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DOE Contracting: Improved Program Management Could Help Achieve Small Business Goal (open access)

DOE Contracting: Improved Program Management Could Help Achieve Small Business Goal

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Federal policy requires that small businesses receive the maximum practicable opportunity for providing goods and services to federal agencies through prime contracts--direct contracts between the government and a contractor. The Department of Energy (DOE) buys more than $20 billion in goods and services annually. GAO was asked to (1) discuss DOE's key efforts to increase small business prime contracting opportunities and (2) identify the management challenges DOE faces in improving its small business prime contracting performance. In addition to these objectives GAO is providing information on the management of small business programs by other federal agencies that either share certain characteristics with DOE's largest program offices or that have components that share certain characteristics with these offices."
Date: April 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
NOAA: Next Steps to Strengthen Its Acquisition Function (open access)

NOAA: Next Steps to Strengthen Its Acquisition Function

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) accounts for about half of the Department of Commerce's (Commerce) acquisition spending, over $851 million in fiscal year 2005 alone. In recent years however, NOAA has experienced instances of poor contract management. GAO was asked to determine if NOAA is positioned to effectively carry out its acquisition function. Specifically, GAO assessed the extent to which NOAA has structured an acquisition organization that provides appropriate oversight; established policies and processes that promote, among other things, a knowledge-based acquisition process for development and production of complex systems; and planned and managed its contracting workforce to address future retirement challenges."
Date: June 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Unemployment Insurance: Factors Associated with Benefit Receipt (open access)

Unemployment Insurance: Factors Associated with Benefit Receipt

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Unemployment Insurance (UI), established in 1935, is a complex system of 53 state programs that in fiscal year 2004 provided $41.3 billion in temporary cash benefits to 8.8 million eligible workers who had become unemployed through no fault of their own. Given the size of the UI program, its importance in helping workers meet their needs when they are unemployed, and the little information available on what factors lead eligible workers to receive benefits over time, GAO was asked to determine (1) the extent to which an individual worker's characteristics, including past UI benefit receipt, are associated with the likelihood of UI benefit receipt or unemployment duration, and (2) whether an unemployed worker's industry is associated with the likelihood of UI benefit receipt and unemployment duration. Using data from a nationally representative sample of workers born between 1957 and 1964 and spanning the years 1979 through 2002, and information on state UI eligibility rules, GAO used multivariate statistical techniques to identify the key factors associated with UI benefit receipt and unemployment duration. In its comments, the Department of Labor stated that while there are certain qualifications …
Date: March 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federally Chartered Corporation: Financial Statement Audit Report for the Catholic War Veterans of the United States of America, Incorporated, for Fiscal Year 2004 (open access)

Federally Chartered Corporation: Financial Statement Audit Report for the Catholic War Veterans of the United States of America, Incorporated, for Fiscal Year 2004

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the audit reports covering the financial statements of the Catholic War Veterans of the United States of America, Incorporated for Fiscal Year 2004. GAO found no reportable instances of noncompliance. The audit reports included the auditors' opinions that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles."
Date: July 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
No Child Left Behind Act: Education's Data Improvement Efforts Could Strengthen the Basis for Distributing Title III Funds (open access)

No Child Left Behind Act: Education's Data Improvement Efforts Could Strengthen the Basis for Distributing Title III Funds

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Title III of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLBA) designates federal funds to support the education of students with limited English proficiency and provides for formula-based grants to states. This report describes the data the Education Department used to distribute Title III funds and the implications of data measurement issues for the two allowable sources of data-- American Community Survey (ACS) and state assessment data--for allocating funds across states. In addition, the report describes changes in federal funding to support these students under NCLBA and how states and school districts used these funds as well as Education's Title III oversight and support to states. To address these objectives, GAO reviewed documentation on ACS and state data, interviewed federal and state officials, and collected data from 12 states, 11 districts, and 6 schools."
Date: December 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Managing Sensitive Information: Departments of Energy and Defense Policies and Oversight Could Be Improved (open access)

