1,746 Matching Results

Results open in a new window/tab.

Homeland Security: Greater Attention to Key Practices Would Help Address Security Vulnerabilities at Federal Buildings (open access)

Homeland Security: Greater Attention to Key Practices Would Help Address Security Vulnerabilities at Federal Buildings

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Protective Service (FPS) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is responsible for providing law enforcement and related security services for nearly 9,000 federal facilities under the control and custody of the General Services Administration (GSA). In 2004 GAO identified a set of key protection practices from the collective practices of federal agencies and the private sector, which included allocation of resources using risk management, strategic management of human capital, leveraging of technology, information sharing and coordination, and performance measurement and testing. This testimony is based on past reports and testimonies and discusses (1) limitations FPS faces in protecting GSA buildings and resulting vulnerabilities; and (2) actions FPS is taking. To perform this work, GAO used its key practices as criteria, visited a number of GSA buildings, surveyed tenant agencies, analyzed pertinent laws and DHS and GSA documents, conducted covert testing at 10 judgmentally selected high-security buildings in four cities, and interviewed officials from DHS, GSA, and tenant agencies, and contractors and guards."
Date: November 18, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: DHS Needs to Conclude Negotiations and Finalize Regulations to Implement Federal Immigration Law (open access)

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: DHS Needs to Conclude Negotiations and Finalize Regulations to Implement Federal Immigration Law

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony discusses our work on the status of efforts to establish federal border control in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and implement the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008 (CNRA) with regard to foreign workers, visitors, and investors in the CNMI. In May 2008, the United States enacted CNRA, amending the U.S.-CNMI Covenant to establish federal control of CNMI immigration. CNRA contains several CNMI-specific provisions affecting foreign workers and investors during a transition period that began in November 2009 and ends in 2014. In addition, CNRA amends existing U.S. immigration law to establish a joint visa waiver program for the CNMI and Guam by replacing an existing visa waiver program for Guam visitors. During the transition period, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretaries of the Interior, Labor, and State and the U.S. Attorney General, has the responsibility to establish, administer, and enforce a transition program to regulate immigration in the CNMI. CNRA requires that we report on the implementation of federal immigration law in the CNMI. This testimony summarizes findings from our recent report regarding (1) steps that the …
Date: May 18, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Electricity Restructuring: 2003 Blackout Identifies Crisis and Opportunity for the Electricity Sector (open access)

Electricity Restructuring: 2003 Blackout Identifies Crisis and Opportunity for the Electricity Sector

Other written product issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The August 14, 2003, electricity blackout--the largest in the nation's history--affected millions of people across eight northeastern and midwestern states as well as areas in Canada. The blackout intensified concerns about the overall status and security of the electricity industry at a time when the industry is undergoing major changes and Americans have a heightened awareness of threats to security. Because of these widespread concerns and the broad institutional interest of the Congress, we (1) highlighted information about the known causes and effects of the blackout, (2) summarized themes from prior GAO reports on electricity and security matters that provide a context for understanding the blackout, and (3) identified some of the potential options for resolving problems associated with these electricity and security matters."
Date: November 18, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Elections: All Levels of Government Are Needed to Address Electronic Voting System Challenges (open access)

Elections: All Levels of Government Are Needed to Address Electronic Voting System Challenges

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since the 2000 national elections, concerns have been raised by various groups regarding the election process, including voting technologies. Beginning in 2001, GAO published a series of reports examining virtually every aspect of the elections process. GAO's complement of reports was used by Congress in framing the Help America Vote Act of 2002, which, among other things, provided for replacement of older voting equipment with more modern electronic voting systems and established the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to lead the nation's election reform efforts. GAO's later reports have raised concerns about the security and reliability of these electronic voting systems, examined the EAC's efforts to address these concerns, and surveyed state and local officials about practices used during the 2004 election, as well as plans for their systems for the 2006 election. Using its published work on electronic voting systems, GAO was asked to testify on (1) the contextual role and characteristics of electronic voting systems, (2) the range of security and reliability concerns that have been reported about these systems, (3) the experiences and management practices of states and local jurisdictions regarding these systems, and (4) the …
Date: April 18, 2007
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Bureau of Public Debt: Areas for Improvement in Computer Controls (open access)

Bureau of Public Debt: Areas for Improvement in Computer Controls

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of the Treasury is authorized by Congress to borrow money on the credit of the United States to fund operations of the federal government. Within Treasury, the Bureau of the Public Debt (BPD) is responsible for prescribing the debt instruments, limiting and restricting the amount and composition of the debt, paying interest to investors, and accounting for the resulting debt. BPD is also responsible for issuing Treasury securities to trust funds for trust fund receipts not needed for current benefits and expenses. In connection with fulfilling its requirement to audit the U.S. government's fiscal year 2001 financial statements, GAO reviewed the general and application computer controls over key financial systems maintained and operated by BPD. BPD maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control relevant to the Schedule of Federal Debt related to financial reporting and compliance with applicable laws and regulations as of September 30, 2001. BPD's internal control, which includes the general and application controls over key BPD systems relevant to the Schedule of Federal Debt, provided reasonable assurance that misstatements, losses, or noncompliance material in relation to the Schedule of Federal Debt for …
Date: September 18, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Military Personnel: Evaluation Methods Linked to Anticipated Outcomes Needed to Inform Decisions on Army Recruitment Incentives (open access)

