Guidance issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This is the Government Auditing Standards Implementation Tool. This document outlines the professional requirements tool for use in implementing requirements identified by "must" and "should" in the July 2007 revision of Government Auditing Standards. This document is supplementary to the July 2007 revision. The Implementation Tool does not apply to the December 2011 revision."

This document contains a business plan for the National Security Technology Incubator (NSTI), developed as part of the National Security Preparedness Project (NSPP) and performed under a Department of Energy (DOE)/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) grant. This business plan describes key features of the NSTI, including the vision and mission, organizational structure and staffing, services, evaluation criteria, marketing strategies, client processes, a budget, incubator evaluation criteria, and a development schedule. The purpose of the NSPP is to promote national security technologies through business incubation, technology demonstration and validation, and workforce development. The NSTI will focus on serving businesses with national security technology applications by nurturing them through critical stages of early development. The vision of the NSTI is to be a successful incubator of technologies and private enterprise that assist the NNSA in meeting new challenges in national safety, security, and protection of the homeland. The NSTI is operated and managed by the Arrowhead Center, responsible for leading the economic development mission of New Mexico State University (NMSU). The Arrowhead Center will recruit business with applications for national security technologies recruited for the NSTI program. The Arrowhead Center and its strategic partners will provide business incubation services, including hands-on mentoring …

This report describes the process by which the National Security Technology Incubator (NSTI) will be evaluated. The technology incubator is being developed as part of the National Security Preparedness Project (NSPP), funded by a Department of Energy (DOE)/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) grant. This report includes a brief description of the components, steps, and measures of the proposed evaluation process. The purpose of the NSPP is to promote national security technologies through business incubation, technology demonstration and validation, and workforce development. The NSTI will focus on serving businesses with national security technology applications by nurturing them through critical stages of early development. An effective evaluation process of the NSTI is an important step as it can provide qualitative and quantitative information on incubator performance over a given period. The vision of the NSTI is to be a successful incubator of technologies and private enterprise that assist the NNSA in meeting new challenges in national safety and security. The mission of the NSTI is to identify, incubate, and accelerate technologies with national security applications at various stages of development by providing hands-on mentoring and business assistance to small businesses and emerging or growing companies. To achieve success for both incubator businesses …

This report documents the creation of a Workforce Development Advisory Team as part of the National Security Preparedness Project (NSPP), being performed under a Department of Energy (DOE)/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) grant. This report includes a description of the purpose of the advisory team and a list of team members with sector designations. The purpose of the NSPP is to promote national security technologies through business incubation, technology demonstration and validation, and workforce development. Workforce development activities will facilitate the hiring of students to work with professionals in incubator companies, as well as assist in preparing a workforce for careers in national security. The goal of workforce development under the NSPP grant is to assess workforce needs in national security and implement strategies to develop the appropriate workforce. To achieve this goal, it will be necessary to determine the current state of the national security workforce and the educational efforts to train such a workforce. Strategies will be developed and implemented to address gaps and to make progress towards a strong, well-trained workforce available for current and future national security technology employers.

This report contains a summary of typical business incubation needs of small technology companies. This document will serve as a guide in the design and implementation of services offered by the National Security Technology Incubator (NSTI), an incubator program being designed and developed as part of the National Security Preparedness Project (NSPP), performed under a Department of Energy (DOE)/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) grant. This report includes a brief description of the methodology used to perform the needs assessment and services proposed to meet the needs of client companies. The purpose of the NSPP is to promote national security technologies through business incubation, technology demonstration and validation, and workforce development. The NSTI will focus on serving businesses with national security technology applications by nurturing them through critical stages of early development. The vision of the NSTI is to be a successful incubator of technologies and private enterprise that assist the NNSA in meeting new challenges in national safety, security, and protection of the homeland.

This report documents student experiential opportunities in national security careers as part of the National Security Preparedness Project (NSPP), being performed under a Department of Energy (DOE)/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) grant. This report includes a brief description of how experiential opportunities assist students in the selection of a career and a list of opportunities in the private sector and government. The purpose of the NSPP is to promote national security technologies through business incubation, technology demonstration and validation, and workforce development. Workforce development activities will facilitate the hiring of students to work with professionals in both the private and public sectors, as well as assist in preparing a workforce for careers in national security. The goal of workforce development under the NSPP grant is to assess workforce needs in national security and implement strategies to develop the appropriate workforce.

