Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In fiscal year (FY) 2012, we found that four federal departments--the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Defense, and Department of Education--administered 91 programs that supported postsecondary training or education specifically for direct care health professionals. The departments reported obligating about $14.2 billion for these programs in FY 2012 with the majority (78 percent) of funding going to programs that supported graduate medical education--postgraduate internship and residency training for physicians and certain other health professionals. Specifically, two programs administered by HHS's Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services--Medicare payments to teaching hospitals for Direct Graduate Medical Education and Medicare payments to teaching hospitals for Indirect Medical Education-- accounted for about 66 percent of total reported health care workforce training funding in FY 2012."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on expenditures and revenues of state securities regulatory agencies for fiscal years 1998 and 1999, focusing on: (1) the expenditures and revenues of state securities regulatory agencies; and (2) quantifying the revenues of state securities agencies by types of activity."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the administration's proposal to ensure solvency of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Combined Benefit Fund, focusing on the impact of the proposal to: (1) extend the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Reclamation fees; (2) reverse the effects of National Coal v. Chater; (3) reverse the effects of Dixie Fuel Company v. Social Security Administration; and (4) appropriate federal funds."

Other written product issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) new rule on extending wireless telecommunications services to tribal lands. GAO noted that: (1) the rule would provide incentives for wireless telecommunications carriers to serve individuals living on tribal lands; and (2) FCC complied with applicable requirements in promulgating the rule."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Combined Benefit Fund, focusing on: (1) the status of the Fund's financial position and its financing mechanism; (2) the impact of major court decisions on the assignment of beneficiaries; and (3) significant litigation and its related costs."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This report formally transmits the attached briefing in response to section 1602(b) of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007. The act requires the Comptroller General to provide an assessment of the methodology used by the Secretary of Homeland Security for maintaining, changing or eliminating an exemption under 49 U.S.C. 44901(i)(1). We provided the mandated reporting committees with a restricted version of this briefing in July 2008. Based on the results of our review, we are not making any recommendations for congressional consideration or agency action. All information considered Sensitive Security Information by the Transportation Security Administration has been removed from this product."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since September 11, 2001, the Department of Defense (DOD) has relied on more than 650,000 members of the National Guard and Reserve to support operations at home and abroad. As demobilized reservists return to civilian life and their civilian employment, the difficulties some face in maintaining positive working relationships with their employers is an area of interest. Maintaining employers' continued support for their reservist employees will be critical if DOD is to retain experienced reservists in these times of longer and more frequent deployments. The employment and reemployment rights of service members as they transition between their federal duties and their civilian employment are governed by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) of 1994. Education of reservists and employers about USERRA is primarily conducted through DOD's office of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), which serves as DOD's focal point in managing the department's relations with reservists and their civilian employers. The Military Reservists and Veteran Small Business Reauthorization and Opportunity Act of 20083 directed the Comptroller General of the United States to report to the Senate Committee on Armed Services, the Senate …

Other written product issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the Health Care Financing Administration's (HCFA) new rule on hospital inpatient payments and rates and costs of graduate medical education. GAO noted that: (1) the interim rule implements provisions of the Medicare, Medicaid, and State Children's Health Insurance Program Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 relating to Medicare payments to hospitals for inpatient services; (2) these provisions relate to reclassification of hospitals from urban to rural status, reclassification of certain hospitals for purposes of payment during federal fiscal year 2000, critical access hospitals, payments to hospitals excluded from the hospital inpatient prospective payment system, and payments for indirect and direct graduate medical education costs; and (3) HCFA complied with applicable requirements in promulgating the rule."

Other written product issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the Health Care Financing Administration's (HCFA) new rule on hospital inpatient payment systems and rates. GAO noted that: (1) the final rule revises the Medicare hospital inpatient prospective payment systems for operating costs and capital-related costs to implement changes arising from HCFA's continuing experience with the systems; and (2) HCFA complied with applicable requirements in promulgating the rule."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Over 25 years ago, Congress transformed federal freight rail transportation policy. At that time, after almost 100 years of economic regulation, the railroad industry was in serious economic decline, with rising costs, losses, and bankruptcies. In response, Congress passed the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 and the Staggers Rail Act of 1980. Together, these pieces of legislation substantially deregulated the railroad industry. In particular, the 1980 act encouraged greater reliance on competition to set rates and gave railroads increased freedom to price their services according to market conditions, including the freedom to use differential pricing--that is, to recover a greater proportion of their costs from rates charged to those shippers with a greater dependency on rail transportation. At the same time, the 1980 act anticipated that some shippers--commonly referred to as "captive shippers"--might not have competitive alternatives and gave the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), and later the Surface Transportation Board (STB), the authority to establish a process through which shippers could obtain relief from unreasonably high rates. This process establishes a threshold for rate relief, allowing a rate to be challenged if it produces revenue …

Executive Correspondence - Fax from Lt Col Scott Grant to Tim MacGregor dtd 08/11/05 regarding ANG 117th Air Refueling Squadron.

Executive Correspondence - Fax from Ray A. Watson, Chairman, Kern County (CA) Board of Supervisors to Chairman Principi dtd 11 Aug 2005 regarding the Naval Air Warfare Center, China Lake, CA.

Base Input - Submarine Base New London Presentation - CT -

Memo of Phone Conversation - 7/23/05 - Follow up information on Marine Corps Cherry Point Naval Hospital -

Community Input - Air Force - Patrick Air Force Base (Naval Ordinance Test Unit) Input from the Governor, elected officials and various cities on the Space coast.

Memorandum of Meeting - 8/5/05 - Mtg with BG Shane, Office of the Kentucky Governor

State Input - California - U.S. Army Garrison-Presidio of Monterey Presentation

Memorandum of Meeting with Congressional and community representatives from Virginia Beach, Virginia that provides an overview of the issues concerning the encroachment of Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana and the nearby practice facility at Fentress Field in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Congressional Input - Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego - CA - E-mail and Presentation: Critical Asset for Our 9-11 Force

Base Summary Sheet - Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point (Naval Hospital Cherry Point) - NC

Memorandum of Meeting - 8/10/05 - Mtg with Detroit Arsenal Community Representatives

Clearinghouse Response - Two responses to Frank Cirillo from Alan Shaffer regarding Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach - CA -

Community Input - Niagara Flls International Airport Air Guard Station - NY Contains recommended Corrections to DoD COBRA Estimate.

Executive Correspondence - Fax 2 from Lt Col Scott Grant to Tim MacGregor dtd 08/11/05 regarding Alabama ANG 117th Air Refueling Squadron, Birmingham, AL.