Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This letter formally transmits the attached briefing in response to Senate Report No. 110-77, which accompanied the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Pub. L. No. 110-181). The Senate Report requires GAO to review DOD's plans for the development of language and cultural awareness capabilities and to report to the congressional defense committees by December 31, 2008. On November 24, 2008, we provided the briefing to staff of congressional committees to satisfy this mandate. We plan to complete our work and issue a final report at a later date."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO has performed the agreed-upon procedures solely to assist the Department of Transportation (DOT) in ascertaining whether the net excise tax revenue distributed to the Airport and Airway Trust Fund (AATF) for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, is supported by the underlying records. As agreed with DOT, GAO evaluated fiscal year 2008 activity affecting distributions to the AATF."

A statement of record issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO was asked to provide its views on projected trends in health care costs and their effect on the long-term outlook for state and local governments in the context of the current economic environment. This statement addresses three key points: (1) the state and local government sector's long-term fiscal challenges; (2) rapidly rising health care costs which drive the sector's long-term fiscal difficulties, and (3) the considerations involved in targeting supplemental funds to states through the Medicaid program during economic downturns. To provide Congress and the public with a broader perspective on our nation's fiscal outlook, GAO previously developed a fiscal model of the state and local sector. This model enables GAO to simulate fiscal outcomes for the sector in the aggregate for several decades into the future. GAO first published the findings from the state and local fiscal model in 2007. This statement includes August 2008 data to update the simulations. This Committee and others also asked GAO to analyze strategies to help states address increased Medicaid expenditures during economic downturns. GAO simulated the provision of such supplemental assistance to states. As we previously …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Expeditionary Fire Support System (EFSS)--which consists of two kinds of motorized vehicles, a 120-mm mortar, an ammunition trailer, and fire direction equipment--is being developed to meet the United States Marine Corps' need for a weapon system that can be carried inside the MV-22 Osprey to support assault operations. The Marine Corps Operational Test and Evaluation Activity (MCOTEA), the independent test agency for the Marines, conducted initial operational testing and evaluation of the EFSS from May to July 2007, and reported in September 2007, among other things, that it experienced several safety, performance, reliability, and mechanical problems. We briefed Congress on these and other issues related to the EFSS in September 2007. Subsequently, at congressional request, the Marine Corps delayed full-rate production of the EFSS until after GAO reported on the system. In December 2007, we issued our report, which described the system's safety, performance, reliability, and mechanical problems. MCOTEA retested the system in February and March 2008, focusing on determining whether the problems identified in 2007 were resolved. It reported its analysis of the test results in May 2008. In October 2008, Congress asked us to provide …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "We have performed the procedures described in the enclosure to this letter, which we agreed to perform and with which the Department of Transportation concurred, solely to assist the office in ascertaining whether the net excise tax revenue distributed to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, is supported by the underlying records. As agreed with the office, we evaluated fiscal year 2008 activity affecting distributions to the HTF. We conducted the engagement in accordance with U.S. generally accepted government auditing standards, which incorporate financial audit and attestation standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. The procedures we agreed to perform were related to (1) transactions that represent the underlying basis of amounts distributed to the HTF during fiscal year 2008, (2) the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) quarterly HTF receipt certifications during fiscal year 2008, (3) the Department of the Treasury's Financial Management Service adjustments to the HTF during fiscal year 2008, (4) the Department of the Treasury's Office of Tax Analysis's (OTA) process for estimating excise tax amounts to be distributed to the HTF for the fourth quarter …

