A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "With nearly 200 countries using unique passports, official stamps, seals, and visas, the potential for immigration document fraud is great. The Immigration and Naturalization Service's Forensic Document Laboratory is the only federal laboratory dedicated to fraud detection. The Laboratory's budget was $4.1 million in fiscal year 2001, 15 percent higher than in fiscal year 1999. The Laboratory had 35 full-time equivalent staff, three more than in fiscal year 1999. Although the Laboratory's total forensic caseload declined from fiscal years 1999 to 2001, the number of forensic cases pending at the beginning of each year increased. According to laboratory officials, staff shortages have affected the Laboratory's ability to process cases promptly."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In 1998, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), authorized the states to retain the federal share of proceeds from the sale or lease of real property that had been purchased with federal-aid funds. It also required the states to use the federal share on other highway projects eligible for funding under the federal-aid highway program. GAO determined (1) the extent to which states are selling, leasing, or disposing of real property purchased with federal-aid funds and (2) how the proceeds generated from the sale or lease of real property are being used, including whether they are being used in accordance with TEA-21. GAO issued a related legal opinion in September 2002."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Energy (DOE), the largest civilian contracting agency in the federal government, relies primarily on contractors to operate its sites and carry out its diverse missions, such as maintaining the nuclear weapons stockpile, cleaning up radioactive and hazardous wastes, and performing research. Although federal law generally requires federal agencies to use competition in selecting a contractor, until the mid-1990s, DOE contracts for the management and operation of its sites generally fit within an exception that allowed for the use of noncompetitive procedures. Since 1996, DOE has made progress toward implementing contract reform initiative in three key areas--developing alternative contracting approaches, increasing competition, and using performance-based contracts. However, DOE continues to encounter challenges in implementing these initiatives. Although DOE has made strides in implementing contract reform initiatives, it is difficult to determine whether contractors' performance has improved because objective performance information is scarce. Over the past 8 years, DOE has primarily gauged progress by measuring its implementation of the reforms, such as the number of contracts competed each year, and by reviewing individual contract performance incentives. DOE faces a fundamental challenge to ensuring the effectiveness …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Immunizations are considered one of the leading public health achievements of the 20th century. Mandatory immunization programs have eradicated polio and smallpox in the United States and reduced the number of deaths from several childhood diseases, such as measles, to near zero. A consistent supply of many different vaccines is needed to support this effort. Recent childhood vaccine shortages have prompted federal authorities to recommend deferring some immunizations and have caused states to reduce immunization requirements. At the state and local levels, 49 state immunization programs reported rationing one or more vaccines. Shortages have also prompted most states to waive or change immunization requirements for school and day care programs so that children who have not received all mandatory immunizations could enroll. Many factors contributed to recent vaccine shortages, and while these have largely been resolved, the potential exists for future shortages. On the supply side, some manufacturers had production problems, causing them to fall below their expected output, while others discontinued making some vaccines altogether. On the demand side, one manufacturer could not keep pace with the greater-than-expected demand for a new recommended vaccine. Federal …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Government purchase cards have streamlined the process of acquiring goods and services by allowing employees to purchase directly from merchants rather than going through the regular procurement process. The government spent $13.8 billion using purchase cards in fiscal year 2001. However, the government does not know how purchase card spending impacts small businesses and other socioeconomic categories, such as woman-owned small businesses, and small disadvantaged businesses. Because of these uncertainties, the General Services Administration (GSA), which administers the purchase card program, has begun to collect socioeconomic data on merchants doing business with the federal government through purchase cards. This report assesses GSA's efforts and identifies the challenges to collecting and reporting this data."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The nation's 15,000 skilled nursing facilities (SNF) play an essential role in our health care system, providing Medicare-covered skilled nursing and rehabilitative care each year for 1.4 million Medicare patients who have recently been discharged from acute care hospitals. In recent years, many analysts and other observers, including members of Congress, have expressed concern about the level of nursing staff in SNFs and the impact of inadequate staffing on the quality of care. GAO's analysis of available data shows that, in the aggregate, SNFs' nurse staffing ratios changed little after the increase in the nursing component of the Medicare payment took effect. Overall, SNFs' average nursing time increased by 1.9 minutes per patient day, relative to their average in 2000 of about 3 and one-half hours of nursing time per patient day. For most SNFs, increases in staffing ratios were small. Further, GAO found that the share of SNF patients covered by Medicare was not a factor in whether facilities increased their nursing time. Similarly, SNFs that had a total revenues considerably in excess of costs before the added payments took effect did not increase their …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA), as first adopted in 1965, authorizes federal grant and loan programs, providing a total of $53 billion in assistance to 8.1 million students in fiscal year 1999. The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 allowed eligible taxpayers to reduce their tax liability by receiving up to $1,500 HOPE or $1,000 Lifetime Learning tax credit for tuition and