Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Federal entities--agencies, corporations, and others--are growing users of credit and debit cards, as both "merchants" (receiving payments) and purchasers. Federal entities, like other merchants that accept cards, incur fees--called merchant discount fees--to process card transactions. For Visa and MasterCard transactions, a large portion of these fees-- referred to as interchange fees--goes to the card-issuing banks. This statement addresses (1) the amounts of revenue that federal entities have collected using credit and debit cards and the costs of such acceptance, (2) these entities' efforts to reduce their interchange fee costs, including negotiations, and (3) the extent to which card network rules affect these entities and other card accepters' ability to reduce interchange fee costs. The information for this statement was drawn from Credit and Debit Cards: Federal Entities Are Taking Actions to Limit Their Interchange Fees, but Additional Revenue Collection Cost Savings May Exist (GAO-08-558) and Credit Cards: Rising Interchange Fees Have Increased Costs for Merchants, but Options for Reducing Fees Pose Challenges (GAO-10-45). GAO analyzed data on accepting and using cards from the Department of the Treasury (Treasury), Amtrak, the Postal Service, and General Services Administration (GSA); and …

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The National Museum of the American Indian Act of 1989 (NMAI Act), as amended in 1996, generally requires the Smithsonian Institution to inventory and identify the origins of its Indian and Native Hawaiian human remains and objects placed with them (funerary objects) and repatriate them to culturally affiliated Indian tribes upon request. According to the Smithsonian, two of its museums--the American Indian and the Natural History Museums--have items that are subject to the NMAI Act. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), enacted in 1990, includes similar requirements for federal agencies and museums. The National NAGPRA office, within the Department of the Interior's National Park Service, facilitates the governmentwide implementation of NAGPRA. Each act requires the establishment of a committee to monitor and review repatriation activities. GAO's testimony is based on its July 2010 report on NAGPRA implementation (GAO-10-768) and its May 2011 report on Smithsonian repatriation (GAO-11-515). The testimony focuses on the extent to which key federal agencies have complied with NAGPRA's requirements and the extent to which the Smithsonian has fulfilled its repatriation requirements."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Economic development programs-- administered efficiently and effectively--can contribute to the well-being of the economy at the least cost to taxpayers. Such programs can encompass small business development and contracting. To encourage such contracting, Congress created programs--such as the Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone), service-disabled veteran-owned small business, and 8(a) Business Development programs--that give contracting preferences to some types of small businesses: in economically distressed communities; to those owned by service-disabled veterans; and to those with eligible socially and economically disadvantaged owners. This testimony addresses (1) potential duplication in economic development programs and (2) internal controls weaknesses in three small business programs. This testimony is based on related GAO work from 2008 to the present and updates it as noted. GAO examined programs at the Departments of Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, and Agriculture and the Small Business Administration (SBA) to assess program overlap, collaboration, and measures of effectiveness (GAO-11-477R). GAO also reviewed data from SBA and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and conducted site visits. The reports identified opportunities to increase program efficiencies and made recommendations to improve internal controls and develop outcome-oriented measures."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Pervasive and sustained cyber attacks continue to pose a potentially devastating threat to the systems and operations of the federal government. In recent testimony, the Director of National Intelligence highlighted that many nation states, terrorist networks, and organized criminal groups have the capability to target elements of the United States information infrastructure for intelligence collection, intellectual property theft, or disruption. In July 2009, press accounts reported attacks on Web sites operated by major government agencies. The ever-increasing dependence of federal agencies on information systems to carry out essential, everyday operations can make them vulnerable to an array of cyber-based risks. Thus it is increasingly important that the federal government carry out a concerted effort to safeguard its systems and the information they contain. GAO is providing a statement describing (1) cyber threats to federal information systems and cyber-based critical infrastructures, (2) control deficiencies that make federal systems vulnerable to those threats, and (3) opportunities that exist for improving federal cybersecurity. In preparing this statement, GAO relied on its previously published work in this area."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Compact of Free Association between the United States and the Republic of Palau, which entered into force in 1994, provided for several types of assistance aimed at promoting Palau's self-sufficiency and economic advancement. Included were 15 years of direct assistance to the Palau government; contributions to a trust fund meant to provide Palau $15 million each year from 2010 through 2044; construction of a road system, known as the Compact Road; and federal services such as postal, weather, and aviation. U.S. agencies also provided discretionary federal programs related to health, education, and infrastructure. In 2008, GAO projected total assistance from 1994 though 2009 would exceed $852 million. In September 2010, the United States and Palau signed an agreement (the Agreement) that would, among other things, provide for additional assistance to Palau and modify its trust fund. This statement describes (1) the Agreement's provisions for economic assistance to Palau, (2) its impact on the trust fund's likelihood of sustaining scheduled payments through 2044, and (3) the projected role of U.S. assistance in Palau government revenues. GAO reviewed the Agreement; examined Palau's recent single audit reports and budget projections; …