Military Personnel: Evaluation Methods Linked to Anticipated Outcomes Needed to Inform Decisions on Army Recruitment Incentives

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the United States has launched several military operations that have dramatically increased the operations tempo of the military services and required the large-scale mobilization of reservists. These factors have particularly affected the active Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard, which have shouldered the bulk of the personnel burden associated with ongoing operations in Iraq. A 2007 Congressional Research Service report notes that many observers have expressed concern that these factors might lead to lower recruiting and retention rates, thereby jeopardizing the vitality of today's all-volunteer military. Additionally, in 2004 the Army began its modular force transformation to restructure itself from a division-based force to a more agile and responsive modular brigade-based force--an undertaking it considers to be the most extensive reorganization of its force since World War II. Both ongoing military operations and transformation have prompted the Army to increase its recruitment efforts. To encourage military service, Congress, through Section 681 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, temporarily authorized the Army to provide not more than four new recruitment …
Date: September 18, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Potential Questions to Elicit Nominees' Views on Agencies' Management Challenges (open access)

Potential Questions to Elicit Nominees' Views on Agencies' Management Challenges

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO provided a list of potential questions that Senate committees could use to help determine the leadership and management experiences and capabilities of nominees to leadership posts in major executive branch agencies. These questions cover a wide range of management-related issues in different organizations within each agency and, therefore, would not be relevant to all nominees. GAO suggests that these questions be used to prompt informal and formal discussions on management challenges."
Date: January 18, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Department of Veterans Affairs' Implementation of Information Security Education Assistance Program (open access)

Department of Veterans Affairs' Implementation of Information Security Education Assistance Program

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006 authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish an educational assistance program for information security. The Information Security Education Assistance Program is envisioned as a means for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to attract and retain individuals with advanced skills in information security. The legislation authorizes the agency to establish scholarships for qualified students who pursue doctoral degrees in computer science and electrical and computer engineering at accredited institutions and to offer educational debt reduction for VA employees who hold doctoral degrees in these fields. This letter responds to the act's requirement that we report on the scholarship and education debt reduction programs within 3 years of the act's December 22, 2006, enactment."
Date: December 18, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federally Chartered Corporation: Review of the Financial Statement Audit Report for the National Academy of Public Administration for Fiscal Years 2002 and 2001 (open access)

Federally Chartered Corporation: Review of the Financial Statement Audit Report for the National Academy of Public Administration for Fiscal Years 2002 and 2001

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the audit reports covering the financial statements of the National Academy of Public Administration, for fiscal years 2001 and 2002. GAO found no reportable instances of noncompliance. The audit reports included the auditors' opinions that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly and in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles."
Date: September 18, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
General Aviation Security: TSA's Process for Ensuring Foreign Flight Students Do Not Pose a Security Risk Has Weaknesses (open access)

General Aviation Security: TSA's Process for Ensuring Foreign Flight Students Do Not Pose a Security Risk Has Weaknesses

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "TSA and aircraft operators have taken several important actions to enhance general aviation security, and TSA is working with aviation industry stakeholders to develop new security guidelines and regulations. Among other measures, TSA worked with members of the General Aviation Working Group of its Aviation Security Advisory Committee in 2003 and 2004 to develop recommended guidelines for general aviation airport security, and TSA expects the group to issue updated guidelines later this year. In addition, pursuant to the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, TSA established and oversees implementation of a security program in which aircraft weighing more than 12,500 pounds in scheduled or charter service that carry passengers or cargo or both, and that do not fall under another security program, must implement a “Twelve-Five” standard security program. Aircraft operators implementing a Twelve-Five security program must include, among other elements, procedures regarding bomb or air piracy threats. TSA obtains information directly from aircraft operators that fall under Twelve-Five through its review and approval of the security programs developed by these operators and through periodic inspections to determine the extent to which operators comply with their security programs. TSA …
Date: July 18, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Department of Defense Initiatives on High Energy Lasers Have Been Responsive to Congressional Direction (open access)

Department of Defense Initiatives on High Energy Lasers Have Been Responsive to Congressional Direction