The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) evaluated the water demand response/vulnerability to climate change factors of regional economic sectors in the northern Great Plains. Regardless of the cause of climatic trends currently observed, the research focused on practical evaluation of climate change impact, using water availability as a primary factor controlling long-term regional economic sustainability. Project results suggest that the Upper Missouri, Red River, and Upper Mississippi Watersheds exhibit analogous response to climate change, i.e., extended drought influences water availability in the entire region. The modified trend suggests that the next period for which the Red River Basin can expect a high probability of below normal precipitation will occur before 2050. Agriculture is the most sensitive economic sector in the region; however, analyses confirmed relative adaptability to changing conditions. The price of agricultural commodities is not a good indicator of the economic impact of climate change because production and price do not correlate and are subject to frequent and irregular government intervention. Project results confirm that high water demand in the primary economic sectors makes the regional economy extremely vulnerable to climatic extremes, with a similar response over the entire region. Without conservation-based water management policies, long-term periods of …

Reconciliation summary and detail with an ending balance of $5,072.60 for the period ending on December 31, 2007.

News release about DART's reduced service schedule in observance of the New Year's holiday.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Frank Weston. Weston joined the Navy in June 1942 after graduating high school. Upon completing aviation machinist's mate training, he was assigned to CASU-23. In July 1943, Weston boarded USS Monterey (CVL-26), where he ran into childhood friend Gerald Ford. He was stationed on deck as a carburetor specialist making final engine adjustments just before planes took off. He helped push totaled planes overboard to clear the deck. After sailing through a typhoon that caused extensive damage and claimed three lives, Weston served as a pallbearer for their burial at sea. While the Monterey docked in Bremerton for repairs, Weston performed maintenance for training aircraft at Kitsap County Airport. Returning to combat at Okinawa, he was too busy to be frightened as kamikazes attacked. Weston was discharged in December 1945. As a civilian, he had difficulty finding work as an aircraft mechanic and instead pursued a career in pharmacy.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Joseph V. Kight, Jr. Kight was born 21 August 1924 in Pleasanton, Texas. He joined the Marines at age 17 in April 1942 in San Antonio and attended boot camp and radio school in San Diego where he trained as an artillery forward observer (AFO). His permanent unit was 12th Marines, 1st battalion, 3rd Marine Division, although he was temporarily attached to other units as needed. Kight sailed for the Pacific on the Mt. Vernon, and arrived in New Zealand before going to Guadalcanal on 4 July 1943 for artillery practice. On Bougainville, he landed in the initial waves and acted as radio man and AFO. Kight was on the island during the battles of Piva Trail and Grenade Hill. He contracted dengue fever before leaving the island after 72 days on 12 January 1944. On Guam, Kight was involved in a banzai attack and numerous actions against the Japanese including the battle of Finnegayan. Kight arrived on Iwo Jima on 18 February and remained in reserve until 23 February. Upon landing, he helped conduct fire missions on the air strip. He departed Iwo Jima around 10 April …

P.O. Box Fee Due addressed to Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucus with a postmark of December 27, 2007.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Alva Hudson. Hudson joined the Navy in January of 1942. He served in the Armed Guard, using the 20mm gun aboard the tanker SS John Archibald. They transported oil to Halifax, Nova Scotia, across the North Atlantic to Glasgow, Scotland. They traveled with a convoy of around 40 ships. Beginning November of 1943 Hudson served as a gunner on the 40mm gun aboard the USS New Jersey (BB-62). They traveled to Ellice Island. They participated in battles at Majuro Island, Palau, Saipan, Okinawa, Formosa and the Philippine Islands. Hudson completed 36 months sea duty and provides vivid details of his experiences aboard the ships and in the battles. He was discharged in January of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Henry Osburn. He begins with an anecdote about his birth and a mix-up on his birth certificate. In 1944, he was draftred into the Navy at 18 years of age. Osburn went to boot camp in San Diego for four weeks of intense training. His pay was $32 per month. When he finished Basic Training, Osburn was attached to Carrier Aircraft Support Unit 53 in Hopeville, California. Two months later, he was sent to Philadelphia for more training, this time with catapult and arresting gear. From there, Osburn reported to the USS Hornet (CV-12) operating in the Pacific. Osburn then speaks about the job he had working with aircraft arresting gear and life aboard ship. He mentions the ship being involved in operations at Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The United States Marine Corps and the Special Operations Command determined in 1999 that there was a need for a weapon system that could be carried inside the V-22 Osprey and deployed to support assault operations. The Expeditionary Fire Support System (EFSS), which consists of a vehicle that tows a 120 mm mortar and another vehicle that tows an ammunition trailer, is one of the systems now being developed to meet this need. In June 2005, the Marine Corps approved low-rate initial production of 6 EFSS units--each unit made up of two vehicles, a mortar and ammunition trailer. From May to July 2007, the Marine Corps Operational Test and Evaluation Activity, the independent test agency for the Marines, conducted initial operational testing and evaluation of the EFSS using refurbished developmental prototypes. The program office began receiving the low-rate production mortars in late October 2007 and is now going through the acceptance process. The delivery of the low-rate production vehicles to the government was delayed until mid-November 2007 so that problems identified during the summer 2007 operational test could be fixed. The EFSS full-rate production decision was initially scheduled …

