Posthearing Questions Related to Fragmentation and Overlap in the Federal Food Safety System (open access)

Posthearing Questions Related to Fragmentation and Overlap in the Federal Food Safety System

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO testified before Congress at the hearing A System Rued: Inspecting Food. This report responds to Congress's request that GAO provide answers to follow-up questions from the hearing."
Date: May 26, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
GSA Actions Leading to Proposed Debarment of WorldCom (open access)

GSA Actions Leading to Proposed Debarment of WorldCom

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "On June 25, 2002, WorldCom, Inc., announced its intention to restate its financial statements for 2001 and the first quarter of 2002, reducing previously reported earnings by nearly $4 billion. WorldCom's announcement sparked a series of investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Department of Justice, and WorldCom's Board of Directors, among others, and eventually resulted in criminal charges against six of its corporate officials. WorldCom filed for bankruptcy protection in July 2002, and, over the next several months, announced restatements for additional periods. On July 31, 2003--over a year after WorldCom first announced its intention to restate its earnings--the General Services Administration (GSA) formally proposed the company for debarment, making the company ineligible for future government contracts. When WorldCom consented to a 3-year administrative agreement allowing GSA to continue monitoring the company's conduct, GSA terminated the debarment proceedings on January 7, 2004. House Report 108-243, which accompanied the Transportation, Treasury, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004, required us to review the actions GSA took between WorldCom's June 2002 announcement and GSA's July 2003 decision to propose the company for debarment. We agreed to (1) identify …
Date: May 26, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Aviation Security: Further Study of Safety and Effectiveness and Better Management Controls Needed If Air Carriers Resume Interest in Deploying Less-than-Lethal Weapons (open access)

Aviation Security: Further Study of Safety and Effectiveness and Better Management Controls Needed If Air Carriers Resume Interest in Deploying Less-than-Lethal Weapons

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has authority to approve air carrier requests to deploy less-than-lethal weapons, including electric stun devices, onboard commercial aircraft to thwart an attack. Since the terrorist attacks of 2001, one air carrier received approval to deploy electric stun devices. To address concerns regarding reports of injuries after the use of these devices and to ensure that the impacts of these devices onboard aircraft have been fully evaluated, this report answers the following: (1) What analyses has the federal government conducted to assess the safety and effectiveness of these devices onboard commercial aircraft? (2) What controls does TSA have in place to help ensure uniform and timely review of air carrier requests to deploy these devices onboard commercial aircraft?"
Date: May 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Job Access and Reverse Commute Program: Progress Made in Using Funds and Stakeholder Views on Proposed Program Changes (open access)

Job Access and Reverse Commute Program: Progress Made in Using Funds and Stakeholder Views on Proposed Program Changes

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Established in 1998, the Job Access and Reverse Commute program (JARC)--administered by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)-- awards formula based grants to states and localities to provide transportation to help low-income individuals access jobs. In 2005, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act-A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) reauthorized this program and made changes, such as allocating funds by formula to subrecipients in three areas--large urban, small urban, and rural--through designated recipients (usually transit agencies and states). SAFETEA-LU required GAO to periodically review JARC. This third report under the mandate examines (1) the progress FTA and recipients have made in reducing the instances and amounts of funds they allowed to lapse without using them; (2) the challenges recipients have faced in implementing JARC; and (3) the tradeoffs, according to stakeholders, of proposals to revise JARC during the next surface reauthorization process. For this work, GAO reviewed FTA grant data; interviewed officials from FTA, 9 designated recipients, 10 subrecipients, and industry associations; and reviewed recent proposals to revise JARC. GAO is not making recommendations in this report. DOT officials reviewed a draft of this report and provided …
Date: May 26, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Troubled Asset Relief Program: Results of Housing Counselors Survey on Borrowers' Experiences with the Home Affordable Modification Program (open access)

Troubled Asset Relief Program: Results of Housing Counselors Survey on Borrowers' Experiences with the Home Affordable Modification Program