Other written product issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Presented is GAO's performance and accountability report for fiscal year 2008. In the spirit of the Government Performance and Results Act, this annual report informs the Congress and the American people about what we have achieved on their behalf. The financial information and the data measuring GAO's performance contained in this report are complete and reliable."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In January 2006, the Secretary of State announced major changes in the U.S. government's process for directing and managing foreign assistance programs in a reorganization and revision of operational procedures commonly known as the F Process. These changes were intended to ensure the effective use of U.S. foreign assistance to meet broad U.S. foreign policy objectives and more fully align programs carried out by the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). To administer the F Process, the Secretary created the new Office of the Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance (State/F) with a Director of Foreign Assistance (DFA), who carries the rank of Deputy Secretary of State and also serves concurrently as USAID Administrator. To support State and USAID planning, budgeting, and reporting of foreign assistance under these reforms, State/F developed two new data information systems, the Foreign Assistance Coordination and Tracking System (FACTS) and FACTS Info. FACTS, which State/F began to develop in mid-2006, is a database used to collect foreign assistance planning and reporting data, including plans for implementing current-year appropriated budgets and performance planning and reporting data. FACTS Info, which State/F …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Section 830 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 directed GAO to compare procedures used for awarding noncompetitive defense contracts for new projects pursuant to (1) congressionally directed spending items or congressional earmarks and (2) the special interests of senior executive branch officials."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "On August 29, 2005, and in the ensuing days, Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma devastated the Gulf Coast region of the United States. Hurricane Katrina alone affected more than a half million people located within approximately 90,000 square miles spanning Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, ultimately resulted in over 1,600 deaths, and has spawned one of the largest natural disaster relief and recovery operations in U.S. history. Almost 3 years prior to the hurricanes, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) largely in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The Homeland Security Act merged 22 disparate agencies and organizations into the new department, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Homeland Security Act generally charged DHS with securing the homeland against terrorist attacks and carrying out the functions of all transferred entities, including acting as a focal point regarding natural and man-made crises and emergency planning. Hurricane Katrina severely tested disaster management at the federal, state, and local levels and revealed weaknesses in the basic elements of preparing for, responding to, and recovering from any catastrophic disaster. Beginning in February …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Strong productivity gains in the U.S. economy hinge, in part, on transportation networks working efficiently. Continued development and efficient management of the nation's freight transportation system--especially highways and rail lines that connect international gateways and intermodal facilities to retailers, producers, and consumers--are important to sustaining the nation's competitive position in the global economy. However, the increasing congestion on the transportation system poses a threat to the efficient flow of the nation's goods and has strained the system in some locations. Moreover, recent growth in international trade has placed even greater pressures on ports, border crossings, and distribution hubs. Congestion delays that significantly constrain freight mobility in these areas could result in increased economic costs for the nation. The Federal Highway Administration has calculated that delays caused by highway bottlenecks cost the trucking industry alone more than $8 billion a year. Recognizing that freight congestion has been well-defined and studied, Congress asked us to research technologies and projects currently in place or in development that could improve freight mobility, including low-cost approaches. In doing our work, we learned that the National Cooperative Freight Research Program (NCFRP) is currently conducting …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since 1992, GAO has published long-term fiscal simulations of what might happen to federal deficits and debt levels under varying policy assumptions. We developed our long-term model in response to a bipartisan request from Members of Congress who were concerned about the longterm effects of fiscal policy. GAO runs two simulations: (1) "Baseline Extended" follows the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) September baseline estimates for the first 10 years and then simply holds revenue and spending other than large entitlement programs constant as a share of gross domestic product (GDP); and (2) The "Alternative" simulation is based on historical trends and recent policy preferences. Discretionary spending grows with GDP rather than inflation during the first 10 years, Medicare physician payment rates are not reduced as in CBO's baseline, and all tax provisions are extended until 2018 and then revenues are brought back to about their historical level. We update our simulations as new estimates become available from CBO and the Social Security and Medicare Trustees. This update incorporates CBO's most recent baseline projections that were released in September. This product responds to congressional interest in receiving updated simulation results."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Gasoline prices are volatile and have increased greatly over the last several years, before dropping again recently. The national average of regular grade retail gasoline prices increased from about $2.24 the week of January 2, 2006, to a peak of $4.11 the week of July 14, 2008, an increase of almost 84 percent, before dropping to about $2.40 the week of November 3, 2008. High fuel prices have focused attention on conservation. Congress previously used a national speed limit as an approach to conserve fuel when, in 1974, it provided for a national 55 mile per hour (mph) speed limit to reduce gasoline consumption in response to the 1973 Arab oil embargo. The law prohibited federal funding of certain highway projects in any state with a maximum speed limit in excess of 55 mph. In 1987, Congress allowed states to raise the maximum speed limit to 65 mph on rural interstate routes. In 1995, the 55 mph speed limit was repealed. Since then, states have been free to set speed limits without the loss of federal highway funds. Congress expressed interest in obtaining information on using a national …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since the 1960s, classified satellite information collected by intelligence agencies has been used, from time to time, by federal civilian agencies and other non-intelligence entities for civil, scientific, and environmental purposes (such as mapping, disaster relief, and environmental research). These uses have historically been coordinated by the Civil Applications Committee (CAC) led by the U.S. Geological Survey, a component of the Department of the Interior. Following the events of September 11, 2001, attention has turned to information sharing as a key element in developing comprehensive and practical approaches to defending against potential terrorist attacks. Having information on threats, vulnerabilities, and incidents can help an agency better understand the risks and determine what preventive measures should be implemented. The ability to share such terrorism-related information can also unify the efforts of federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as the private sector in preventing or minimizing terrorist attacks. Exchanging terrorism-related information continues to be a significant challenge for federal, state, and local governments--one that we recognize is not easily addressed. Accordingly, since January 2005, we have designated information sharing for homeland security a high-risk area. Citing a growing …

