Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of State adhered to applicable contracting laws and regulations in issuing three interim sole-source contract extensions to DynCorp Aerospace Technology. Although State had developed extensive plans to make a competitive award before DynCorp's existing contract expired, State determined that because of an ever-changing scope of work, it needed to prepare a completely new solicitation incorporating a different statement of work and various program changes. As a result, State could not award a new competitive contract before DynCorp's contract expired. The documentation shows that because of the contractor's magnitude, DynCorp's past experience on the job made it the only qualified contractor able to provide the services without interruption. As required, State publicized each of its decisions to use noncompetitive procedures for the interim contract extensions to allow potential offerors to challenge the decisions, but no firms expressed interest in competing for the awards. In awarding the current contract to DynCorp, State complied with the requirements for making a competitive award and also took discretionary steps to promote increased competition, such as holding a pre-proposal conference with potential offerors. Of the two proposals it received, State determined that …

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In 1995, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state of Idaho signed an agreement to clean up a mining area known as Bunker Hill. The agreement estimated that the total cost of the cleanup would be $126 million, with the state's share capped at $12.6 million. This correspondence focuses on (1) EPA's actual expenditures for cleanup activities and how these expenditures differ from the estimate set forth in the agreement and (2) the reasons for any major differences between actual and estimated cleanup expenditures. As of September 30, 2000, EPA had spent about $212 million on various cleanup and management support activities within the Bunker Hill Superfund site. About $101 million of the expenditures was for cleanup-related activities not covered by the EPA/state agreement and therefore not included in the 1995 cost estimate. These activities included the study and design of cleanup activities, emergency removals of contaminated materials, enforcement of responsible party cleanup activities, and indirect management support. The remaining $111 million was used for cleanup work covered by this agreement. EPA and the state of Idaho expect that the cleanup work covered by the agreement will …

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In May 2001, GAO issued its opinions on the calendar year 2000 financial statements of the Bank Insurance Fund, Savings Association Insurance Fund, and FSLIC Resolution Fund. GAO also issued its opinion on the effectiveness of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's (FDIC) internal control as of December 31, 2000, and its evaluation of FDIC's compliance with selected provisions of laws and regulations for the three funds for the year ended December 31, 2000. This report reviews the internal control weaknesses identified during GAO's audits of the 2000 financial statements, and recommends improvements to address those weaknesses. GAO found that FDIC has several internal control weaknesses related to financial reporting, including the execution of transactions. The weaknesses concern its asset valuation process and its allocation and recovery expenses. Specifically, GAO found that (1) errors in valuing receivership assets caused both overstatements and understatements in determining the allowance for loss related to receivables; (2) a calculation error in valuing equity partnership assets caused an overstatement in the allowance for loss related to other assets; and (3) incorrect operating expense amounts were allocated and recovered, which resulted in the incorrect distribution …

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report discusses information that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) provided to Congress on its investigation of Wen Ho Lee, a scientist formerly employed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. GAO focuses on whether the congressional testimony of Neil J. Gallagher, Assistant Director of the FBI's National Security Committee, was false or purposely misleading. GAO found that part of Mr. Gallagher's testimony before the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, in which he expressed full confidence in an administrative inquiry by the Department of Energy, was inaccurate and misleading. Mr. Gallagher had ample opportunity to know and should have known that the FBI's Albuquerque Field Office had concerns about the administrative inquiry. Although GAO concluded that Mr. Gallagher's testimony was inaccurate, GAO was unable to determine whether he intentionally misled the Committee."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Discussions about how to reform and modernize the Medicare Program have, in part, focused on whether the structure that was adopted in 1965 is optimal today. Questions have been raised about whether the program could benefit from changes to the way that Medicare's claims processing contractors are chosen and the jobs they do. Medicare could benefit from full and open competition and its relative flexibility to promote better performance and accountability. If the current limits on Medicare contracting authority are removed, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services could (1) select contractors on a competitive basis from a broader array of entities capable of performing needed program activities, (2) issue contracts for discrete program functions to improve contractor performance through specialization, (3) pay contractors based on how well they perform rather than simply reimbursing them for their costs, and (4) terminate poor performers more efficiently."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony discusses the Department of Defense's (DOD) use of the Office of Management and Budget's Circular A-76, which establishes federal policy for the performance of recurring commercial activities. DOD has been a leader among federal agencies in the use of the A-76 process and at one point planned to use the process to study more than 200,000 positions over several years. However, the number of positions planned for study has changed over time and the Department recently augmented its A-76 program with what it terms strategic sourcing. DOD has saved money through the A-76 process primarily by reducing the number of in-house positions. Yet, GAO has repeatedly found that it is extremely difficult to measure the precise amount of savings because available data has been limited and inconsistent. The lessons learned from DOD's A-76 program include the following: (1) studies have generally taken longer than initially expected, (2) studies have generally required higher costs and resources than initially projected, (3) finding and selecting functions to compete can be difficult, and (4) making premature budget cuts on the assumption of projected savings can be risky. Both government groups …

