An annual report of the External Court Auditor on the Court Ordered Desegregation of the Dallas Independent School District 2001-2002.

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) mission is to protect the nation's transportation network. Since its inception in 2001, TSA has developed and implemented a variety of programs and procedures to secure commercial aviation. GAO examined (1) the progress DHS and TSA have made in securing the nation's commercial aviation system, and (2) challenges that have impeded the Department's efforts to implement its mission and management functions. This testimony is based on issued GAO reports and testimonies addressing the security of the nation's commercial aviation system, including a recently issued report (GAO-07-454) that highlights the progress DHS has made in implementing its mission and management functions."

Survey results from the 2007 Lone Star Ride. The survey asks participants and interested groups questions like, how they learned about LSR 2007, did they attend, levels of satisfaction, and other similar questionnaires.

News release about public meetings to be conducted by DART concerning a proposed general fare increase.

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) continues to face significant challenges in resolving its many long-standing business challenges. DOD is solely responsible for eight high-risk areas and shares responsibility for another seven governmentwide areas on GAO's high-risk list. GAO designated DOD's approach to business transformation as high risk in 2005 because (1) DOD's improvement efforts were fragmented, (2) DOD lacked an enterprisewide and integrated business transformation plan, and (3) DOD had not appointed a senior official at the right level with an adequate amount of time and appropriate authority to be responsible for overall business transformation efforts. A recent DOD directive designated the current Deputy Secretary of Defense as DOD's chief management officer (CMO). Successful overall business transformation, however, will require full-time leadership that is focused solely on the integration and execution of these efforts, over the long term, to resolve pervasive weaknesses that have left DOD vulnerable to waste, fraud, and abuse at a time of increasing fiscal constraint. This testimony is based on previous and ongoing GAO work and discusses (1) the impact of DOD's long-standing business challenges on DOD and the warfighter, and (2) the progress …

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Following the 1990-91 Persian Gulf War, many servicemembers experienced health problems that they attributed to their military service in the Persian Gulf. However, a lack of servicemember health and deployment data hampered subsequent investigations into the nature and causes of these illnesses. Public Law 105-85, enacted in November 1997, required the Department of Defense (DOD) to establish a system to assess the medical condition of service members before and after deployments. GAO reported on (1) the Army's and Air Force's compliance with DOD's force health protection and surveillance requirements for servicemembers deploying in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Central Asia and Operation Joint Guardian (OJG) in Kosovo and (2) the status of DOD efforts to correct problems related to the accuracy and completeness of databases reflecting which servicemembers were deployed to certain locations. (Defense Health Care: Quality Assurance Process Needed to Improve Force Health Protection and Surveillance (GAO-03-1041, Sept. 19, 2003)) GAO was asked to testify on its findings regarding the Army's and Air Force's compliance with DOD's force health protection and surveillance policies. For its report, GAO reviewed records for statistical samples of active duty …

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This correspondence discusses financial weaknesses reported in the Department of Education's fiscal year 1999 financial statement audit. A major area needing improvement involves internal controls, which provide the framework for the accomplishment of management objectives, accurate financial reporting, and compliance with laws and regulations. This lack of good internal controls puts Education at risk of waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. Corrective actions undertaken by Education in response to the identified weaknesses indicate that it is making progress in working towards financial accountability. These corrective actions include purchasing a new general ledger system, acquiring a software tool to help automate the reconciliation process, improving computer controls, and establishing a process to transfer certain excess Federal Family Education Loan Program funds to the Treasury. The effectiveness of the corrective actions will be determined as part of the fiscal year 2000 financial statement audit."

Blank probation data survey containing a series of questions related to the probationary population in a particular location, with instructions for filling out the survey.

