A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Improvised explosive devices (IED) have been and continue to be a significant threat to U.S. forces. The Department of Defense (DOD) expanded efforts to defeat IEDs with the establishment of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) in January 2006. GAO was asked to review JIEDDO's management and operations. For this second report in its series, GAO determined (1) the extent to which JIEDDO's management processes provide adequate assurances that its financial information is accurate and provides transparency over its operations and (2) the extent to which JIEDDO identifies, records, tracks, and reports numbers of all personnel, including contractors. GAO analyzed data for the first half of fiscal year 2007, which included 47 funding transactions totaling $1.34 billion for 24 initiatives to address these objectives."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In January 2007 the President announced an initiative, referred to as Grow the Force, to increase the end strength in the Army by more than 74,000 by 2013 and the Marine Corps by 27,000 personnel by 2011 to enhance U.S. forces, reduce stress on deployable personnel, and provide necessary forces for success in the Global War on Terrorism. The Department of Defense (DOD) estimates that it will need more than $17 billion for facilities to accommodate the planned personnel increases. GAO was asked to review (1) the process the Army and Marine Corps used to develop construction projects associated with Grow the Force, (2) the extent to which the projects submitted in DOD's budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008 support the initiative, and (3) whether the Army and Marine Corps plan to use temporary facilities while construction projects are completed. GAO reviewed the construction projects associated with Grow the Force in DOD's budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008, reviewed stationing documents, and interviewed officials at Army and Marine Corps headquarters and six installations on the process used to develop projects. In comments …

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Surface transportation programs need to be reexamined in the context of the nation's current unsustainable fiscal path. Surface transportation programs are particularly ready for review as the Highway Trust Fund faces a fiscal imbalance at a time when both congestion and travel demand are growing. As you requested, this report (1) provides an overview of the federal role in surface transportation and the goals and structures of federal programs, (2) summarizes GAO's conclusions about the structure and performance of these programs, and (3) provides principles to assess options for focusing future surface transportation programs. GAO's study is based on prior GAO reports, stakeholder reports and interviews, Department of Transportation documents, and the views of transportation experts."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Air Mobility Command's airlift rates, focusing on the: (1) extent to which the Air Mobility Command has reliable financial information for managing airlift transportation services; and (2) factors affecting efficient cost control of airlift services."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The safety of millions of airline passengers depends in part on aviation mechanics--known as A&P mechanics--that are certified to inspect, service, and repair the aircraft's body (airframe) and/or engine (powerplant). The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) establishes the requirements to become certified as an A&P mechanic. Concerns have been raised in the aviation industry about having a sufficient number of A&P mechanics over the long term. GAO was asked to determine how many aircraft mechanics and service technicians the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects will be employed in 2010, and the reasonableness of that projection; the sources that supply and train A&P mechanics and the likelihood that they will provide a sufficient number through 2010; and what is being done by FAA and the aviation industry to ensure that the skills of A&P mechanics are sufficient to work on technologically advanced aircraft?"

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), taxpayers currently owe about $249 billion in delinquent taxes. At the same time, the government pays billions of dollars in Social Security, retirement, and other federal payments to thousands of these individuals. To help IRS administer tax laws fairly and collect delinquent taxes effectively, Congress included a provision authorizing the Federal Payment Levy Program, which allows IRS to continuously levy up to 15 percent of certain federal payments made to delinquent taxpayers. Because of congressional interest about whether the Federal Payment Levy Program is being implemented as intended, GAO was asked to assess how well the program is operating."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In response to concerns about the impact of proposed cuts in the Defense Commissary Agency's workforce, the House Armed Services Committee placed in its report on the Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 a requirement that we evaluate the effect of the personnel reductions. Specifically, we assessed (1) the status of personnel reductions and how they have affected store operations and customer service, and (2) whether the agency uses a reliable methodology to measure customer satisfaction with its commissaries."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Unemployment Insurance (UI) program, administered by the U.S. Department of Labor in partnership with states, plays a critical role in ensuring the financial security of America's workforce. In fiscal year 2002, state UI programs paid benefits totaling $50.8 billion to 10.6 million unemployed workers. In March 2002, in response to an increase in unemployment and the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the federal government passed the Job Creation and Worker Assistance Act of 2002. This broad stimulus package included a distribution to states of $8 billion of the unemployment tax revenue it holds in reserve, referred to as a Reed Act distribution. Under the act, these funds may be used to pay UI benefits, and/or to enhance UI benefits, such as increasing weekly benefit payments, extending the period of time benefits are paid, or otherwise expanding eligibility to groups that currently do not qualify for benefits. The funds may also be used for the administration of UI and employment services (ES) programs, including one-stop service centers, if appropriated by state law. This report provides information on (1) the proportion of Reed Act dollars that states …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on various costs aspects of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), focusing on the: (1) federal and nonfederal sources and amounts of funding and in-kind contributions received by state-level and local WIC agencies and Indian tribal organizations for WIC nutrition services and administration; (2) amount and type of expenditures for nutrition services and administration made by these agencies and Indian tribal organizations; and (3) extent to which the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) identified questionable expenditures for nutrition services and administration during their evaluations of these activities."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Energy's (DOE) Material Protection, Control, and Accounting program, which is designed to improve nuclear material security in Russian facilities, focusing on the: (1) number of buildings that have received nuclear material security systems and the amount of nuclear material that is protected under the systems; and (2) program's costs to date, including a breakdown of program expenditures, the amount of program funds that did not go directly to program activities but have been paid in Russian taxes, and the estimated cost to complete the program."

