Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Federal agencies spend billions of dollars annually acquiring information technology (IT) services from thousands of contractors using a variety of contracting methods. IT services include computer and telecommunication services, as well as the testing, quality control, installation, and operation of computer equipment. We (1) identified trends in federal spending for IT services from fiscal years 1997 to 2001 and (2) determined the distribution of federal spending for IT services among small, medium-size, and large businesses in fiscal year 2001, the latest year for which such information was available."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Since World War II, some employers have voluntarily sponsored postretirement health plans as a benefit to their employees. According to government sources, these health plans constitute the primary source of health coverage for retirees aged 55 to 64 and supplemental coverage for nearly one third of retirees aged 65 or older with Medicare coverage. However, with costs already amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars for large employers and the baby boom generation nearing retirement age, employers are taking actions to control the costs of providing these benefits. In response to concerns that government contractors may be receiving underserved financial benefits by reducing retiree health benefits that were paid for under government contracts, we reviewed (1) what changes, if any, government contractors had made to their retiree health benefit plans and (2) the extent to which government agencies oversee retiree health benefit costs."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "A number of cities and counties have implemented photo enforcement programs to improve traffic safety. These programs use cameras to identify drivers running red lights or speeding and issue tickets to owners of identified vehicles. Such programs are eligible for funding through Department of Transportation (DOT) highway funding programs. GAO examined the role that federal funds have played in the local deployment of photo enforcement programs. GAO agreed to (1) identify local jurisdictions that are using photo enforcement devices--red-light cameras or photo radar--on federal-aid highways; (2) identify local jurisdictions that have received federal funding for photo enforcement; and (3) determine, for those jurisdictions that have received federal funding, how much revenue their photo enforcement programs have generated and the amount of that revenue received by private contractors."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "By the year 2006, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) projects it will lose a significant portion of its mission-critical workforce to retirement. Since fiscal year 1998, VBA has hired over 2,000 new employees to begin to fill this expected gap. GAO was asked to review, with particular attention for new employees, (1) the attrition rate at VBA and the soundness of its methods for calculating attrition and (2) whether VBA has adequate data to effectively analyze the reasons for attrition. To answer these questions, we obtained and analyzed attrition data from VBA's Office of Human Resources, calculated attrition rates for VBA and other federal agencies using a government-wide database on federal employment, and interviewed VBA officials about their efforts to measure attrition and determine why new employees leave."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Government Pension Offset (GPO) exemption was enacted in 1977 to equalize the treatment of workers covered by Social Security and those with government pensions not covered by Social Security. Congress asked GAO to (1) assess the extent to which individuals retiring from jobs not covered by Social Security may be transferring briefly to covered jobs in order to avoid the GPO, and (2) estimate the impact of such transfers on the Social Security Trust Fund."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Since Congress enacted the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21 Century (AIR-21) 3 years ago, much has changed. At that time, the focus was on reducing congestion and flight delays. Today, flights are being canceled for lack of business, two major air carriers are in bankruptcy, and attention has shifted from increasing the capacity of the national airspace system to enhancing aviation security. Furthermore, as the federal budget deficit has increased, competition for federal resources has intensified, and the costs of airport capital development are growing, especially with the new requirements for security. Nonetheless, analysts expect the demand for air traffic services to rebound. Until that time, the unexpected slump in air traffic creates a window of opportunity to improve the safety and efficiency of the national airport system."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks exposed the vulnerability of U.S. financial markets to wide-scale disasters. Because the markets are vital to the nation's economy, GAO's testimony discusses (1) how the financial markets were directly affected by the attacks and how market participants and infrastructure providers worked to restore trading; (2) the steps taken by 15 important financial market organizations to address physical security, electronic security, and business continuity planning since the attacks; and (3) the steps the financial regulators have taken to ensure that the markets are better prepared for future disasters."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Much has changed since the Congress enacted the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR-21) 3 years ago--the downturn in the nation's economy and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, have taken a heavy toll on aviation. Competition for federal funding has also grown. The reauthorization of AIR-21 provides an opportunity for the Congress and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to focus on several challenges to improving the national airspace system. These challenges include (1) funding planned airport capital development, (2) increasing capacity and efficiency, (3) implementing human capital and procurement reforms, and (4) ensuring aviation safety. This testimony is based on ongoing and published GAO work. The information on funding and development, obtained from FAA and the Airport Council International (ACI), a key organization representing the airport industry, is preliminary and therefore subject to change."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Coast Guard is one of 22 agencies being placed in the new Department of Homeland Security. With its key roles in the nation's ports, waterways, and coastlines, the Coast Guard is an important part of enhanced homeland security efforts. But it also has non-security missions, such as search and rescue, fisheries and environmental protection, and boating safety. GAO has conducted a number of reviews of the Coast Guard's missions and was asked to testify about the Coast Guard's implementation challenges in moving to this newly created Department."

An Act establishing a vehicle emissions program.

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 certain statutory provisions relating to revocation of retirement benefits and immunity from liability apply to a retired teacher employed on a temporary basis by a third party that provides contractual staff services to a school district (RQ-0584-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, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether drug pricing information collected by the Department of Health and used by the Interagency Council on Pharmaceuticals Bulk Purchasing is subject to disclosure under the Public Information Act (RQ-0585-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, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether the Board of Chiropractic Examiners may by rule allow an individual whose license has expired to take a different licensing examination from that required under section 201.354(e) of the Occupations Code (RQ-0586-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, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Implementation of 1999 amendments to article XVI, section 30a, of the Texas Constitution, which governs the membership and terms of office of members of certain state boards (RQ-0587-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, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether the Department of Public Safety is authorized to inspect a rebuilt vehicle for which a Texas Salvage Certificate has been issued before the Department of Transportation issues a regular certificate of title for the vehicle (RQ-0588-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, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether the use of motor-vehicle-registration fees to fund trauma facilities contravenes article VIII, section 7-a of the Texas Constitution (RQ-0589-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, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether a county clerk may issue a marriage license to two absent applicants.

Call for nominations for the 2003-2004 Board of Directors for the National Stonewall Democrats. The forms detail the information and guidelines for nominations, dates and deadlines.

Report summary describing the work completed at TechLaw, Inc. for 'The Current Dynamics of the Oil and Gas Industry'. It includes background information on the project funding and sponsorship, goals, methodology, and findings.

Summary describing the work completed at Sonoma Technology, Inc. for Emission Inventories of OCS Production and Development Activities in the Gulf of Mexico. It includes background information on the project funding and sponsorship, goals, methodology, and findings.

This report provides a summary on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) porgrams, cross-cutting themes, and strategic goals for Members of Congress, Congressional staff, the media, NOAA constituents and customers, and all other individuals who may be interested in NOAA's accomplishments and future plans.

Report summary describing the work completed at Louisiana State University, Coastal Fisheries Institute for Importance of Zooplankton in the Diets of Blue Runner (Carnax crysos) Near Offshore Petroleum Platforms in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. It includes background information on the project funding and sponsorship, goals, methodology, and findings.

This report provides an overview of the technical work performed for the project "Emission Inventories of OCS Production and Development Activities in the Gulf of Mexico" as well as the emission inventories developed from the project.

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