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Each year, millions of visitors, foreign students, and immigrants come to the United States. Visitors may enter on a legal temporary basis--that is, with an authorized period of admission that expires on a specific date--either (1) with temporary visas (generally for tourism,business,or work) or, in some cases (2) as tourists or business visitors who are allowed to enter without visas. (The latter group includes Canadians and qualified visitors from 27 countries who enter under the visa waiver program.) The majority of visitors who are tracked depart on time, but others overstay. Four of the 9/11 hijackers who entered the United States with legal visas overstayed their authorized periods of admission. This has heightened attention to issues such as (1) the extent of overstaying, (2) weaknesses in our current overstay tracking system, and (3) how the tracking system weaknesses and the level of overstaying might affect domestic security."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Substantial growth in the mortgage market in recent years has helped many Americans become homeowners. However, as of the latest quarterly data available, June 2007, more than 1 million mortgages were in default or foreclosure, an increase of 50 percent compared with June 2005. Defaults and foreclosures on home mortgages can impose significant costs on borrowers, lenders, mortgage investors, and neighborhoods. Additionally, recent increases in defaults and foreclosures have contributed to concern and increased volatility in certain U.S. and global financial markets. These developments have raised questions about the extent and causes of problems in the mortgage market. To provide some insights on these issues, Congress asked GAO to analyze (1) the scope and magnitude of recent default and foreclosure trends, and how these trends compare with historical values, and (2) developments in economic conditions and the primary and secondary mortgage markets associated with these trends."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Because the safety and economic security of the United States depend in substantial part on the security of its 361 seaports, the United States has a vital national interest in maritime security. The Security and Accountability for Every Port Act (SAFE Port Act), modified existing legislation and created and codified new programs related to maritime security. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its U.S. Coast Guard, Transportation Security Agency, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection have key maritime security responsibilities. This testimony synthesizes the results of GAO's completed work and preliminary observations from GAO's ongoing work related to the SAFE Port Act pertaining to (1) overall port security, (2) security at individual facilities, and (3) cargo container security. To perform this work GAO visited domestic and overseas ports; reviewed agency program documents, port security plans, and post-exercise reports; and interviewed officials from the federal, state, local, private, and international sectors."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In fiscal year 2006, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) estimated it spent over $51 billion on the Medicare Advantage program, which serves as an alternative to the traditional feefor- service program. Under the Medicare Advantage program, CMS approves private companies to offer health plan options to Medicare enrollees that include all Medicare-covered services. Many plans also provide supplemental benefits. The Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997 requires CMS to annually audit the financial records supporting the submissions (i.e., adjusted community rate proposals (ACRP) or bids) of at least onethird of participating organizations. BBA also requires that GAO monitor the audits. This testimony provides information on (1) the ACRP and bid process and related audit requirement, (2) CMS' efforts related to complying with the audit requirement, and (3) factors that cause CMS' audit process to be of limited value."

A listing of the new members of the Texas Stonewall Democrats of Austin. Included is an envelope from John Laverriere to TSDS.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Frank Jagielski. Jagielski was born in Redding, Pennsylvania 5 April 1926. In May 1943, he joined the Navy and attended boot camp at Sampson, New York. Following graduation, he was sent to gunnery school at Price Neck, Rhode Island. He was eventually assigned as a member of the deck force on the USS Cebu (ARG-6). He was present at Manus Island when the Mount Hood (AE-11) exploded. The blast killed six sailors on the Cebu. He received his discharge soon after the surrender of Japan.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Fred Moore. Moore entered the Army Air Force as an Aviation Cadet in March 1943. He was sent to Nashville, Tennessee for classification (pilot, navigator or bombardier training) and uniforms. Moore was selected for pilot training and was sent to Santa Ana, California for pre-flight training and Tulare, California for primary flight training. From there he went to Chico, California for basic flight training and to Stockton, California for advanced training. He was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in February 1944 at Stockton. Moore was selected for B-25 training (transition) and went to Mather Field. Afterwards, he was sent to Louisville, Kentucky where he was given minimal C-47 instruction. They were then flown to Morrison Field, West Palm Beach, Florida where he was issued a brand-new C-47, got a crew and received sealed orders. They were told they were going overseas but not told where...90 C-47s were going to India. They ended up in Sylhet (eastern India). It took them two weeks to get there. Moore's class had been picked out of B-25 training and thrown into C-47s because Churchill had asked Roosevelt for help; the Japanese had invaded …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harold Bond. Bond was drafted and entered the Navy in 1942. Upon completion of boot camp at Samson Naval Training Base in New York, he was assigned to the USS Cebu (ARG-6), which was in the Baltimore ship yard. He went to Pearl Harbor and describes the destruction he observed. Aboard the Cebu, Bond proceeded to Manus Island. While at anchorage there, the USS Mount Hood (AE-11) exploded and severely damaged the USS Mindanao (ARG-3), which was moored alongside. Five of the crewmen aboard the Cebu where killed by the blast. The ship then went to Leyte Gulf remaining there for seven months before proceeding to Okinawa where the crew weathered a typhoon. Bond recalls going to Japan before returning to the United States.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John McAuliffe. McAuliffe was drafted into the Army after finishing college in June 1944. He trained in Georgia and then was shipped to France in early 1945. He joined the 347th Infantry Regiment, 87th Infantry Division as a replacement in a heavy weapons platoon in the middle of January near the Saar River. He relates a few anecdotes about his combat experiences and the cold weather. When the war ended in Germany, McAuliffe stayed on occupation duty for a while before returning to the US and getting discharged in November, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Rhollie Nix. Nix joined the Navy in 1943. He completed schooling for welding, metallurgy and diving. He served as Second-Class Petty Officer and deep-sea diver aboard USS Cebu (ARG-6). He assisted with underwater welding repairs of LST propellers. They traveled to the Admiralty Islands, the Philippines, Okinawa and Japan. He was discharged around 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard Gilbert. Gilbert joined the Navy in early 1945. Beginning June of 1945, he served as Fireman First-Class aboard the USS Norris (DD-859), traveling to Hong Kong. There, they tended the mines and tended water for the minesweepers working along the coast. He continued his service after the war ended, serving aboard the USS Finch (DE-328), until his discharge in the spring of 1947.

