Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Cannon House Office Building (Cannon Building)--completed in 1908--and the East and West House Underground Garages (East and West Garages)--built in 1968--have deteriorated over time and will need to be repaired, according to assessments conducted for the Architect of the Capitol (AOC). AOC plans to renovate these three facilities over approximately the next 8 years as part of a long-term effort to reduce maintenance backlogs and execute major renewal projects to sustain all Capitol Complex facilities."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This report was written in response to House Report 110-181, accompanying H.R. 2638, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, 2008. In accordance with direction in that report, we are reporting on the operation of the transportation security inspector (TSI) program since it has been located at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) within the Department of Homeland Security, including the size of the TSI workforce, the roles and responsibilities of TSIs, and the extent to which TSA has a reasonable basis for determining the size of the workforce needed to achieve inspection goals."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Federal agencies rely on a multisector workforce composed of federal employees and contractor personnel to perform services as they carry out their missions. Determining whether to obtain services through insourcing with current or new federal employees, outsourcing with private sector contractors, or cosourcing with a combination of the two is an important economic and strategic decision critical to the federal government's effective and efficient use of taxpayer dollars. The executive branch has encouraged federal agencies since the mid-1950s to obtain commercially available services from the private sector when outsourcing is cost-effective. In the last 5 fiscal years, civilian agencies have on average annually obligated about $100 billion to obtain a range of services from contractors. However, in March 2009, the President issued a memorandum on government contracting that, among other matters, expressed concern about the federal workforce as to whether agencies have become overreliant on contractors and have appropriately outsourced services. In particular, the President noted that the line between inherently governmental functions--those that must be performed by federal employees--and commercial activities that may be contracted for has been blurred. In the memorandum, the President directed the Office …

Conference materials printing check of $169.01 made on March 6, 2009.

News release about DART's "Where's My Bus?" app, which helps customers track their buses.

Phase change heat transfer is notorious for increasing the irreversibility of, and therefore decreasing the efficiency of, geothermal power plants. Its significant contribution to the overall irreversibility of the plant makes it the most important source of inefficiency in the process. Recent studies here have shown the promotion of drop wise condensation in the lab by means of increasing the surface energy density of a tube with nanotechnology. The use of nanotechnology has allowed the creation of surface treatments which discourage water from wetting a tube surface during a static test. These surface treatments are unique in that they create high- contact angles on the condensing tube surfaces to promote drop wise condensation.

Photocopy of an envelope addressed to Al Daniels, Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucus GPAC from Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio.

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In fiscal year 2007, the General Services Administration (GSA) purchased $853 million in supplies from businesses--large and small--for its Global Supply system for subsequent resale to federal agencies. Of this amount, $194 million was for office products sold through the Global Supply Stock Program (Stock Program). The Stock Program allows federal customers to purchase thousands of products, ranging from office supplies to firefighting equipment, from two GSA distribution centers. In an effort to reduce delivery times and cut costs, GSA has worked for several years to develop a new business model for the Stock Program. In November 2008, GSA issued a solicitation for proposals that would remove one-third, or about 550, of its office supply products from the Stock Program and require businesses to ship these office products directly to GSA customers. Under the proposed Direct Vendor Delivery (DVD) Program, blanket purchase agreements (BPA) would be put in place between GSA and vendors, with the aim of allowing customers to receive additional price discounts, save time, and reduce paperwork. Small businesses and others have raised concerns about the impact of the proposed shift to DVD on small businesses' …

Application materials submitted to the Texas Historical Commission requesting a historic marker for the Army Service Club, in Fort Clark Springs, Texas. The materials include the inscription text of the marker, original application, narrative, maps, floor plans, and photographs.

MC payment to Recognition Source reimbursement check of $337.74 made on March 6, 2009.