Managing Sensitive Information: Departments of Energy and Defense Policies and Oversight Could Be Improved

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In the interest of national security and personal privacy and for other reasons, federal agencies place dissemination restrictions on information that is unclassified yet still sensitive. The Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Defense (DOD) have both issued policy guidance on how and when to protect sensitive information. DOE marks documents with this information as Official Use Only (OUO) while DOD uses the designation For Official Use Only (FOUO). GAO was asked to (1) identify and assess the policies, procedures, and criteria DOE and DOD employ to manage OUO and FOUO information and (2) determine the extent to which DOE's and DOD's training and oversight programs assure that information is identified, marked, and protected according to established criteria."
Date: March 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federally Chartered Corporation: Financial Statement Audit Report for the Jewish War Veterans, U.S.A., National Memorial, Incorporated, for Fiscal Years 2005 and 2004 (open access)

Federally Chartered Corporation: Financial Statement Audit Report for the Jewish War Veterans, U.S.A., National Memorial, Incorporated, for Fiscal Years 2005 and 2004

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the audit reports covering the financial statements of the Jewish War Veterans, U.S.A., National Memorial, Incorporated for Fiscal Years 2005 and 2004. GAO found no reportable instances of noncompliance. The audit reports included the auditors' opinions that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles."
Date: July 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federally Chartered Corporation: Financial Statement Audit Report for the Big Brothers-Big Sisters of America for Fiscal Year 2004 (open access)

Federally Chartered Corporation: Financial Statement Audit Report for the Big Brothers-Big Sisters of America for Fiscal Year 2004

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the audit reports covering the financial statements of the Big Brothers-Big Sisters of America for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004. GAO found no reportable instances of noncompliance. The audit reports included the auditor's opinion that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles."
Date: July 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Contract Management: DOD Vulnerabilities to Contracting Fraud, Waste, and Abuse (open access)

Contract Management: DOD Vulnerabilities to Contracting Fraud, Waste, and Abuse

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In recent years, the Department of Defense (DOD) has increasingly relied on goods and services provided by the private sector under contract. Since fiscal year 2000, DOD's contracting for goods and services has nearly doubled, and this trend is expected to continue. In fiscal year 2005 alone, DOD obligated nearly $270 billion on contracts for goods and services. Given the magnitude of the dollar amounts involved, it is essential that DOD acquisitions be handled in an efficient, effective, and accountable manner. In other words, DOD needs to ensure that it buys the right things, the right way. Enacted January 6, 2006, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 required us to review DOD's efforts to identify and assess the vulnerability of its contracts to fraud, waste, and abuse. We reviewed the areas of vulnerability that DOD faces with regard to contracting fraud, waste, and abuse, and the recent initiatives that DOD has taken to address these vulnerabilities, including actions DOD has taken in response to a March 2005 Defense Science Board report on management oversight in acquisition organizations."
Date: July 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Election Reform: Nine States' Experiences Implementing Federal Requirements for Computerized Statewide Voter Registration Lists (open access)

Election Reform: Nine States' Experiences Implementing Federal Requirements for Computerized Statewide Voter Registration Lists

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) was enacted in part to help ensure that only eligible persons are registered to vote. Under HAVA, as of January 1, 2004, states were to create computerized statewide voter registration lists to serve as official rosters of legally registered voters for elections for federal office. States, however, were given the option to seek a waiver to postpone implementation of HAVA provisions until 2006. All but nine states did so. This report discusses the experiences of the nine states that were subject to the original HAVA deadline--Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Minnesota, South Carolina, South Dakota, and West Virginia. The report describes actions election officials in these states reported taking to meet specific HAVA requirements--as applicable to their states--for (1) establishing computerized statewide voter registration lists and (2) verifying the accuracy of information on voter registration applications and maintaining accurate computerized voter lists. GAO is also reporting what states said about challenges they faced and lessons learned implementing the requirements. Draft sections of this report were reviewed by the nine states; the Election Assistance Commission, which was responsible for …
Date: February 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Offshoring: U.S. Semiconductor and Software Industries Increasingly Produce in China and India (open access)

