Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Improper payments are a long-standing, widespread, and significant problem in the federal government. The Congress enacted the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 (IPIA) to address this issue. Fiscal year 2005 marked the second year that agencies were required to report improper payment information under IPIA. One result of IPIA has been increased visibility over improper payments by requiring executive branch agencies to identify programs and activities susceptible to significant improper payments, estimate the amount of their improper payments, and report on the amounts of improper payments and their actions to reduce them in their annual performance and accountability reports (PAR). Because of continued interest in addressing the governmentwide improper payments issue, GAO was asked to report on the progress made by agencies in complying with requirements of IPIA and the status of efforts to identify, reduce, and eliminate improper payments. As part of the review, GAO looked at (1) the extent to which agencies have performed risk assessments, (2) the annual amount of improper payments estimated, and (3) the amount of improper payments recouped through recovery audits."

A statement of record issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In recent years, some reports prepared by advocacy groups have raised issues concerning the adequacy of the Park Service's financial resources needed to effectively operate the park units. This statement addresses (1) funding trends for park service operations and visitor fees for fiscal years 2001-2005; (2) specific funding trends for 12 selected high-visitation park units and how, if at all, the funding trends have affected operations; and (3) recent management initiatives the Park Service has undertaken to address fiscal performance and accountability of park units. This statement is based on GAO's March 2006 report, National Park Service: Major Operations Funding Trends and How Selected Park Units Responded to Those Trends for Fiscal Years 2001 through 2005, GAO-06-431 (Washington, D.C.: March 31, 2006)."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), within the Department of the Interior, uses tax receipts from the sale of certain hunting, fishing, and boating equipment to fund the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration programs, which provide grants to state fish and wildlife management agencies to restore, conserve, manage, and enhance wildlife and sport fish resources. The Wildlife Restoration Program was established in 1938 following the passage of the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, now referred to as the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act. The Sport Fish Restoration Program was established in 1950 by the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act. Since their inception, according to the Service, these programs have provided more than $9.5 billion in grants to states and U.S. territories through fiscal year 2005. In 1999 and 2000, GAO identified several instances of mismanagement in these grant programs. Following GAO's work, Congress and the Service acted to improve the programs. In 1999 and 2000, GAO testified on the Service's management and oversight of funds used to administer the Wildlife and the Sport Fish Restoration programs. These testimonies identified several instances of mismanagement of administrative funds. For …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "As part of the Army's ongoing transformation efforts, in October 1999 the Army announced the Stryker brigade concept. The Stryker brigade is a unit designed to provide the Army with a rapidly deployable force that is capable of operating against the full spectrum of military threats. To meet the Army's requirements for being rapidly deployable and combat capable, the Stryker brigade relies on new sustainment concepts, such as minimizing the number of personnel and spare parts within the brigade and reaching back to assets outside the brigade for support, which are not found in other existing Army brigades. In a span of 6 years, the Army announced its intention to create a new brigade, chose a vehicle, tested the operational concept, and deployed three brigades in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Army is also sending one Stryker brigade for a second rotation to Iraq and is developing four additional Stryker brigades. To support the accelerated development and deployment timeline, the Army relied on contractors to support some equipment within the Stryker brigade, such as the Stryker vehicle and computer and communication systems. The largest group of contractor …

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Given today's unprecedented terrorism threat environment and the resulting widespread congressional and public interest in the security of our nation's borders, GAO conducted an investigation testing whether radioactive sources could be smuggled across U.S. borders. Most travelers enter the United States through the nation's 154 land border ports of entry. Department of Homeland Security U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspectors at ports of entry are responsible for the primary inspection of travelers to determine their admissibility into the United States and to enforce laws related to preventing the entry of contraband, such as drugs and weapons of mass destruction. GAO's testimony provides the results of undercover tests made by its investigators to determine whether monitors at U.S. ports of entry detect radioactive sources in vehicles attempting to enter the United States. GAO also provides observations regarding the procedures that CBP inspectors followed during its investigation. GAO has also issued a report on the results of this investigation (GAO-06-545R)."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Federal assistance helps students and families pay for postsecondary education through several policy tools--grant and loan programs authorized by title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and more recently enacted tax preferences. This testimony summarizes and updates our 2005 report on (1) how title IV assistance compares to that provided through the tax code (2) the extent to which tax filers effectively use postsecondary tax preferences, and (3) what is known about the effectiveness of federal assistance. This hearing is an opportunity to consider whether any changes should be made in the government's overall strategy for providing such assistance or to the individual programs and tax provisions that provide the assistance. This statement is based on previously published GAO work and reviews of relevant literature."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) was enacted in 2000 to compensate Department of Energy employees and contractors who developed work-related illnesses such as cancer and lung disease. Energy administered Subtitle D of the program. Subtitle B of the program is administered by the Department of Labor, which uses estimates of workers' likely radiation exposure to make compensation decisions. The estimates, known as dose reconstructions, are performed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The act specified that the President establish an Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health to review the scientific validity of NIOSH's dose reconstructions and recommend whether workers should be part of special exposure cohorts whose claimants can be compensated without dose reconstructions. A recent memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to Labor has raised concern about potential efforts to unduly contain the cost of benefits paid to claimants. This testimony presents GAO's past work on program performance and the work of the advisory board. It also highlights GAO's ongoing work relevant to issues raised by …

Contains notes and research from Joe Barrett and Brian McDaniel regarding Marine Corps Recruit Depots

Commissioners Notes - Materials Regarding Ft. Knox, KY Medical Issues.

BRAC and Base Input - Pope Air Force Base, NC. Various reports.

Community Input, Ft. Monmouth, NJ. Briefing from the community's view.

Community Input, Ft. Monmouth, NJ. Briefing from the community's view.

Base Input - Submarine Base New London, CT

Contains notes and research from Marilyn Wasleski regarding DFAS performance information

Commission Talking Points concerning Red River Army Depot.

Community Input - Niagara Falls International Airport Air Guard Station, NY. E-mail letter.

Contains information from the BRAC Editor regarding the BRAC process

Commissioner Notes - Commissioner Coyle - Info on DFAS. DFAAS contract numbers.

Contains General Counsel's legal binder for regional hearings and base visits

Contains information regarding BRAC related statutes

Public Affairs - Memo to Chairman Principi Re: Interview Hearing - June 23, 2005, Grand Forks, ND.

General Counsel - Commissioner Skinner's Copy of Procedural Rules

General Counsel - Appearance of Impropriety.

General Counsel - Air National Guard Issues.