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "To restore stability and liquidity to the financial system, Congress established the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and directed the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) to use the authorities granted under TARP to, among other things, preserve homeownership and protect home values. In February 2009, Treasury announced that up to $50 billion in TARP funds had been allocated to help struggling homeowners avoid potential foreclosure. However, the number of borrowers facing potential foreclosure has remained at historically high levels. In fact, in the first 2 years of the TARP-funded Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), more borrowers were denied or canceled from trial loan modifications than were given permanent modifications. In three prior reports, we looked at the implementation of HAMP and made several recommendations that were intended to address the challenges that Treasury faced in implementing the program. To better understand the experience of borrowers seeking HAMP modifications, we conducted a Web-based survey of housing counselors through the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Program (NFMC) to obtain the counselors' perspectives of borrowers' experiences with HAMP. NFMC is administered by NeighborWorks America and funds approximately 130 grantees and …
Date: May 26, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
National Airspace System: Setting On-Time Performance Targets at Congested Airports Could Help Focus FAA's Actions (open access)

National Airspace System: Setting On-Time Performance Targets at Congested Airports Could Help Focus FAA's Actions

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Flight delays have beset the U.S. national airspace system. In 2007, more than one-quarter of all flights either arrived late or were canceled across the system, according to the Department of Transportation (DOT). DOT and its operating agency, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), are making substantial investments in transforming to a new air traffic control system--the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)--a system that is expected to reduce delays over the next decade. This requested report explains the extent to which (1) flight delays in the U.S. national airspace system have changed since 2007 and the contributing factors to these changes, and (2) actions by DOT and FAA are expected to reduce delays in the next 2 to 3 years. We analyzed DOT and FAA data for FAA's Operational Evolution Partnership (OEP) airports because they are in major metropolitan areas, serving over 70 percent of passengers in the system. We reviewed agency documents and interviewed DOT, FAA, airport, and airline officials and aviation industry experts."
Date: May 26, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Small Business Administration: 7(a) Program's General Characteristics and Summary of Issues (open access)

Small Business Administration: 7(a) Program's General Characteristics and Summary of Issues

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Small Business Administration's (SBA) 7(a) General Business Loan Program, focusing on: (1) the general characteristics of the 7(a) program, including how the program operates; (2) certain issues, such as the lack of coordinated lender oversight, that have been identified in recent studies and reports on the program; and (3) how SBA has responded to these issues."
Date: May 26, 2000
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Ecosystem Planning: Northwest Forest and Interior Columbia River Basin Plans Demonstrate Improvements in Land-Use Planning (open access)

Ecosystem Planning: Northwest Forest and Interior Columbia River Basin Plans Demonstrate Improvements in Land-Use Planning

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Forest Service's and the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) efforts to implement two ecosystem-based studies--the Northwest Forest Plan and the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project, focusing on: (1) the extent to which each effort has addressed long-standing planning deficiencies; (2) whether the agencies encountered the delays and significant costs that have been characteristic of previous planning efforts; and (3) the effect that the plans have had, or are expected to have, on the quantity and quality of timber sold from federal lands covered by the plans."
Date: May 26, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Recovery Act: States' and Localities' Uses of Funds and Actions Needed to Address Implementation Challenges and Bolster Accountability, an E-supplement to GAO-10-605SP (Appendixes) (open access)

Recovery Act: States' and Localities' Uses of Funds and Actions Needed to Address Implementation Challenges and Bolster Accountability, an E-supplement to GAO-10-605SP (Appendixes)

Other written product issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This supplementary report to GAO-10-605SP provides individual state appendixes for 16 states and the District of Columbia for GAO's work on the sixth of its bimonthly reviews of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act)."
Date: May 26, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
National Airspace System: Initiatives to Reduce Flight Delays and Enhance Capacity are Ongoing but Challenges Remain (open access)

National Airspace System: Initiatives to Reduce Flight Delays and Enhance Capacity are Ongoing but Challenges Remain

