A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) tax filing season performance is a key indicator of how well IRS serves taxpayers. This year's filing season was expected to be risky because of tax system changes, including the telephone excise tax refund (TETR). IRS's fiscal year (FY) 2008 budget request shows its spending proposal for taxpayer service, enforcement, and Business Systems Modernization (BSM). The request includes initiatives to reduce the tax gap, the difference between what taxpayers owe and what they voluntarily pay on time. IRS recently estimated the net tax gap to be $290 billion in 2001. GAO was asked to (1) describe IRS's 2007 filing season performance, (2) determine how IRS's proposed FY 2008 budget compares to prior years', provides information on how proposals may impact the tax gap, justifies new spending, and whether there are opportunities to reduce or reallocate resources, and (3) evaluate the status of IRS's efforts to develop and implement BSM."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Interstate compacts are legal agreements between states that are designed to resolve concerns that transcend state lines, such as allocating interstate waters. While some compacts assign their administration to existing state agencies, compacts requiring greater coordination among states may establish an interstate agency, typically called a commission, to administer their provisions. Congress must give its consent to compacts that affect the balance of power between the states and the federal government. An example of a congressionally approved environment and natural resource compact is the Tahoe Regional Planning Compact, which created the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) to administer its provisions. For such compacts, GAO determined (1) the organizational structures, powers and authorities, and dispute resolution and public accountability mechanisms; (2) the extent to which concerns have been raised about the structure and governance of compacts that have commissions; and (3) how the structure and governance of TRPA compares to those of other similar compact commissions. GAO reviewed 59 congressionally approved compacts and surveyed those 45 that had commissions."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, increased security requirements and a significant number of active duty and reserve personnel sent overseas to support the war on terror left the Department of Defense (DOD) with fewer military personnel to rely on to protect domestic installations. To correct this shortage, Congress is temporarily allowing DOD to use contract security guards to fulfill roles previously performed by military employees. The U.S. Army has awarded contracts worth nearly $733 million to acquire contract guards at 57 Army installations, an investment far greater than those made by other DOD services so far. The requesters asked GAO to assess how the Army has been managing and overseeing its acquisition of security guard services, particularly with regard to the Army's (1) acquisition strategy, (2) employment screening, (3) training of contract guards, and (4) award fee process. This report also discusses DOD's mandated November 2005 report to Congress on the contract guard program."

This report provides an overview of U.S.-Mexico economic relations, trade trends, the Mexican economy, NAFTA, and trade issues between the United States and Mexico.

This report provides background information about the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty and reviews the discussions about a possible successor to START. It also presents a range of alternatives that the United States and Russia might consider if they choose to follow START with a new framework for the arms control process.

This report provides a historical account and analysis of the global economic crisis through April 2, 2009. While business contraction appears to have abated, unemployment is shown to be on the rise and many businesses and countries are still facing difficulties.

This report surveys key aspects of Indonesia's domestic politics and strategic dynamics in addition to providing general background information on Indonesia.

This report discusses the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Hoffman Plastic Compounds v. NLRB, a case involving whether backpay may be awarded to an undocumented alien because his employer violated the National Labor Relations Act.

This report describes information security and data breach notification requirements included in the Privacy Act, the Federal Information Security Management Act.

This report analyzes data from America's Health Insurance Plans(AHIP), the national association representing health insurers, on the number of enrollers in HSA-qualified HDHPs.

This report discusses the changing role and finance of sea-based systems in U.S. ballistic missile defense (BMD). Decisions that Congress reaches on this issue could affect U.S. BMD capabilities and funding requirements; the size, capabilities, and operational patterns of the Navy and the other services; and the shipbuilding industrial base.

This report analyzes the FY2009 appropriations request, recent-year funding trends, and congressional action for FY2009.

Compilation of monthly reports from departments in the city of San Antonio, Texas providing statistics, project updates, and other information about services and activities.