course-related fees paid. The 2001 Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act created a new tax deduction for tuition expenses and expanded many existing higher education tax provisions. The federal investment in providing student assistance through the tax code has risen sharply from $.0056 billion in 1996 to $7.6 billion in 2002--more than 80 percent of which is comprised of HOPE and Lifetime Learning tax expenditures. GAO reviewed title IV aid programs and higher education tax provisions designed to assist students and families, to help Congress prepare for the reauthorization of HEA. GAO found that, in the 1999-2000 academic year, the Lifetime Learning and HOPE tax credits provided an estimated 4 in 10 undergraduate students with benefits that equaled a varying share …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In connection with fulfilling our requirement to audit the financial statements of the U.S. government, we audit the Schedules of Federal Debt Managed by the Bureau of the Public Debt, which includes testing compliance with the debt ceiling. To assist us in this testing and because of the nature of and sensitivity towards actions taken during a debt issuance suspension period, we (1) developed a chronology of significant events, (2) analyzed the financial aspects of Treasury's actions taken during the debt issuance suspension periods and assessed the legal basis of these actions, and (3) analyzed the impact of the policies and procedures used by Treasury to manage the debt during the debt issuance suspension periods."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense reports that is has been faced with difficulties adequately maintaining its facilities to meet mission requirements. Facilities have been aging and deteriorating as funds needed to sustain and recapitalize the facilities have fallen short of requirements. GAO's review of the services' condition assessments in conjunction with visits to the basic training locations showed that most barracks were in need of significant repair, although some barracks were in better condition than others. GAO found that the exteriors of each service's barracks were generally in good condition and presented an acceptable appearance, but the barracks' infrastructure often had persistent repair problems because of inadequate maintenance. The services' approaches to recapitalize their recruit barracks vary and are influenced by their overall priorities to improve all facilities. Although the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps are addressing many of their recapitalization needs in the near-term, most of the Army's plans are longer term."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Following the 1991 Gulf War, reservists and employers flooded the government with questions and complaints concerning the reemployment rights of reservists who had been away from their jobs during the war. The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 grants service members reemployment rights following military duty and addresses the rights and responsibilities of both reservists and their employers. Despite increases in operations since 1992, the average operational tempo of reserves department-wide increased only slightly between 1992 and 2001--from 43 to 46 days a year. Normal required training periods accounted for the bulk of this total. Several factors hamper Department of Defense (DOD) outreach efforts to both employers and reservists. DOD lacks complete information on who the reservists' employers are, and it has viewed the Privacy Act as a constraint that prevents it from requiring reservists to provide this information. DOD relies on volunteers in the field to carry out many of its outreach activities. However, these volunteers do not always report their contacts with reservists and employers, and, as a result, DOD does not know the full extent of problems that arise and …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Information technology (IT) will play a critical role in strengthening our nation's homeland security against potential future attacks. Specifically, IT will help enable the nation to identify potential threats, share information more readily, provide mechanisms to protect our homeland, and develop response capabilities. The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs requested that we identify, for fiscal years 2002 and 2003, IT funding targeted for purposes related to homeland security in those departments and agencies that play a key role in this mission area and, using our prior work, report on the IT management issues facing these organizations. In commenting on a draft of this report, agencies provided technical comments that were incorporated in the report, as appropriate."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "According to United Nations data, Cambodia has received more than $3 billion in assistance since 1993. Although Cambodia has achieved relative peace and stability, continued widespread corruption and a weak judicial system undermine efforts to reduce poverty and foster economic growth. Since 1993, the United States has provided Cambodia with over $200 million to reduce poverty and foster economic growth. This assistance has included programs to strengthen democracy, improve education and health care, and address problems posed by land mines. To address weaknesses in Cambodia's economic, social, and legal foundations, the Cambodian government and international donors of financial and technical assistance have established goals for strengthening governance in seven areas: increasing government revenue and strengthening budget management; creating a smaller, more professional military; providing Cambodian citizens with legal titles to land; developing Cambodia's weak legal framework and establishing an independent and competent judiciary; reducing risks in corrupt activities in the public sector and making public officials more accountable for their behavior; restructuring the civil service so that it can effectively provide services such as health care, primary education, and licenses to begin businesses; and preserving Cambodia's …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "About one-third of terrorist attacks worldwide target transportation systems, and transit systems are the mode most commonly attacked. In light of the history of terrorism against mass transit and the terrorist attacks on September 11, GAO was asked to examine challenges in securing transit systems, steps transit agencies have taken to improve safety and security, and the federal role in transit safety and security. To address these objectives, GAO visited 10 transit agencies and surveyed a representative sample of transit agencies, among other things."