Offshoring: U.S. Semiconductor and Software Industries Increasingly Produce in China and India

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Much attention has focused on offshoring of information technology (IT) services overseas. "Offshoring" of services generally refers to an organization's purchase from other countries of services such as software programming that it previously produced or purchased domestically. IT manufacturing, notably semiconductor manufacturing, has a longer history of offshoring of manufacturing operations. Under the Comptroller General's authority to conduct evaluations on his own initiative, GAO addressed the following questions: (1) How has offshoring in semiconductor manufacturing and software services developed over time? (2)What factors enabled the expansion of offshoring in these industries? (3) As these industries have become more global, what have been the trends in their U.S.-based activities?"
Date: September 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Disability Benefits: Benefit Amounts for Military Personnel and Civilian Public Safety Officers Vary by Program Provisions and Individual Circumstances (open access)

Disability Benefits: Benefit Amounts for Military Personnel and Civilian Public Safety Officers Vary by Program Provisions and Individual Circumstances

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Military personnel, as well as civilian public safety officers (PSO), risk their lives and face the prospect of incurring disabilities as they protect and defend the general public on a daily basis. To help assess the appropriateness of disability benefits available to military personnel, Congress mandated that GAO study the disability benefits available to federal, state, and local government employees who serve the public in high-risk occupations and are injured in the line of duty. In response, GAO compared the disability benefits available to military personnel with the disability benefits available to civilian PSOs at the federal level, and in six states and six cities that were selected to illustrate the range of benefits provided. This study focuses on benefits provided to law enforcement officers and firefighters at the federal level, to state police at the state level, and to firefighters at the local level. For each program included in the review, GAO identified the benefits available for temporary disability, permanent partial disability, and permanent total disability, and then calculated the lifetime present value of the benefits provided to various hypothetical individuals in different circumstances. Cognizant …
Date: April 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federally Chartered Corporation: Financial Statement Audit Report for the Former Members of Congress for Fiscal Year 2004 (open access)

Federally Chartered Corporation: Financial Statement Audit Report for the Former Members of Congress for Fiscal Year 2004

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the audit reports covering the financial statements of Former Members of Congress for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004. GAO found no reportable instances of noncompliance. The audit reports included the auditor's opinion that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles."
Date: July 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Elections: Absentee Voting Assistance to Military and Overseas Citizens Increased for the 2004 General Election, but Challenges Remain (open access)

Elections: Absentee Voting Assistance to Military and Overseas Citizens Increased for the 2004 General Election, but Challenges Remain

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The narrow margin of victory in the 2000 presidential election raised concerns about the extent to which members of the military, their dependents, and U.S. citizens living abroad were able to vote via absentee ballot. In September 2001, GAO made recommendations to address variances in the Department of Defense's (DOD) Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP). Along with the military services and the Department of State (DOS), FVAP is responsible for educating and assisting military personnel and overseas citizens in the absentee voting process. Leading up to the 2004 presidential election, Members of Congress raised concerns about efforts under FVAP to facilitate absentee voting. Because of broad Congressional interest, GAO initiated a review under the Comptroller General's authority to address three questions: (1) How did FVAP's assistance efforts differ between the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections? (2) What actions did DOD and DOS take in response to prior GAO recommendations on absentee voting? and (3) What challenges remain in providing voting assistance to military personnel and overseas citizens? This review is one of several GAO reviews related to various aspects of the 2004 election. GAO provided DOD …
Date: April 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Information Technology: Improvements Needed to More Accurately Identify and Better Oversee Risky Projects Totaling Billions of Dollars (open access)

Information Technology: Improvements Needed to More Accurately Identify and Better Oversee Risky Projects Totaling Billions of Dollars