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Congress directed the Department of Defense (DOD) to prepare a master plan to develop laser technologies for potential weapons applications in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000. In response to this legislation, the High Energy Laser (HEL) Executive Review Panel was formed and issued the HEL Master Plan on March 24, 2000. This plan recommended that DOD implement a new management structure for HEL technologies and increase the funding allocated to HELs to achieve a better balance between large demonstration programs and the enabling science and technology projects. Subsequently, in the Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2001, Congress directed the Secretary of Defense to implement the management and organizational structure specified in the Master Plan. Congress asked us to review the extent to which DOD has implemented the recommendations of the HEL Master Plan, by assessing (1) whether DOD has achieved more balance between large demonstration projects and the enabling science and technology base projects; (2) whether the DOD funding process focuses on the most critical HEL issues; and (3) what impact the new management structure has had on the …
Date: May 18, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Answers to Key Questions about Private Pension Plans (open access)

Answers to Key Questions about Private Pension Plans

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This primer on private pensions provides information on the basic features of the private pension plan system and the federal framework that governs how private plans must operate. GAO answers questions about the types of plans that private employers may sponsor, the benefits these plans provide, and the basic requirements that govern how these plans are administered."
Date: September 18, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Drug Control: U.S. Efforts in Latin America and the Caribbean (open access)

Drug Control: U.S. Efforts in Latin America and the Caribbean

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on efforts to reduce the flow of drugs into the United States, focusing on the: (1) nature of the drug threat facing the United States; (2) way in which the international drug control strategy of the United States addresses the nature of the drug threat; and (3) obstacles that foreign governments and the United States face in reducing the drug threat."
Date: February 18, 2000
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
National Airspace System: Review of FAA's Spending for Operations (open access)

National Airspace System: Review of FAA's Spending for Operations

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) spending from its operations account, focusing on: (1) the history of funding FAA's operations activities from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund; (2) whether FAA has data to allow a determination of whether its spending for operations is cost-efficient and cost-effective; and (3) changes that FAA could institute in its various programs, offices, and projects to reduce its spending for operations."
Date: June 18, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Bureau of the Public Debt: Areas for Improvement in Information Security Controls (open access)

Bureau of the Public Debt: Areas for Improvement in Information Security Controls

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In connection with fulfilling our requirement to audit the financial statements of the U.S. government, we audited and reported on the Schedules of Federal Debt Managed by the Bureau of the Public Debt (BPD) for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2004 and 2003. As part of these audits, we performed a review of the general and application information security controls over key BPD financial systems. As we reported in connection with our audit of the Schedules of Federal Debt for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2004 and 2003, BPD maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control, including general and application information security controls, relevant to the Schedule of Federal Debt related to financial reporting and compliance with applicable laws and regulations as of September 30, 2004, that provided reasonable assurance that misstatements, losses, or noncompliance material in relation to the Schedule of Federal Debt would be prevented or detected on a timely basis. We found matters involving information security controls that we do not consider to be reportable conditions, but that nevertheless warrant BPD management's attention and action. This report presents the results of our …
Date: April 18, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Environmental Enforcement: EPA Needs to Improve the Accuracy and Transparency of Measures Used to Report on Program Effectiveness (open access)

Environmental Enforcement: EPA Needs to Improve the Accuracy and Transparency of Measures Used to Report on Program Effectiveness

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "As part of its mission to protect human health and the environment, the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) enforcement office maintains civil and criminal enforcement programs to help enforce the requirements of major federal environmental laws such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. EPA's civil and criminal enforcement programs work with the Department of Justice (DOJ), and in some cases states, to take legal actions to bring polluters into compliance with federal laws. While civil enforcement actions require polluters to pay penalties and take other corrective actions, criminal enforcement actions also may include imprisonment. EPA's enforcement office sets national priorities to focus resources on significant environmental risks and non-compliance patterns; prepares nationally significant civil and criminal cases for legal action by DOJ; uses 10 regional offices to implement civil enforcement actions on a day-to-day basis; and pursues criminal violations of environmental laws through its criminal enforcement office. The agency exercises its authority to independently pursue some violators through administrative proceedings--civil administrative actions--and to refer significant matters to DOJ when it believes cases need to be filed in federal court as civil judicial actions. DOJ is …
Date: September 18, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Land Border Ports of Entry: Vulnerabilities and Inefficiencies in the Inspections Process (open access)

Land Border Ports of Entry: Vulnerabilities and Inefficiencies in the Inspections Process

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 mandates that we track, monitor, and evaluate the Attorney General's strategy to deter illegal entry and report our findings to Congress. In response, we have evaluated immigration-related inspections at land border Ports of Entry (POE) and made recommendations regarding (1) the integrity of the inspections process; (2) the efficiency and effectiveness of inspections-related port operations; and (3) the collection, analysis, and use of intelligence information. Due to concern that the public release of our detailed findings could compromise law enforcement operations, our report is restricted to Limited Official Use. This letter is intended to summarize our overall findings and confirm agreement to take action to address vulnerabilities and inefficiencies in the inspections process. Most of our work was conducted before the Department of Justice's Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the Department of the Treasury's Customs Service were merged into the newly created Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). However, the issues we address remain relevant as DHS merges the functions previously performed by the two agencies and implements major …
Date: August 18, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federally Chartered Corporation: Review of the Financial Statement Audit Report for the National Society, Daughters of the American Colonists for Fiscal Years 2001-2003 (open access)

