Bill introduced by the Texas House of Representatives relating to procurement rules, guidelines, and procedures for regional transportation authorities.

Bill introduced by the Texas Senate relating to the authority of certain counties bordering Lake Buchanan to impose a hotel occupancy tax.

Bill introduced by the Texas Senate relating to relating to the authority of the Rural Foundation.

Bill introduced by the Texas Senate relating to the operation of authorized emergency vehicles.

Bill introduced by the Texas Senate relating to the validation of any act, governmental proceeding, official, bond, or obligation of a navigation district or port authority.

Bill introduced by the Texas Senate relating to the confidentiality of certain records in an adoption placement by the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services.

Bill introduced by the Texas Senate relating to members and veterans of the armed forces.

Bill introduced by the Texas Senate relating to the use of TexasOnline by state agencies.

Bill introduced by the Texas Senate relating to an exemption for certain military personnel and veterans from the requirements of the Texas Academic Skills Program.

Bill introduced by the Texas Senate relating to the definition of an energy emergency.

Bill introduced by the Texas Senate relating to a pilot project to address continuing needs for more child protective services caseworkers in certain regions of this state.

Bill introduced by the Texas Senate relating to interest-free loans from the Texas Water Development Board for water districts in economically distressed areas.

Bill introduced by the Texas Senate relating to regulating leasing in manufactured home communities

Bill introduced by the Texas Senate relating to the designation and obligations of a telecommunications provider of last resort and to the recovery of certain costs incurred in transitioning to a successor utility.

Joint resolution introduced by the Texas Senate and House of Representatives relating to proposing a constitutional amendment authorizing the issuance of general obligation bonds or notes to provide loans to defense-related communities for economic development projects, including projects that enhance military value of military installations.

Sub-Saharan Africa has been far more severely affected by AIDS than any other part of the world. The United Nations reports that 29.4 million adults and children are infected with the HIV virus in the region, which has about 10% of the world's population but more than 70% of the worldwide total of infected people. This report discusses this issue in detail, including the cause of the African AIDS epidemic, the social and economic consequences, response and treatment, and U.S. policy.

Appropriations are one part of a complex federal budget process that includes budget resolutions, appropriations (regular, supplemental, and continuing) bills, rescissions, and budget reconciliation bills. This Report is a guide to one of the 13 regular appropriations bills that Congress passes each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Energy and Water.

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The District of Columbia (D.C.) Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) is responsible for protecting children at risk of abuse and neglect and ensuring that critical services are provided for them and their families. GAO was asked to discuss the extent to which CFSA has (1) met the requirements of the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997 and other selected performance criteria, (2) adopted and implemented child protection and foster care placement policies, and (3) enhanced its working relationship with the D.C. Family Court. To address these questions, GAO analyzed data in the District's automated child welfare information system, known as FACES; reviewed laws, regulations, and reports; examined case files; and interviewed officials."

This report talks about The Chemical Equilibration Volume: Measuring the Degree of Thermalization

U.S.-China economic ties have expanded substantially over the past several years. China is now the third largest U.S. trading partner, its second largest source of imports, and its fourth largest export market. However, U.S.-China commercial ties have been strained by a number of issues, including a surging U.S. trade deficit with China, China's refusal to float its currency, and failure to fully comply with its World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments, especially its failure to provide protection for U.S. intellectual property rights (IPR). This report explores these issues in detail, especially concerning the lack of protection for U.S. IPR.

This Corrective Action Investigation Plan contains the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office's approach to collect the data necessary to evaluate corrective action alternatives appropriate for the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 214 under the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order. Located in Areas 5, 11, and 25 of the Nevada Test Site, CAU 214 consists of nine Corrective Action Sites (CASs): 05-99-01, Fallout Shelters; 11-22-03, Drum; 25-99-12, Fly Ash Storage; 25-23-01, Contaminated Materials; 25-23-19, Radioactive Material Storage; 25-99-18, Storage Area; 25-34-03, Motor Dr/Gr Assembly (Bunker); 25-34-04, Motor Dr/Gr Assembly (Bunker); and 25-34-05, Motor Dr/Gr Assembly (Bunker). These sites are being investigated because existing information on the nature and extent of potential contamination is insufficient to evaluate and recommend corrective action alternatives (CAAs). The suspected contaminants and critical analyte s for CAU 214 include oil (total petroleum hydrocarbons-diesel-range organics [TPH-DRO], polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs]), pesticides (chlordane, heptachlor, 4,4-DDT), barium, cadmium, chronium, lubricants (TPH-DRO, TPH-gasoline-range organics [GRO]), and fly ash (arsenic). The land-use zones where CAU 214 CASs are located dictate that future land uses will be limited to nonresidential (i.e., industrial) activities. The results of this field investigation will support a defensible evaluation of viable …

We believe that it is critical for the future of high end computing in the United States to bring into existence a new class of computational capability that is optimal for science. In recent years scientific computing has increasingly become dependent on hardware that is designed and optimized for commercial applications. Science in this country has greatly benefited from the improvements in computers that derive from advances in microprocessors following Moore's Law, and a strategy of relying on machines optimized primarily for business applications. However within the last several years, in part because of the challenge presented by the appearance of the Japanese Earth Simulator, the sense has been growing in the scientific community that a new strategy is needed. A more aggressive strategy than reliance only on market forces driven by business applications is necessary in order to achieve a better alignment between the needs of scientific computing and the platforms available. The United States should undertake a program that will result in scientific computing capability that durably returns the advantage to American science, because doing so is crucial to the country's future. Such a strategy must also be sustainable. New classes of computer designs will not only revolutionize …

In December 2002, the Administration began warning Congress that the debt limit ($6.4 trillion) would be reached in the first half of 2002. As the limit was approached in February 2003, the Administration resorted to suspension of certain internal fund investments to avoid a default. The adoption of the budget resolution (H.Con.Res. 95; April 11, 2003) for FY2004 generated legislation (H.J.Res. 51) — deemed passed by the House — that would increase the debt limit to $7.4 trillion.

The end of the Cold War and its impact on defense spending has created a strong need to reform Department of Defense’s (DOD) acquisition system. With procurement spending down, DOD expects to depend on savings from acquisition reform to help finance future force modernization. Policymakers believe that DOD should use more commercial products because, in many instances, they cost less and their quality is comparable to products built according to DOD military specifications. Many such reform proposals are based on recognition that DOD regulatory barriers and a Cold War acquisition “culture” have inhibited the introduction of commercial products.