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In past reports, we have raised a number of concerns about the effectiveness of DOD's approach to compensation. For example, in our 2005 report on the challenges facing the United States in the 21st century, we emphasized the need for a baseline review of all major federal programs and policies, including military compensation, to ensure that they are efficiently and effectively meeting their objectives, particularly in light of concerns about the affordability and sustainability of federal spending. In 2005 and 2007, we assessed the active duty and reserve compensation systems and found the cost to provide compensation was substantial and rising. We also found that DOD's piecemeal approach to compensation involved increasing or making changes to compensation without completely understanding the impact that these changes might have on recruitment and retention. As DOD increasingly relies on the reserve components to carry out its military operations domestically and abroad, DOD and Congress have taken steps to improve recruitment and retention by increasing compensation. One example involves expanding educational benefits for mobilized reservists. The recently enacted Post 9-11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act (Post 9-11 VEAA), which becomes effective on August …

A document on the Texas Daily Newspaper Associations honoring four Texas newspapers for their innovative and fresh self promotion campaigns. TDNA awards the "Bright Ideas" to four circulation classes. The document details the winners and their article which won them the recognition.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Knuth. The Great Depression caused Knuth and his father to relocate often due to financial hardship. After the tenth move, Knuth sought refuge in the Navy in 1944. After basic training he was assigned as a deckhand to the USS Tulsa (PG-22). His battle station was at the 20-millimeter trunnion, unloading spent magazines. In his spare time he managed to converse with Chinese crewmen, despite the language barrier. Arriving in the Philippines in October 1944, the Tulsa was put on escort duty but was rarely used, due to its tendency to outpace other ships. Often under attack by enemy planes in the Philippines, the crew also had to be alert to Japanese saboteurs hiding under boxes that were floating down the river. In 1945, the ship’s name was changed to the USS Tacloban and erroneously received supplies bound for the new Tulsa, which happily included phonograph records. Knuth took an interest in electronics and learned to operate a film projector. Before returning home, he weathered five typhoons, and after arriving safely in November 1945 he stayed in the service another year.

Transcript of an oral interview with Enid Cothren, nee Barton. Cothren joined Great Britain's Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) in 1942 when she was 20. The ATS was the women's branch of the British Army. After two weeks training, she was assigned to a company in her hometown of Winchester where she worked in the quartermaster store. She discusses rationing in Britain during the war. She married an American in the medical corps during the war and left the ATS. She moved to the UNited States in 1946.

