Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since the early 1990s, the Army has reduced its force presence in Europe by bringing troops and their families back to the United States and consolidating remaining forces and infrastructure at fewer locations. In 2004, the Department of Defense (DOD) announced an overseas basing strategy that called for further decreases of U.S. forces in Europe. As a result, the Army initiated actions to reduce personnel stationed in Europe by 30,000 personnel by fiscal year 2013 and reduce the number of Army brigade combat teams in Europe from four to two. Since 2004, the Army has consolidated operational forces close to the European training facility at Grafenwoehr, Germany and at Vicenza, Italy. The consolidation included significant investments to construct new or renovate facilities at remaining bases to improve the quality of life for soldiers and their families. To help offset the costs of these investments, the Army closed some bases in Germany and has planned additional closures. Amid the implementation of the Army's draw down in Europe, DOD announced in the February 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review that it would retain the four Army brigade combat teams in Europe, rather …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Justice (DOJ) has reported that crime rates experienced by American Indians are two and a half times higher than those experienced by the general population in the United States. Specifically, from 1992 to 2001 American Indians experienced violent crimes at a rate of 101 violent crimes per 1,000 person annually, compared to the national rate of 41 per 1,000 persons. The federal government plays a major role in prosecuting crimes committed in Indian country. For example, unless a federal statute has granted the state jurisdiction, the federal government has exclusive jurisdiction to prosecute non-Indians who commit crimes against Indians in Indian country, while the federal government and tribal governments both have jurisdiction to prosecute Indian offenders who commit crimes in Indian country. Federal prosecution, however, carries with it the possibility of greater terms of imprisonment, as tribal courts are statutorily limited to a maximum of 3 years imprisonment per offense, regardless of the severity of the offense, for example, a homicide. Because of such jurisdictional and sentencing limitations, tribal communities rely on the federal government to investigate and prosecute a variety of crimes in Indian …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The St. Lawrence Seaway is a 50-year-old binational transportation asset jointly operated by the United States and Canada that is used to move cargo between North America and international markets. In 2009, the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC), which is responsible for operating and maintaining the two locks and navigation channels in the U.S. portion of the Seaway, initiated a 10-year Asset Renewal Program (ARP) to address long-term needs of the locks, navigation channels, and related facilities and equipment. In 2009, Congress instructed GAO to examine the ARP. Accordingly, GAO examined (1) how the cost estimates have changed from February 2009 to February 2010, (2) the extent to which the ARP covers all asset renewal needs, and (3) the steps U.S. and Canadian authorities have taken to coordinate their asset renewal programs. To conduct this work, GAO reviewed agency program documents, interviewed SLSDC officials, and analyzed ARP estimates and fiscal year 2009 contract data."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The federal government has been extensively involved in the production, storage, and use of helium since the early part of the 20th Century. The federal helium program is currently managed by the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM). During the 1960s and early 1970s, Interior purchased about 34 billion cubic feet of crude helium for conservation purposes and to meet federal helium needs, such as for the space program and scientific research. Crude helium is a gas of 50 to 85 percent helium. While some of the helium was used to meet federal needs, most of it was retained in storage. The funds used to purchase the helium became a debt owed by the program. GAO reported on the management of the helium program in the 1990s (GAO/RCED-92-44 and GAO/RCED-93-1). Since GAO's reviews of the program in the 1990s, key changes have affected the federal helium program and a recent report by the National Academy of Sciences concluded that it is time to reassess the program. This testimony discusses (1) GAO's findings and recommendations in the early 1990s, (2) key changes that have occurred since …

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 county commissioner has announced his candidacy or become a candidate in fact for election to another office ,thereby automatically resigning the office of county commissioner by virtue of article 16 ,section 65 of the Texas Constitution (RA-0836-GA).

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 the conflict of interest provisions of chapter 171, Local Government Code, required two board members of the Uvalde County Underground Water Conservation District to disclose their respective interests and abstain from voting on a District rule (RQ-0853-GA).