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since the unprecedented flight delays in 2000, a year in which one in four flights were delayed, our aviation system has been adversely affected by many unanticipated events--such as the September 11th terrorist attacks, and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)--that significantly reduced the demand for air travel. However, demand for air travel is rebounding. For example, the number of passengers traveling by air increased from 642 million in 2003 to 688 million in 2004. Flight delays have been among the most vexing problems in the national transportation system and are defined by the Department of Transportation as instances when aircraft arrive at the gate 15 minutes or more after scheduled arrival time. In 2004, one in five flights were delayed primarily at New York La Guardia and Chicago O'Hare. Delays at these airports have consequences for the rest of the system. GAO's testimony addresses the following questions that pertain to flight delays and enhancing capacity: (1) What initiatives are ongoing by the federal government, airlines, and airports to address flight delays and enhance capacity? (2) What are some of the challenges in reducing flight delays and enhancing capacity? …
Date: May 26, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nuclear Waste Cleanup: Progress Made but DOE Management Attention Needed to Increase Use of Innovative Technologies (open access)

Nuclear Waste Cleanup: Progress Made but DOE Management Attention Needed to Increase Use of Innovative Technologies

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the Department of Energy's (DOE) efforts to implement GAO's recommendations to improve the deployment of innovative cleanup technologies, focusing on whether DOE: (1) established coordination between technology developers and users; (2) modified completed technologies to meet site-specific needs; (3) provided technical assistance to sites; and (4) improved the quality of deployment data."
Date: May 26, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Weapons of Mass Destruction: DOD's Actions to Combat Weapons Use Should Be More Integrated and Focused (open access)

Weapons of Mass Destruction: DOD's Actions to Combat Weapons Use Should Be More Integrated and Focused

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) implementation of the Defense Counterproliferation Initiative, focusing on: (1) DOD actions to make the nuclear, biological, and chemical threat a matter of routine consideration within its organization, activities, and functions; (2) other actions DOD can take to improve implementation of the Initiative; and (3) the actions of the interagency Counterproliferation Program Review Committee to coordinate the research and development programs of DOD, the Department of Energy (DOE), and the U.S. intelligence community to identify and eliminate unnecessary duplication."
Date: May 26, 2000
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Influenza Pandemic: Challenges Remain in Preparedness (open access)

Influenza Pandemic: Challenges Remain in Preparedness

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Vaccine shortages and distribution problems during the 2004-2005 influenza season raised concerns about the nation's ability to respond to a worldwide influenza epidemic--or influenza pandemic--which many experts believe to be inevitable. Some experts believe that the next pandemic could be spawned by the recurring avian influenza in Asia. If avian influenza strains directly infect humans and acquire the ability to be readily transmitted between people, a pandemic could occur. Modeling studies suggest that its effect in the United States could be severe, with one estimate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ranging from 89,000 to 207,000 deaths and from 38 million to 89 million illnesses. GAO was asked to discuss surveillance systems in place to identify and monitor an influenza pandemic and concerns about preparedness for and response to an influenza pandemic. This testimony is based on GAO's 2004 report on disease surveillance; reports and testimony on influenza outbreaks, influenza vaccine supply, and pandemic planning that GAO has issued since October 2000; and work GAO has done in May 2005 to update key information."
Date: May 26, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nonprofit, For-Profit, and Government Hospitals: Uncompensated Care and Other Community Benefits (open access)

Nonprofit, For-Profit, and Government Hospitals: Uncompensated Care and Other Community Benefits

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Before 1969, IRS required hospitals to provide charity care to qualify for tax-exempt status. Since then, however, IRS has not specifically required such care, as long as the hospital provides benefits to the community in other ways. Seeking a better understanding of the benefits provided by nonprofit hospitals, Congress requested that GAO examine whether nonprofit hospitals provide levels of uncompensated care and other community benefits that are different from other hospitals. This statement focuses on, by ownership group, hospitals' (1) provision of uncompensated care, which consists of charity care and bad debt, and (2) reporting of other community benefits. The hospital ownership groups were (nonfederal) government, nonprofit, and for-profit. To compare the three hospital ownership groups, GAO obtained 2003 data from five geographically diverse states with substantial representation of the three ownership groups in each state. GAO analyzed cost data from two perspectives--each hospital group's percentage of (1) total uncompensated care costs in a state and (2) patient operating expenses devoted to uncompensated care."
Date: May 26, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Homeland Security: Key Cargo Security Programs Can Be Improved (open access)