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) plays a key role in overseeing federal IT investments. The Clinger-Cohen Act, among other things, requires OMB to establish processes to analyze, track, and evaluate the risks and results of major capital investments in information systems made by agencies and to report to Congress on the net program performance benefits achieved as a result of these investments. OMB has developed several processes to help carry out its role. For example, OMB began using a Management Watch List several years ago as a means of identifying poorly planned projects based on its evaluation of agencies' funding justifications for major projects, known as exhibit 300s. In addition, in August 2005, OMB established a process for agencies to identify high risk projects, i.e., projects requiring special attention because of one or more reasons specified by OMB, and to report on those that are poorly performing or not meeting performance criteria. GAO recently issued reports on the Management Watch List, high risk projects, and agencies' exhibit 300s. GAO was asked to summarize (1) the number of projects and the fiscal year 2007 dollar value of …
Date: September 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
LOCAL Television Act: Status of Spending for Fiscal Year 2005 (open access)

LOCAL Television Act: Status of Spending for Fiscal Year 2005

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In December 2000, the Congress passed the Launching Our Communities' Access to Local Television Act of 2000 (LOCAL TV Act). The act created the Local Television Loan Guarantee Program and established the LOCAL Television Loan Guarantee Board to finance projects to provide access to signals of local television stations to households in areas with limited or no access to such signals from a commercial, for-profit satellite service or other multichannel video provider. The program authorizes the board to approve loan guarantees up to 80 percent of loans, totaling no more than $1.25 billion in aggregate; however, since inception of the program, no loan guarantees have been approved and the program has not been utilized. Section 1006 of the act requires that we perform an annual audit of the (1) administration of the provisions of the act and (2) financial position of each applicant who receives a loan guarantee under the act, including the nature, amount, and purpose of investments made by the applicant. In April 2005, we issued our required annual report covering fiscal year 2004. Since there continue to be no loan guarantee recipients for GAO to …
Date: July 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Community Services Block Grant Program: HHS Needs to Improve Monitoring of State Grantees (open access)

Community Services Block Grant Program: HHS Needs to Improve Monitoring of State Grantees

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The House Committee on Education and the Workforce has asked GAO to review the administration of the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program. As part of this review, we are examining the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) efforts to monitor states' use of CSBG funds. Specifically, we have been reviewing efforts undertaken by HHS's Office of Community Services (OCS), which has primary responsibility for administering the CSBG program."
Date: February 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
CFC Charities: Responses to Posthearing Questions (open access)

CFC Charities: Responses to Posthearing Questions

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This letter responds to Congress's request for additional information related to the subcommittee's May 25, 2006 hearing on whether charities participating in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) are meeting their employment tax responsibilities. Our responses are based on work performed during GAO's audit, communication with the Internal Revenue Service, GAO's views of generally accepted accounting principles and generally accepted auditing standards, and on professional judgment."
Date: July 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financial Audit: Bureau of the Public Debt's Fiscal Years 2006 and 2005 Schedules of Federal Debt (open access)

Financial Audit: Bureau of the Public Debt's Fiscal Years 2006 and 2005 Schedules of Federal Debt

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO is required to audit the consolidated financial statements of the U.S. government. Due to the significance of the federal debt held by the public to the governmentwide financial statements, GAO has also been auditing the Bureau of the Public Debt's (BPD) Schedules of Federal Debt annually. The audit of these schedules is done to determine whether, in all material respects, (1) the schedules are reliable and (2) BPD management maintained effective internal control relevant to the Schedule of Federal Debt. Further, we test compliance with selected provisions of significant laws related to the Schedule of Federal Debt. Federal debt managed by BPD consists of Treasury securities held by the public and by certain federal government accounts, referred to as intragovernmental debt holdings. The level of debt held by the public reflects how much of the nation's wealth has been absorbed by the federal government to finance prior federal spending in excess of federal revenues. Intragovernmental debt holdings represent balances of Treasury securities held by federal government accounts, primarily federal trust funds such as Social Security, that typically have an obligation to invest their excess annual …
Date: November 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Company Formations: Minimal Ownership Information Is Collected and Available (open access)