Transcript of an oral interview with Ernest Cothren. Cothren joined the Marine Reserves on his birthday (19 Feb) in 1943 and they called him in about two months later. He went to ordnance, radio and radar schools and finally went to bombardier and gunnery school in El Centro. He was put in a SCD squadron (VMSB-943) and put aboard a carrier in January and sailed for the Marshall Islands. They were in the 4th MAW and supported the 4th Marine Division. He couldn't fly combat missions because he wasn't 18 so he flew submarine patrol. He switched from SBDs to TBMs (and changed squadron number to VMTB-242) after the Marianas. After training on the TBMs in Hawaii, they were taken to the Caroline Islands and were part of the Fifth Fleet. They were put off on Fayette and flew missions against Yap and surrounding islands. From there they went to Guam and then Tinian and ended up flying patrol duty around Saipan and Tinian. When the U.S. got ready to hit Iwo Jima, his squadron went aboard a carrier (CVE) in the harbor at Saipan and bombed Iwo Jima. About 3-4 days after they raised the flag, his unit flew …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with George W. Peterson. Peterson was born on a farm near Hermitage, Missouri on 20 November 1918 and was drafted into the Army in 1941. After basic training at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas he went to Fort Riley and was assigned to the mechanized cavalry, training with armored cars and jeeps. Next, Peterson went to Norfolk, Virginia to work in a Ground Observer Corps Filter Center where aircraft and submarine contacts were plotted. After three months he went to Richmond, Virginia as a supervisor over civilian volunteers. After making application, he was accepted into the Army Air Corps cadet training program. He went to Kessler Field, Mississippi for training and took college preparatory classes prior to being sent to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for ten weeks. In early 1943 he went to Thunderbird Field, Arizona for preflight training. Peterson trained in various planes at several bases and received his wings at Marfa, Texas. He then went to Albuquerque, New Mexico for training in B-24s before being selected for B-29 bomber training at McCook, Nebraska. Upon completion, his crew picked up a new B-29. They flew to Guam and were assigned to …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Redfearn. Redfearn joined the Marine Corps after studying mechanical engineering at the University of Texas. He received basic training in San Diego. After serving as a drill instructor, he was assigned to the 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. On account of his mathematical aptitude, he was selected as a forward observer, relaying target information to the artillery. Redfearn referred them to aerial photos, directing their attention to specific locations and calling for slight adjustments once firing began. At Bougainville, the enemy was so close that the artillery had to improvise by putting sandbags under their front wheels to adequately elevate gun tubes. Redfearn was injured while handling ammunition and returned to the States, where he was assigned guard duty in Bethesda. He received a medical discharge at the end of the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Joseph Walker. Walker joined the Navy in September 1943 after taking a course in navigation at Georgia Tech. He then attended midshipmen’s school at Columbia University. Upon completion, he was assigned to the USS Canberra (CA-70), where he served as assistant navigator. He enjoyed seeing the beautiful sunsets on the Pacific before his evening star-sights. His ship supported landings at Kwajalein and Hollandia and first encountered enemy fire at Truk. They bombarded Iwo Jima in preparation for the eventual landing but did not realize the Japanese were untouchable in their underground passageways. Walker held a temporary assignment in the combat information center aboard the USS Shamrock Bay (CVE-84) at Luzon, where a carrier beside them was sunk by kamikazes. He then rejoined the Canberra at Ulithi. While he was away, the Canberra was hit with a torpedo. He attributes its survival to the superb damage-control skills of Captain Early. Walker returned home when the war ended and was discharged in New Orleans.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Victor Kuhn. Kuhn was born 1 August 1921 into a family of 13 children. He tells of living on a farm and growing up during the Great Depression. In July 1942 he enlisted in the Navy and attended boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois. Upon completion of boot camp, he was selected to attend radio school at the University of Chicago where he learned Morse code and radio procedures. Before he graduated, his father became sick and was unable to work the farm. Through the efforts of the Red Cross he was temporarily released from the Navy to assist his father. In July 1944 he was called back to active duty. Kuhn went through boot camp again and went to radio school again, this time at Bainbridge, Maryland. Upon completion of the basic radio course he was assigned to Japanese Radio Intercept School at Cheltenham, Maryland. He learned to copy Japanese messages using a typewriter and recalls that the school was considered Top Secret and was heavily guarded by a contingent of US Marines. Upon completing the radio intercept course he was sent to Hawaii. His duty was …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Viola Kaplan. Kaplan was a first-year student at DePaul when the war started. She left the university to join the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) in the spring of 1942 and received basic training in Kansas. Given her background as a math major, she was assigned as a logician to headquarters in New Guinea, where ships were loaded before invasions. Kaplan alone determined how best to fill each ship with troops and supplies. She worked under MacArthur and found him to be an unfriendly, forceful person. Kaplan contracted malaria and was treated on New Guinea. She felt the medical care was excellent, but she was taken off duty and sent home after her third outbreak. Kaplan resumed her studies, this time at UCLA, finishing at Rutgers. At the Northwestern medical school, she was the first woman to become director of finance and administration. In her 90s she was working for the census as a statistician.

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Congress asked GAO to estimate the effect on Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act of 1990 (CARE Act) funding to urban areas if certain stop-loss provisions are enacted. The CARE Act, administered by the Department of Health and Human Services's (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), was enacted to address the needs of jurisdictions, health care providers, and people with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). In December 2006, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act of 2006 (Modernization Act of 2006) reauthorized CARE Act programs for fiscal years 2007 through 2009. In February 2009, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009, which contains a stop-loss provision covering CARE Act funding for urban areas that receive funding under the CARE Act. This bill has not been passed by the Senate."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Small Business Innovation Development Act of 1982 established the Small Business Innovation Research program (SBIR) to stimulate technological innovation, use small businesses to meet federal research and development (R&D) needs, foster and encourage participation by minority and disadvantaged persons in technological innovation, and increase private sector commercialization of innovations derived from federal R&D. Since the program's inception, GAO has conducted numerous reviews of the SBIR program. This statement summarizes GAO's past findings on the SBIR program's (1) successes and challenges, (2) data collection issues that affect program monitoring and evaluation, and (3) how agencies make eligibility determinations for the program. GAO is not making any new recommendations in this statement."

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 police chief of an independent school district may simultaneously serve as a member of a city council of a city that is located within the geographical boundaries of the school district (RQ-0724-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 section 11.051(a-1), Education Code, alters the common-law standard for determining the number of votes necessary for a school district board of trustees to act in its official capacity (RQ-0725-GA)