Homeland Security: Key Cargo Security Programs Can Be Improved

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has in place two programs to help address the threat posed by terrorists smuggling weapons of mass destruction (WMD) into the United States: the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) and the Container Security Initiative (CSI). In July 2003, GAO reported that these programs had management challenges that limited their effectiveness. Given plans to expand both programs, in two recently issued reports GAO examined selected aspects of both programs' operations. This statement is a summary of those publicly available reports."
Date: May 26, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Herbal Dietary Supplements: Examples of Deceptive or Questionable Marketing Practices and Potentially Dangerous Advice (open access)

Herbal Dietary Supplements: Examples of Deceptive or Questionable Marketing Practices and Potentially Dangerous Advice

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Recent studies have shown that use of herbal dietary supplements--chamomile, echinacea, garlic, ginkgo biloba, and ginseng--by the elderly within the United States has increased substantially. Sellers, such as retail stores, Web sites, and distributors, often claim these supplements help improve memory, circulation, and other bodily functions. GAO was asked to determine (1) whether sellers of herbal dietary supplements are using deceptive or questionable marketing practices and (2) whether selected herbal dietary supplements are contaminated with harmful substances. To conduct this investigation, GAO investigated a nonrepresentative selection of 22 storefront and mail-order retailers of herbal dietary supplements. Posing as elderly consumers, GAO investigators asked sales staff (by phone and in person) at each retailer a series of questions regarding herbal dietary supplements. GAO also reviewed written marketing language used on approximately 30 retail Web sites. Claims were evaluated against recognized scientific research published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). GAO also had an accredited lab test 40 unique popular single-ingredient herbal dietary supplements for the presence of lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, organichlorine pesticides, and organophosphorous pesticides."
Date: May 26, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Digital Broadcast Television Transition: Several Challenges Could Arise in Administering a Subsidy Program for DTV Equipment (open access)

Digital Broadcast Television Transition: Several Challenges Could Arise in Administering a Subsidy Program for DTV Equipment

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The digital television (DTV) transition offers the promise of enhanced television. At the end of the transition, radiofrequency spectrum currently used for analog broadcast television will be used for other wireless services and for critical public safety services. To spur the digital transition while preventing any loss of television service to households, some industry participants and experts have suggested that the government subsidize DTV equipment to enable households to view digital broadcast signals. This testimony provides information on (1) some challenges to administering a subsidy program for DTV equipment, (2) some administrative options for implementing a DTV subsidy, (3) examples of government programs that make use of rebates or vouchers to provide subsidies, and (4) other efforts necessary for the completion of the DTV transition. We discussed administrative challenges to and options for a DTV subsidy with federal and state government officials, electronics manufacturers and retailers, and experts in product promotion. As in our previous work, we take no position on whether a subsidy should be implemented or not, or whether, if a subsidy program is established, it should be implemented in any particular way. While policies other …
Date: May 26, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Small Business Administration: Size of the SBA 7(a) Secondary Markets is Driven by Benefits Provided (open access)

Small Business Administration: Size of the SBA 7(a) Secondary Markets is Driven by Benefits Provided

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the secondary markets for 7(a) small business loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA), focusing on: (1) the benefits and risks of secondary loan markets to participants; (2) primary benefits and risks to participants in the guaranteed 7(a) secondary market and the unguaranteed 7(a) secondary market; and (3) a comparison of the guaranteed 7(a) secondary market with the secondary market for federally guaranteed residential mortgages, and the unguaranteed 7(a) secondary market with the secondary market for residential mortgages without a federal guarantee."
Date: May 26, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Medicare: Options for Reform (open access)