Federally Chartered Corporation: Review of the Financial Statement Audit Report for the National Society, Daughters of the American Colonists for Fiscal Years 2001-2003

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "We reviewed the audit reports covering the financial statements of the National Society, Daughters of the American Colonists, for fiscal years 2001 through 2003. GAO's review disclosed no reportable instances of noncompliance with the financial reporting requirements of the law. The audit reports included the auditors' opinions that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles."
Date: September 18, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Statutes and Executive Orders Applicable to the Public Buildings Service's Leasing Program (open access)

Federal Statutes and Executive Orders Applicable to the Public Buildings Service's Leasing Program

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO identified the legislative and administrative requirements that apply to the Public Buildings Service's (PBS) leasing program and provided information on the mechanisms that PBS has established to implement and comply with these federal statutes and executive orders."
Date: October 18, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Customs Service Modernization: Actions Initiated to Correct ACE Management and Technical Weaknesses (open access)

Customs Service Modernization: Actions Initiated to Correct ACE Management and Technical Weaknesses

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on Customs Service's efforts to correct the management and technical weaknesses of its Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) system."
Date: May 18, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications: Review of DOD's Current Modernization Efforts (open access)

Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications: Review of DOD's Current Modernization Efforts

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO provided an in-depth classified briefing to committee staff on the results of this review in January 2014. GAO briefed on the status of several on-going nuclear command, control, and communications (NC3) modernization efforts within the Department of Defense (DOD), including progress made and remaining challenges to completing those efforts. GAO also reported on DOD's efforts to plan and develop the National Leadership Command Capability, a large initiative to integrate nuclear, senior leader, and continuity of government command, control, and communications capabilities and systems. Further details remain classified."
Date: March 18, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Intercollegiate Athletics: Comparison of Selected Characteristics for Men's and Women's Programs (open access)

Intercollegiate Athletics: Comparison of Selected Characteristics for Men's and Women's Programs

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on: (1) selected characteristics for men's and women's intercollegiate athletics programs, focusing on: (a) the number of athletes; (b) number of teams; (c) sports programs sponsored; (d) average squad size; and (d) the maximum number of athletic scholarships a school may award for each sport; and (2) the number of student athletes and the proportion of undergraduate students at 4-year schools that participated as athletes during academic years 1985-86 and 1996-1997."
Date: June 18, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Infrastructure: NORAD and USNORTHCOM Need to Reevaluate Vulnerabilities Associated with Moving the NORAD Command Center from Cheyenne Mountain to Peterson Air Force Base, and to Acknowledge Acceptance of the Risks (open access)

Defense Infrastructure: NORAD and USNORTHCOM Need to Reevaluate Vulnerabilities Associated with Moving the NORAD Command Center from Cheyenne Mountain to Peterson Air Force Base, and to Acknowledge Acceptance of the Risks

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In July 2006, the former Commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) announced plans to relocate certain functions from Cheyenne Mountain to create an integrated command center in Building 2 at Peterson Air Force Base (AFB), Colorado. In May 2007, we reported that NORAD and USNORTHCOM had not analyzed the anticipated operational effects--both positive and negative--of the relocation, and that the Department of Defense (DOD) could not discern the full costs or security implications of the move until ongoing security assessments had been completed and a protection level designated for the integrated command center. We suggested that Congress should consider restricting DOD's authority to fund the relocation until all security analyses were complete, the full costs for the move were determined, and DOD provided Congress with an analysis of the operational effects of the proposed realignments. As a result, in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (hereinafter referred to as the Act), Congress directed the Secretary of Defense to submit a report by March 1, 2008, assessing the relocation of the NORAD Command Center and related functions from …
Date: September 18, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
DOD Financial Management: Challenges in Attaining Audit Readiness and Improving Business Processes and Systems (open access)

DOD Financial Management: Challenges in Attaining Audit Readiness and Improving Business Processes and Systems

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO’s recent work highlights the types of challenges facing the Department of Defense (DOD) as it strives to attain audit readiness and reengineer its business processes and systems. The urgency in addressing these challenges has been increased by the goals of an auditable DOD Statement of Budgetary Resources (SBR) by the end of fiscal year 2014 and a complete set of auditable financial statements by the end of fiscal year 2017. For example, GAO’s 2011 reporting highlights difficulties the DOD components experienced in attempting to achieve an auditable SBR. These include:"
Date: April 18, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library