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: A law enforcement agency’s authority concerning money seized as contraband pending a court’s rendition of final judgment (RQ-0595-GA)

Other written product issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In this document, GAO provides guidance on complying with government auditing standards reporting requirements for the report on internal control for audits of certain entities subject to the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and Government Auditing Standards."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "About 5,500 people die each year as a result of crashes involving large commercial trucks or buses, and about 160,000 more are injured. While the fatality rate for these crashes has generally decreased over the last 20 years, the decline has leveled off in the most recent years. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) within the U.S. Department of Transportation shoulders the primary federal responsibility for reducing these crashes, fatalities, and injuries and recognizes the need to make improvements if it is to achieve further substantial safety advancements. A key FMCSA effort to improve motor carrier safety is implementing the agency's Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010) initiative. Through CSA 2010, FMCSA expects to reduce motor carrier crashes, fatalities, and injuries by using better ways to identify unsafe carriers and drivers; assessing a larger portion of the motor carrier industry and holding carriers and drivers accountable for sustained performance by regularly determining their safety fitness; and expanding the range of interventions to be used with carriers and drivers that fail to comply with safety requirements. Congress asked us to conduct a broad assessment of FMCSA's progress in …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Securing the nation's borders has taken on added importance since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. For years, millions of citizens of the United States, Canada, and Bermuda could enter the United States from certain parts of the Western Hemisphere using a wide variety of documents, including a driver's license issued by a state motor vehicle administration or a birth certificate, or in some cases for U.S. and Canadian citizens, without showing any documents. In the heightened national security environment following September 11, we have previously reported that documents like driver's licenses and birth certificates can easily be obtained, altered, or counterfeited and used by terrorists to travel into and out of the country. To help provide better assurance that border officials have the tools and resources to establish that people are who they say they are, as called for in the 9/11 Commission report, section 7209 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, as amended, requires the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to develop and implement a plan that requires a passport or other document or combination …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Stephen V. Painter. Painter was born 24 July 1922 in Ellis County Texas. He enlisted in the Army on 29 June 1942 and entered the glider pilot training program taking his pre-flight training in July 1942 in Goodland, Texas. He graduated in February 1943 as a flight officer and glider pilot before attending commando school in Louisville, Kentucky. He then joined the 435th Troop Carrier Group in Sedalia, Missouri and was shipped to England in October 1943 to prepare for the Normandy Invasion. His CG4A glider took off from Newberry on 6 June 1944 at 4:37AM. Flying over Omaha Beach he crash landed inland carrying thirteen 82nd Airborne Division troops and 2,000 pounds of anti-tank mines. He then joined the command post in St. Mere Eglise until he was evacuated to England where he flew as copilot on C-47s picking up wounded on the continent and delivering supplies for General George S. Patton’s advance. He was then sent to the Netherlands during Operation Market Garden with the 101st Airborne. Painter also flew in the Rhine Country crossing with the 17th Airborne and was severely wounded upon landing. After …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In fiscal year 2006, the United States Postal Service (USPS) was responsible for discarding about 6.1 billion pieces of undeliverable-as-addressed Standard Mail (a class of bulk advertising mail that includes catalogs and circulars). Some of this mail was recycled, but a large quantity of it was treated as waste and simply thrown away. Standard Mail is increasing in prominence due, in part, to its importance to businesses, nonprofits, and others as an effective way for (1) providing consumers with information on their products and services and (2) soliciting contributions from mail recipients. Some mail recipients, however, view Standard Mail as an annoyance that also poses privacy and environmental concerns. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Standard Mail accounted for about 5.8 million tons, or 2.4 percent, of municipal solid waste (otherwise known as trash or garbage) in 2005. Of this amount, 64 percent was placed in a landfill or incinerated, and 36 percent was recycled. The 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act required GAO to report--by December 20, 2007--on, among other matters, USPS mail-related recycling accomplishments and additional recycling opportunities. For mail-related recycling accomplishments (initiatives), we expanded our …

Texas Daily Newspaper Association names the officers and the directors for 2008, with Gary Borders being nominated president, Nelson Clyde IV elected vice president, Darrell Coleman as the newly elected treasurer and Charles Moser chairman of the executive committee for 2008. The document also names the new directors for Texas Daily Newspaper Association.

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 article XI, section 11 of the Texas Constitution prevails over the Harlingen City Charter regarding the filling of vacancies on the city commission.

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 local civil service commission may adopt a rule that awards additional points to applicants on the basis of residency within the municipality.