Other written product issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Investments in the education and health of children are critical to the nation's future, as the nation's security and well-being depend on a productive citizenry. While families play the essential role in nurturing their children, the federal government has traditionally provided aid to disadvantaged children and families. However, federal spending on current health care and retirement programs--Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security--is projected to grow dramatically and absorb an increasing share of the federal budget and economic output. Absent meaningful changes, little room will be left in the federal budget to address other priorities, including programs designed to assist and ensure opportunities for disadvantaged children and families. GAO convened this forum on June 25, 2008, to identify key areas of concern related to disadvantaged children and their families and to discuss ideas to address these concerns within this fiscal environment."

The purposes for which this grant was provided were specifically (1) to construct a tandem instrument that combined a low energy electron microscope (LEEM) with an ion beam source capably of irradiating a sample during observation of the surface using LEEM; and (2) to employ the new machine to whatever degree possible to observe the evolution of clean crystal surfaces during ion beam irradiation. A principal motivation was to investigate the fundamental behavior of radiation damage under circumstances for which the damage can be observed directly in real time as it occurs. A second main motivation was to create tunable perturbations of the defect (adatom and advacancy) equilibrium on clean crystal planes and in this way explore the fundamental kinetics of surface behavior that enters into numerous phenomena of interest to DOE including surface erosion, catalysis, and the damage to crystals caused by impacts of energetic particles. The funding has been employed to successfully pursue all the original goals, and additional opportunities that developed as a result of discoveries made in this research.

Application materials submitted to the Texas Historical Commission requesting a historic marker for the Mt. Olive Baptist Church, in Bastrop, Texas. The materials include the inscription text of the marker, original application, narrative, illustrations, and photographs.

Application materials submitted to the Texas Historical Commission requesting a historic marker for the Weslaco High School, in Weslaco, Texas. The materials include the inscription text of the marker, original application, narrative, and photographs.

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 an individual who is both a retired state employee and an active state employee with a different state agency may receive two separate state contributions under the group benefits plans offered by the state (RQ-0712-GA)

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 Spring Branch Independent School District’s pre-kindergarten programs run in collaboration with a Head Start agency are exempt from licensing requirements for child-care facilities (RQ-0709-GA)

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: Construction of a conflict of interest statue, Government Code section 2054.022(a)(7), which prohibits a board member or executive director of the Department of Information Resources from accepting or receiving "money or another thing of value from an individual, firm, or corporation to whom a contract may be awarded" (RQ-0706-GA).

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 Texas Department of Insurance may access criminal history record information that is subject to a nondisclosure order under Government Code section 411.081(d) (RQ-0713-GA).

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 Waller County Appraisal District Office must be physically located within the boundaries of Waller County (RQ-0715-GA).

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; Meaning of "administrative costs" for purposes of section 352.1015(c), Tax Code relating to the expenditures from the hotel occupancy tax (RQ-0714-GA)

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 county commissioners court may establish an electronic monitoring program under Code of Criminal Procedure article 42.035(b) (RQ-0718-GA)