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO appeared before the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Committee on Armed Services on September 18, 2007, to discuss the benefits and medical care for federal civilian and U.S. government contract employees deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. This report responds to Congress' request that GAO provide answers to questions for the record from the hearing. The questions are (1) What are the congressional requirements for medical tracking of deployed military servicemembers and civilians? and (2) What work has GAO conducted on this topic?"

This law was passed by the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to protect human health and the environment by controlling water pollution.

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Each year federal agencies issue numerous proposed or final rules or take other regulatory actions that may potentially affect the use of private property. Some of these actions may result in the property owner being owed just compensation under the Fifth Amendment. In 1988 the President issued Executive Order 12630 on property rights to ensure that government actions affecting the use of private property are undertaken on a well-reasoned basis with due regard for the potential financial impacts imposed on the government. This testimony is based on our recent report on the compliance of the Department of Justice and four agencies--the Department of Agriculture, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of the Interior--with the executive order. (Regulatory Takings: Implementation of Executive Order on Government Actions Affecting Private Property Use, GAO-03-1015, Sept.19,2003). Specifically, GAO examined the extent to which (1)Justice has updated its guidelines for the order to reflect changes in case law and issued supplemental guidelines for the four agencies, (2) the four agencies have complied with the specific provisions of the executive order, and (3) just compensation awards have been assessed …

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) mission is to protect the nation's transportation network. Since its inception in 2001, TSA has developed and implemented a variety of programs and procedures to secure commercial aviation and surface modes of transportation, including passenger and freight rail, mass transit, highways, commercial vehicles, and pipelines. Other DHS components, federal agencies, state and local governments, and the private sector also play a role in transportation security. GAO examined (1) the progress DHS and TSA have made in securing the nation's aviation and surface transportation systems, and (2) challenges that have impeded the department's efforts to implement its mission and management functions. This testimony is based on issued GAO reports and testimonies addressing the security of the nation's aviation and surface transportation systems, including a recently issued report (GAO-07-454) that highlights the progress DHS has made in implementing its mission and management functions."

A statement of record issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Departments of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) are establishing a medical surveillance system for the health care needs of military personnel and veterans. The system will collect and analyze information on deployments, environmental health threats, disease monitoring, medical assessments, and medical encounters. GAO has identified weaknesses in DOD's medical surveillance capability and performance during the Gulf War and Operation Joint Endeavor. Investigations into the unexplained illnesses of Gulf War veterans uncovered many deficiencies in DOD's ability to collect, maintain, and transfer accurate data on the movement of troops, potential exposures to health risks, and medical incidents during deployment. DOD has several initiatives under way to improve the reliability of deployment information and to enhance its information technology capabilities, though some initiatives are several years away from full implementation. The VA's ability to serve veterans and provide backup to DOD in times of war will be enhanced as DOD increases its medical surveillance capability."