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In preparation for the upcoming Pu Workshop in Livermore, CA, USA, during July 14 and 15, 2006, we have begun to give some thought as to how the meeting will be structured and what will be discussed. Below, you will find our first proposal as to the agenda and contents of the meeting. From you, we need your feedback and suggestions concerning the desirability of each aspect of our proposal. Hopefully, we will be able to converge to a format that is acceptable to all parties. First, it now appears that we will be limited to three main sessions, Friday morning (July 14), Friday afternoon (July 14) and Saturday morning (July 15). The Pu Futures Meeting will conclude on Thursday, July 13. Following a social excursion, the Russian participants will be transported from Monterey Bay to their hotel in Livermore. We anticipate that the hotel will be the Residence Inn at 1000 Airway Blvd in Livermore. However, the hotel arrangements still need to be confirmed. We expect that many of our participants will begin their travels homeward in the afternoon of Saturday, July 15 and the morning of Sunday, July 16. Associated with the three main sessions, we propose that …

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The Head Observation Organizer, HObO, is a computer program that stores and manages measured ground-water levels. HObO was developed to help ground-water modelers compile, manage, and document water-level data needed to calibrate ground-water models. Well-construction and water-level data from the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Database (NWIS) easily can be imported into HObO from the NWIS web site (NWISWeb). The water-level data can be flagged to determine which data will be included in the calibration data set. The utility program HObO_NWISWeb was developed to simplify the down loading of well and water-level data from NWISWeb. An ArcGIS NWISWeb Extension was developed to retrieve site information from NWISWeb. A tutorial is presented showing the basic elements of HObO.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

If there is a single word that both characterized 2007 and dominated the thoughts and actions of many Laboratory employees throughout the year, it is transition. Transition refers to the major shift that took place on October 1, when the University of California relinquished management responsibility for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), and Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC (LLNS), became the new Laboratory management contractor for the Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). In the 55 years under the University of California, LLNL amassed an extraordinary record of significant accomplishments, clever inventions, and momentous contributions in the service of protecting the nation. This legacy provides the new organization with a built-in history, a tradition of excellence, and a solid set of core competencies from which to build the future. I am proud to note that in the nearly seven years I have had the privilege of leading the Computation Directorate, our talented and dedicated staff has made far-reaching contributions to the legacy and tradition we passed on to LLNS. Our place among the world's leaders in high-performance computing, algorithmic research and development, applications, and information technology (IT) services and support is solid. I am especially gratified to …

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This report consists of alternatives for modeling results from the RAND health insurance experiment

Child nutrition programs and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children are typically subject to periodic comprehensive reviews, when several appropriations and other authorities expire and have to be reauthorized.

This report identifies selected websites that provide general and statistical information on immigration topics. Selected government and organizational website addresses are included. As with all statistics, it is important to note the source and methodology when consulting immigration statistics, taking into account any organizational bias.

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This report is organized in three parts. First, it discusses the extent of GHG emissions associated with the U.S. agriculture sector, and cites current and potential estimates for U.S. agricultural soils to sequester carbon and partly offset national GHG emissions. Second, the report describes the types of land management and farm conservation practices that can reduce GHG emissions and/or sequester carbon in agricultural soils, highlighting those practices that are currently promoted under existing voluntary federal agricultural programs. Third, the report discusses the types of questions that may be raised regarding the role of the U.S. agriculture sector in the broader climate change debate, and also discusses the role of climate-related issues (e.g., GHG emissions reductions and carbon sequestration) in the context of farm program legislation that the 110th Congress may consider.