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony reviews the progress of the Department of Defense's (DOD) base realignments and closures (BRAC) in 1988, 1991, 1993, and 1995 and the implementation of the BRAC Commissions' recommendations. Although some communities surrounding closed base areas are faring better than others, most are recovering from the initial economic impact of base closures. The short-term impact can be very traumatic for BRAC-affected communities, but the long-term economic recovery of communities depends on several factors, including the strength of the national and regional economies and successful redevelopment of base property. Key economic indicators show that the majority of communities surrounding closed bases are faring well economically in relation to U.S. unemployment rates and show some improvement since the time closures began in 1988. Implementation of BRAC recommendations is essentially completed, but title to only 41 percent of unneeded base property has been transferred. As of August 20, 2001, DOD reported that it has essentially implemented all of the BRAC Commission's 451 recommendations. Although DOD has made progress and established numerous initiatives to expedite cleanup, many cleanup activities remain. Cleaning up environmental contamination on BRAC-affected installations has proven to be …

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, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether and when a district clerk must provide jury lists to litigants in civil and criminal trials.

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, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Creation of a fresh water supply district under chapter 53 of the Water Code.

Letter from Daniel C. Graney to Michael Milliken on December 6, 2001 regarding membership dues and an enclosed check of $150.00. Included is a membership roster for the Stonewall Democratic Club.