Company Formations: Minimal Ownership Information Is Collected and Available

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Companies form the basis of most commercial and entrepreneurial activities in market-based economies; however, "shell" companies, which have no operations, can be used for illicit purposes such as laundering money. Some states have been criticized for requiring minimal ownership information to form a U.S. company, raising concerns about the ease with which companies may be used for illicit purposes. In this report, GAO describes (1) the kinds of information each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and third party agents collect on companies, (2) law enforcement concerns about the use of companies to hide illicit activity and how company information from states and agents helps or hinders investigations, and (3) implications of requiring states or agents to collect company ownership information."
Date: April 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federally Chartered Corporation: Financial Statement Audit Report for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation for Fiscal Years 2004 and 2003 (open access)

Federally Chartered Corporation: Financial Statement Audit Report for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation for Fiscal Years 2004 and 2003

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the audit reports covering the financial statements of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2004 and 2003. GAO found no reportable instances of noncompliance. The audit reports included the auditor's opinion that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles."
Date: July 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
General Hospitals: Operational and Clinical Changes Largely Unaffected by Presence of Competing Specialty Hospitals (open access)

General Hospitals: Operational and Clinical Changes Largely Unaffected by Presence of Competing Specialty Hospitals

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "There has been much debate about specialty hospitals--short-term acute care hospitals with physician owners or investors that primarily treat patients who have specific medical conditions or need surgical procedures--and the competitive effects they may have on general hospitals. Advocates of specialty hospitals contend that competition from these physician-owned facilities can prompt general hospitals to implement efficiency, quality, and amenity improvements, thus favorably affecting the overall health care delivery system. Critics of specialty hospitals are concerned that general hospitals may respond to such competition by making changes that do not necessarily increase efficiency or benefit patients or communities, for example, by adding services already available in the community. The appropriateness of physicians' financial interests in specialty hospitals has also been questioned. GAO was asked to provide information on the competitive response of general hospitals to specialty hospitals. GAO surveyed approximately 600 general hospitals in markets with and without specialty hospitals to provide information on the extent to which these two groups of general hospitals reported implementing operational and clinical service changes to remain competitive. GAO received responses from 401 general hospitals."
Date: April 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Clean Water: Better Information and Targeted Prevention Efforts Could Enhance Spill Management in the St. Clair-Detroit River Corridor (open access)

Clean Water: Better Information and Targeted Prevention Efforts Could Enhance Spill Management in the St. Clair-Detroit River Corridor

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Spills of oil and hazardous substances in the St. Clair-Detroit River corridor have degraded this border area between the United States and Canada and are a potential threat to local drinking water supplies. Within the United States such spills are reported to the National Response Center (NRC), and in Canada to the Ontario Spills Action Centre. This report discusses (1) how many oil and hazardous substance spills greater than 50 gallons (or of an unknown volume) were reported in the corridor from 1994 to 2004, and how accurately reported spills reflect the extent of actual spills; (2) what processes are used to notify parties of spills, and if they contain explicit requirements for reporting times and spill magnitude; and (3) the extent of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Coast Guard's spill prevention efforts and enforcement activities in the corridor from 1994 to 2004."
Date: June 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federally Chartered Corporation: Financial Statement Audit Report for the National Ski Patrol System, Incorporated, for Fiscal Years 2005 and 2004 (open access)

Federally Chartered Corporation: Financial Statement Audit Report for the National Ski Patrol System, Incorporated, for Fiscal Years 2005 and 2004

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the audit reports covering the financial statements of the National Ski Patrol System, Incorporated, for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2005 and 2004. GAO found no reportable instances of noncompliance. The audit reports included the auditor's opinion that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles."
Date: July 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library