This report is the second in a series detailing the procedures used and the results obtained from studies designed to determine the impacts of erosion control structures on fish habitat at Willapa Bay, Washington. The erosion control structure, consisting of a 1600-ft rock groin and an attached 930-ft underwater dike was placed on Washaway Beach in 1998 to protect State Route (SR) 105 from erosion. The objectives of the study are to develop an understanding about whether groin-type structures on the outer coast can alter migratory movement or predation pressure on juvenile and adult salmon. Field surveys in this report were conducted from October 14-21, 2001, and consisted of gillnetting, passive drifter surveys, diver surveys, interviews with fishers and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) personnel, bird and mammal surveys, and split beam hydroacoustic surveys. Field sampling activities were begun on October 14 and were suspended during the commercial gillnet season from October 16-18. Interviews with fishers and WDFW were conducted during that period, and field sampling recommenced on October 19. The hydroacoustic surveys were conducted from October 19-21. The migration pattern of fish, presumed to be salmon, was documented relative to the tidal phase. Fish were observed to …

The U.S. is developing fusion energy based on inertial confinement of the burning fusion fuel, as a complement to the magnetic confinement approach. DOE's Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) program within the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (OFES) is coordinated with, and gains leverage from, the much larger Inertial Confinement Fusion program of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Advanced plasma and particle beam simulations play a major role in the IFE effort, and the program is well poised to benefit from an Earth Simulator-class resource. Progress in all key physics areas of IFE, including heavy-ion ''drivers'' which impart the energy to the fusion fuel, the targets for both ion- and laser-driven approaches, and an advanced concept known as fast ignition, would be dramatically accelerated by an Earth Simulator-class resource.

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This report provides data on federal employee unions and employees who will be potentially affected by the creation of a new Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

This report offers an overview of the availability of intellectual property rights for plants, focusing upon the seed industry. It initially offers an introduction to seed innovation. The report then reviews the three intellectual property regimes applicable to plant innovation: utility patents, plant patents and plant variety protection certificates. It then details a 2001 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, J.E.M. Ag Supply, Inc. v. Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., which held that sexually reproducing plants may be subject to utility patents.

In 1962, several satellites were lost following high altitude nuclear tests by the United States and the Soviet Union. These satellite failures were caused by energetic electrons injected into the earth's radiation belts from the beta decay of bomb produced fission fragments and neutrons. It has been 40 years since the last high altitude nuclear test; there are now many more satellites in orbit, and it is important to understand their vulnerability to radiation belt pumping from nuclear explosions at high altitude or in space. This report presents the results of a calculation of the contribution of neutron beta decay to artificial belt pumping. For most high altitude nuclear explosions, neutrons are expected to make a smaller contribution than fission products to the total trapped electron inventory, and their contribution is usually neglected. However, the neutron contribution may dominate in cases where the fission product contribution is suppressed due to the altitude or geomagnetic latitude of the nuclear explosion, and for regions of the radiation belts with field lines far from the detonation point. In any case, an accurate model of belt pumping from high altitude nuclear explosions, and a self-consistent explanation of the 1962 data, require inclusion of the …

This report discusses the statutory and regulatory requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), judicial decisions, and the concept of mediation as it applies to special education.

This report includes information regarding U.S. relations and bilateral issues within Syria. External relations, Syria's role in Lebanon, and U.S. aid are among topics discussed in this report.

P.L. 104-193 (the 1996 welfare reform legislation) made major changes to the Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program. Some of the changes include requiring states to increase the percentage of fathers identified, establishing an integrated, automated network linking all states to information about the location and assets of parents, and requiring states to implement more enforcement techniques to obtain collections from debtor parents. Additional legislative changes were made in 1997, 1998, and 1999, but not in 2000, 2001, or 2002. This report describes several aspects of the revised CSE program and discusses three issues that probably will be reexamined by the 108th Congress — CSE financing, parental access by noncustodial parents, and distribution of support payments.

Support utilization of the RINSC reactor for student and faculty instructions and research