Application materials submitted to the Texas Historical Commission requesting a historic marker for the Benjamin Apartments, in Houston, Texas. The materials include the inscription text of the marker, narrative, and photographs.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Earl Stevens. Stevens served aboard the USS New Mexico (BB 40) as an electrician beginning October of 1942. He was a gun electrician and took care of the firing mechanisms and the telephones. He provides his experience of joining the Navy with his dad and three brothers. He describes life aboard the New Mexico. He recalls traveling to Australia for liberty. Stevens describes the explosion of the USS Liscome Bay (CVE-56) and the repercussions it had upon the New Mexico. They also traveled to the Philippines. He was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Eugene Walker. Walker served in the Navy aboard the USS New Mexico (BB-40) beginning Christmas Day 1937. He was aboard serving as a radioman. He describes the radios aboard the ship, working in the powder rooms in the turrets and Navy life in general. He gives details of a typical day as a radioman, including training, practicing Morse code and standing watch. Walker describes changes that took place in 1940, when they traveled from the Navy yard in Bremerton, Washington to Honolulu. Walker was transferred to the 14th Naval District from 1940 to 1942. He was present when Pearl Harbor was attacked on 7 December and provides recollections of the attack. He also describes a shellback initiation.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Paul St. Pierre. St. Pierre joined the Navy in 1934. In November of 1935 he traveled aboard the USS Vega (AK-17) to San Diego, then was assigned to the USS Langley (CV-1), working as a signal striker. Their ship served as a training ship for carrier landings. In 1937 they traveled to Mare Island for ship modifications, then headed to French Frigate Shoals to operate with new PBY planes. He was promoted to Signalman 3rd Class. St. Pierre provides details of his work, comradery with shipmates, their living accommodations and general life aboard the ship. They traveled to Sitka, Alaska, Seattle, Washington, Coronado Island and operated off of San Clemente, Long Beach, San Diego and Hawaii. In 1938 they participated in a training defense of the Hawaiian Islands, where the Black Fleet was the US and the Red Fleet was the Japanese, and he shares details of this training exercise and others. He was discharged in June of 1939. St. Pierre served as the historian for the association of individuals who have served aboard the Langley and continues on his interview with additional historical facts about the ships service …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Thomas Bousman. Bousman was born 9 October 1928 in Manila, Philippines to American missionary parents. He was a seventh-grade student at Bordner School when the attack on the Philippines occurred. He was interned at Santo Tomas January of 1942, and transferred to Los Baños July of 1944. Bousman recalls the raid on Los Baños in February of 1945, with paratroopers dropping outside the camp, and being escorted to safe American-held territory. Following liberation, he returned to the US for college and seminary education.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Glenn Cleland. He was born in Rochester, Indiana on December 3, 1920. He was drafted into the Army in October 1942 and was assigned to a machine gun platoon with the 12th Armored Division, 17th Infantry Battalion. On October 3, 1944 he shipped out to England on the passenger liner MS Empress of Australia. He recalls that it took two weeks to resupply, followed by a landing at Le Havre, France. He recalls that his division was assigned to the 3rd Army and relieved the 4th Armored Division. His division was sent to the small Alsatian village of Herrlisheim on January 16, 1945, to join other units. He recalls that the Americans had captured half of the village by that time, when the Germans retook the town on January 17. By January 18 his unit was holed up in a barn when a German tank arrived, forcing them to surrender. He recalls being marched to the Rhine River, suffering frostbite and crossing the river, where he and the other POWs were loaded onto railroad cattle guards and taken to the German POW camp, Stalag VI-G in Baden Baden. …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with C.R. Jack Mummert. Mummert was born in Logansport, Indiana on 3 January 1916 and graduated from high school in Havre, Montana in 1935. Joining the Marine Corps in December 1942, he was sent to boot camp at San Diego, California. He was selected for Officers Candidate School and received his commission at Quantico, Virginia. After undergoing several courses in communications, he was assigned to 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division as the communications officer. His responsibilities included forty Indian code talkers and he comments on their value in combat. He tells of the division spending 59 days on board a troop ship prior to the invasion of Guam and of the casualties taken during the initial landing. After Guam was secured the division participated in the invasion of Iwo Jima and Mummert recalls the high casualty rate among his communications people. While on Iwo Jima, he was evacuated and sent to the hospital on Guam. Following his recovery, he was sent to Hawaii for a period of time and then sent back to the United States.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with the Reverend Dr. R. Thomas Bousman. Bousman was born in the Manila, Philippines in 1928. His parents were Christian missionaries. He fled to Los Banos with his family, but returned to Manila in late December, 1941. He was interned at Santo Tomas with his family for only a short period of time before being released and placed under house arrest because his parents were missionaries. In 1944, they were transferred to Los Banos and were eventually liberated from there in February, 1945. In May, they returned to California. Bousman also relates how the internee experience affected him throughout his life.

This press release summarizes the findings of a new study. Saharan dust clouds travel thousands of miles and fertilize the water off the West Florida coast with iron, which kicks off blooms of toxic algae. The research was partially funded by a NASA grant as part of ECOHAB: Florida (Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms), a multi-disciplinary research project designed to study harmful algae.

News release concerning DART's budget for Fiscal Year 2002.

News release concerning a joint commitment between DART and four Dallas chambers of commerce to increase minority participation in DART contracts and hiring.

News release concerning a joint commitment between DART and four Dallas chambers of commerce to increase minority participation in DART contracts and hiring.

Interview with Robert Reagan and his wife, Dalene Comparette Reagan, a couple with strong local historical family roots, from Kerrville, Texas. Mrs. Reagan delves into the history of Kerrville Telephone Company, which was co-founded by her great-grandfather, Dale Comparette. Mr. Reagan discusses his family history, including his connection to Admiral Chester Nimitz. The couple also talk about their childhood memories of Kerrville while it was still a small town.