Medicare: Options for Reform

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed efforts to reform the Medicare program, focusing on: (1) a conceptual framework for considering the various possible combinations of reform options; and (2) lessons about implementing reforms learned from recent Medicare experience."
Date: May 26, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Export Controls: Challenges and Changes For Controls on Computer Exports (open access)

Export Controls: Challenges and Changes For Controls on Computer Exports

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed export controls for high performance computers, focusing on how the executive branch: (1) assesses the national security risks associated with the export of high performance computers going to countries of concern; (2) determines when the exports of computers at existing performance levels can no longer be controlled; and (3) has addressed arrangements for post-shipment verifications of high performance computer exports."
Date: May 26, 2000
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Northern Mariana Islands: Procedures for Processing Aliens and Merchandise (open access)

Northern Mariana Islands: Procedures for Processing Aliens and Merchandise

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands' (CNMI) customs administration, focusing on: (1) procedures for controlling the flow of aliens and goods into and out of the CNMI; and (2) the aliens' use of public health care and education and their involvement in criminal activities in the CNMI."
Date: May 26, 2000
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nuclear Regulatory Commission: Challenges Facing NRC in Effectively Carrying Out Its Mission (open access)

Nuclear Regulatory Commission: Challenges Facing NRC in Effectively Carrying Out Its Mission

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has the regulatory responsibility to, among other things, ensure that the nation's 103 commercial nuclear power plants are operated in a safe and secure manner. While the nuclear power industry's overall safety record has been good, safety issues periodically arise that threaten the credibility of NRC's regulation and oversight of the industry. Recent events make the importance of NRC's regulatory and oversight responsibilities readily apparent. The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, focused attention on the security of facilities such as commercial nuclear power plants, while safety concerns were heightened by shutdown of the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant in Ohio in 2002, and the discovery of missing or unaccounted for spent nuclear fuel at three nuclear power plants. GAO has issued a total of 15 recent reports and testimonies on a wide range of NRC activities. This testimony (1) summarizes GAO's findings and associated recommendations for improving NRC mission-related activities and (2) presents several cross-cutting challenges NRC faces in being an effective and credible regulator of the nuclear power industry."
Date: May 26, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Fresh Produce: Potential Implications of Country-of-Origin Labeling (open access)

Fresh Produce: Potential Implications of Country-of-Origin Labeling

A statement of record issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the labeling requirements for fresh produce, focusing on: (1) the potential costs associated with the compliance and enforcement of a mandatory country-of-origin labeling requirement at the retail level for fresh produce; (2) the potential trade issues associated with such a requirement; (3) the potential impact of such a requirement on the ability of the federal government and the public to respond to outbreaks of illness caused by contaminated fresh produce; and (4) consumers' views of country-of-origin labeling."
Date: May 26, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Internal Revenue Service: Assessment of Budget Justification for Fiscal Year 2011 Identified Opportunities to Enhance Transparency (open access)

Internal Revenue Service: Assessment of Budget Justification for Fiscal Year 2011 Identified Opportunities to Enhance Transparency

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The financing of the federal government depends importantly on the effectiveness of the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) ability to administer the tax laws, including achieving its goals of providing taxpayer services to make voluntary compliance easier and enforcing tax laws to ensure everyone meets their obligations to pay taxes. The President requested $12.6 billion to fund IRS's fiscal year (FY) 2011 operations, including $5.8 billion for enforcement, $4.1 billion for operations support, and $2.3 billion for taxpayer services. Another $387 million is for IRS's Business Systems Modernization (BSM) program, IRS's ongoing effort to improve the agency's tax processing systems. In addition to its annual appropriation, IRS projects that it will also collect and have available to use about $339 million in offsetting collections, including user fees and reimbursable programs. IRS's Strategic Plan 2009-2013 guides budget and program decisions and emphasizes IRS's goals. It recognizes the increasing complexity of tax laws, changing business models, expanding use of electronic data and related security risks, accelerating growth in international tax activities, and growing human capital challenges. With all of these competing priorities for spending in IRS programs, limited resources make it …
Date: May 26, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library