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "On April 20, 2010, an explosion at the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon resulted in a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The spill's total cost is unknown, but may result in considerable costs to the private sector, as well as federal, state, and local governments. The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) set up a system that places the liability--up to specified limits--on the responsible party. The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (Fund), administered by the Coast Guard, pays for costs not paid for by the responsible party. GAO previously reported on the Fund and factors driving the cost of oil spills and is beginning work on the April 2010 spill. This testimony focuses on (1) how oil spills are paid for, (2) the factors that affect major oil spill costs, and (3) implications of major oil spill costs for the Fund. It is largely based on GAO's 2007 report, for which GAO analyzed oil spill cost data and reviewed documentation on the Fund's balance and vessels' limits of liability. To update the report, GAO obtained information from and interviewed Coast Guard officials."

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; Authority of a Type A general-law municipality to adopt and enforce an ordinance prohibiting the discharge of certain firearms or other weapons on property located within its original corporate limits (RQ-0937-GA)

This presentation provides an overview of the National Aquatic Resource Survey (NARS), including background information, accomplishments, and milestones.

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, Ken Paxton, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether a rental property owner's use of an online payment option that is accompanied by a convenience fee involves the imposition of a credit-card surcharge in violation of state law (RQ-0084-KP).

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 a Type B economic development corporation may use sales tax funds to hire an independent contractor for the purpose of developing a comprehensive plan for future development of the city (RQ-1174-GA).

Interview with Irene and Bill Womack, a couple from two well-known Kerr County families, from Kerrville, Texas. The couple discusses their ancestors, the Reals and the Womacks. They also talk about the local people and places they remember growing up in Kerrville. The interview transcript includes photos of Mr. and Mrs. Womack and their family, on pages 31-36.

A printed email from the Texas Ethics Commission to Al Daniels on June 16, 2011, discussing unsubscribing from Texas Ethics Commission notices to file.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Dorthy Hannemann. Hannemann, nee Henke, was born in Fredericksburg, Texas on 12 August 1923. She is fourth generation of her family who settled in Fredericksburg. She shares details of her family history. She graduated from high school in 1941, then trained as a nurse at Sealy Hospital in Galveston, Texas. After graduating in September of 1944, she married Hans Hannemann. She speaks about life in Fredericksburg during wartime. Hans did not serve in the war. Dorthy passed away in June of 2017.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Imlay. Imlay’s sister, Barbara Burton, relays information about the World War II service of her brother, James Imlay. Imlay was in the Navy aboard the USS Pope (DD-225), which was sunk off Borneo in March 1942, and was a prisoner of war of the Japanese for the duration of the war in the Pacific. A commendation letter for Pope crew members is read into the record.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with LeRoy Brunner. Brunner joined the Army Air Forces in September, 1945 and trained in San Antonio. He attended officer candidate school where he received a commission before going to radar school and being assigned to a meteorology school in Illinois. He served at a weather station in Alaska prior to the outbreak of the Korean War. Brunner discusses his long career in the Air Force.

Minutes for the June 16, 2016 TXSSAR meeting, held by the McKinney chapter.

News release about efforts by DART, the T, and the Denton County Transportation Authority to promote cleaner air through employee-wide transit passes for businesses.