our work focused on the agency's process for reviewing and approving projects. Accordingly, we did not evaluate whether any specific project was in fact needed and cost-effective. In conducting the work, we examined agency files for a sample of 20 projects--10 planning projects and 10 construction projects--that account for 54 percent of the total program funding for fiscal year 2001 through fiscal year 2003."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The District of Columbia appropriations acts for fiscal years 1999, 2000, and 2001 limited the amount of appropriated funds that could be paid to an attorney representing a prevailing party in an action brought against the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The appropriations act for fiscal year 2002 lifted the caps on attorneys' fees and directed DCPS and GAO to report on judgments awarding attorneys' fees in excess of the limitations imposed in fiscal years 1999, 2000, and 2001. In May 2002, GAO reported that, for fiscal years 1999, 2000, and 2001, the appropriations acts' limitations had little if any impact on the total amount of attorneys' fees awarded to prevailing parties in judgments entered by the courts in judicial proceedings brought against DCPS and the act. The District's March 29, 2002 report showed that of the $12.7 million paid for attorneys' fees from its appropriations for 1999 through 2001, $10 million was related to administrative proceedings and $2.7 million was related to judicial proceedings. DCPS reported that the estimated total amount of fees that might have been paid as …

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed several issues relating to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) workforce and management challenges. These issues are associated with NASA's proposed legislative provisions for additional flexibilities and authorities to help it address its human capital challenge. GAO found that agencies must ensure that their strategic human capital plans are results-oriented and data-driven. This includes developing appropriate information on the number and location of employees and their key competences and skills, as well as data on the profile of the workforce, and performance goals and measures for human capital approaches. NASA's legislative proposal for streamlined demonstration and alternative personnel system authority would provide a mechanism for converting a successful demonstration project, upon approval by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), to a permanent alternative personnel system, without the need for special legislation and without any limitation on the number of employees that would be covered by the project as is under current authority. Human capital systems should have appropriate transparency and adequate safeguards in order to help ensure that it is efficient, effective, credible, and equitable."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report discusses the investigation of diploma mills that illegally sell fraudulent academic degrees to individuals that use them to gain positions and increase income based upon these documents. Per request, GAO handled the undercover operation and successfully purchased a degree from a diploma mill to demonstrate how easily one can be purchased. Individuals found guilty of purchasing such documents were contacted and interviewed as well, further concluding the identity of a diploma mill, Degrees-R-Us. The owner was questioned and admitted to the sales of approximately 100 fraudulent degrees over the past 2 years when his business began. This matter will be investigated by both the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Postal Service as well."

Guidance issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report has been superseded by GAO-04-310G, GAO's Congressional Protocols July 2004. GAO published a pamphlet outlining the set of protocols governing its work for Congress. GAO decided to modify its protocol in two areas. GAO will not conduct work involving state and local activities, and GAO will only submit comments on proposed legislation if requested to by Congress or lawfully bound to do so."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Congress requested that GAO investigate weaknesses in the Department of Education's administration of student loans for postsecondary education under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program. As a result of the undercover investigation, GAO exposed vulnerabilities in the administration of the FFEL Program. GAO set up a fictitious school and sought and obtained approval for student loans totaling $55,500 on behalf of three fictitious students purportedly attending the school."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Protecting the computer systems that support our critical operations and infrastructures has never been more important because of the concern about attacks from individuals and groups with malicious intent, including terrorism. These concerns are well founded for a number of reasons, including the dramatic increases in reported computer security incidents, the ease of obtaining and using hacking tools, the steady advance in the sophistication and effectiveness of attack technology, and the dire warnings of new and more destructive attacks. As with other large organizations, federal agencies rely extensively on computerized systems and electronic data to support their missions. Accordingly, the security of these systems and data is essential to avoiding disruptions in critical operations, as well as to helping prevent data tampering, fraud, and inappropriate disclosure of sensitive information. At the subcommittee's request, GAO discussed its analysis of recent information security audits and evaluations at 24 major federal departments and agencies."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "After the attacks of September 11th, 2001, concerns intensified over the vulnerability of U.S. ports to acts of terrorism. One particular concern involves the possibility that terrorists would attempt to smuggle illegal fissile material or a tactical nuclear weapon into the country through a cargo container shipped from overseas. This testimony discusses the programs already in place to counter such attempts, new initiatives now under way to enhance the nation's security against such attempts, and the key challenges faced in implementing these various efforts."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In December 2001, GAO testified at a hearing, before the Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Financial Management and Intergovernmental Relations, House Committee on Government Reform, that the Department of Agriculture, primarily the Rural Housing Service (RHS) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA), faced challenges in implementing key provisions of the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (DCIA). The testimony focused on RHS's and FSA's progress in referring delinquent debt for administrative offset and cross-servicing and Agriculture's implementation of administrative wage garnishment (AWG). During the hearing, Agriculture pledged to place a higher priority on delinquent debt collection and to substantially improve its implementation of DCIA by December 31, 2002. After the hearing, GAO made recommendations The Subcommittee requested GAO to review and provide an update on actions Agriculture has taken to resolve these problems. In addition, the Subcommittee requested that GAO report on the status of Treasury's implementation of a debt collection improvement account, a vehicle authorized by DCIA to give agencies financial incentives to improve their debt collection efforts."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In the wake of anthrax incidents and mounting concerns about the potential for another bioterrorism attack, we assessed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) oversight of the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Laboratory Registration/ Select Agent Transfer Program. We brought program weaknesses we identified to the immediate attention of CDL and HHS officials, who agreed that improvements were warranted. The purpose of this report is to summarize our findings."

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, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether a building owned and operated by a municipal hospital authority, but leased in part to a private business, is subject to the exclusive public use requirement of article XI, section 9 of the Texas Constitution, and related questions.

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, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether a Worker's Compensation Commission rule requiring that written communications be sent to both a claimant and the claimant's attorney creates an exception to Rule 4.02(a) of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, which prohibits an attorney from communicating with a person who is represented by counsel.

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, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether any action is required of the Court Reporters Certification Board in the implementation of section 57.021(d) of the Government Code.

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, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Procedure by which a prosecutor may obtain a waiver from the state of a conflict of interest (RQ-0550-JC)

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, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Meaning of "state officer" for purposes of article XVI, section 1 of the Texas Constitution, which requires such individuals to sign an anti-bribery statement (RQ-0555-JC)

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, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether a particular community housing development organization is entitled to an exemption from taxation of its real property under section 11.182 of the Tax Code (RQ-0561-JC)

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, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether an adjunct professor employed by a state university is a “schoolteacher” for purposes of article XVI, section 40 of the Texas Constitution (RQ-0564-JC)

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, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether a rider tot he appropriation for the Texas Historical Commission authorizes the expenditure of funds for the restoration and preservation of the San Fernando Cathedral (RQ-0565-JC)

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, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether the testimony of a non-English speaking or deaf or hearing-impaired witness before a grand jury requires the appointment or licensed court interpreter under section 57.002 of the Government Code (RQ-0554-JC)