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2000 Census: Review of Partnership Program Highlights Best Practices for Future Operations (open access)

2000 Census: Review of Partnership Program Highlights Best Practices for Future Operations

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "To take a more complete and accurate count of the nation's population in the 2000 Census, the Bureau of the Census partnered with other federal agencies, as well as with state, local, and tribal governments; religious, community, and social service organizations; and private businesses. According to the Bureau, about 140,000 organizations participated in the partnership program by assisting in such critical activities as reviewing and updating the Bureau's address list, encouraging people--especially hard-to-count populations--to participate in the census, and recruiting temporary census employees. GAO found that the Bureau spent about $142.9 million on its partnership program, or about two percent of the estimated $6.5 billion the Bureau allocated for the census and an average of about $1.19 for each of the 120 million households that the Bureau estimates are in the nation. The Bureau staffed the partnership program with 594 full-time positions, of which 560 were allocated to the field, while the remaining slots were located in the Bureau's headquarters. Decisions on which organizations to partner with and what events to attend were governed by unwritten guidelines and criteria and were driven by the Bureau's desire …
Date: August 20, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Air Force Depot Maintenance: Management Improvements Needed for Backlog of Funded Contract Maintenance Work (open access)

Air Force Depot Maintenance: Management Improvements Needed for Backlog of Funded Contract Maintenance Work

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 requires GAO to review various aspects of the Department of Defense (DOD) policy that allows Defense Working Capital Fund activities to carry over a 3-month level of work from one fiscal year to the next. The DOD 3-month carryover standard applies to all DOD activity groups except for the contract portion of the Air Force depot maintenance activity group, for which DOD established a 4.5-month carryover standard because of the additional administrative functions associated with awarding contracts. Reported carryover balances for fiscal years 2000 and 2001 were inaccurate and, therefore, the balances were not reliable for decision-making or budget review purposes. The reported carryover balances were not accurate due to (1) faulty assumptions used in calculating work-in-process and (2) records not accurately reflecting work that was actually completed by year-end. As a result, the amount of carryover reported by the Air Force was understated by tens of millions of dollars and customers' funds were idle that could have been used for other purposes during the fiscal year. Even though the carryover was understated, Air …
Date: June 20, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Airline Deregulation: Changes in Airfares and Service at Buffalo, New York (open access)

Airline Deregulation: Changes in Airfares and Service at Buffalo, New York

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed changes in airfares and service quality at Buffalo Niagara International Airport since deregulation."
Date: September 20, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Anthrax Vaccine: GAO's Survey of Guard and Reserve Pilots and Aircrew (open access)

Anthrax Vaccine: GAO's Survey of Guard and Reserve Pilots and Aircrew

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the views of pilots and aircrew members of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve regarding the Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program (AVIP) of the Department of Defense (DOD). In December 1997, the Secretary of Defense announced a plan to inoculate U.S. forces against the potential battlefield use of anthrax as a biological warfare (BW) agent. In the context of the conventional battlefield, the nature and magnitude of the military BW threat has not changed materially since 1990 in terms of the number of countries suspected of developing BW capability, the types of BW agents they possess, or their ability to weaponize and deliver BW agents. In marked contrast to other mandatory DOD immunization requirements, GAO's sample survey in 2000 showed that AVIP was at that time adversely affecting the retention of trained and experienced guard and reserve pilots and aircrew members. Between September 1998 and September 2000, 16 percent of the pilots and aircrew members of the guard and reserve had (1) transferred to another unit (primarily to nonflying positions to avoid or delay receiving the anthrax shots), (2) moved to inactive status, …
Date: September 20, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Applying Agreed-Upon Procedures: Airport and Airway Trust Fund Excise Taxes (open access)

Applying Agreed-Upon Procedures: Airport and Airway Trust Fund Excise Taxes

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "We have performed the procedures contained in the enclosure to this report, which we agreed to perform and with which the Inspector General (IG) concurred, solely to assist it in ascertaining whether the net excise tax revenue distributed to the Airport and Airway Trust Fund (AATF) for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2003, is supported by the underlying records. As agreed, we evaluated fiscal year 2003 activity affecting distributions to the AATF."
Date: November 20, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Applying Agreed-Upon Procedures: Highway Trust Fund Excise Taxes (open access)

Applying Agreed-Upon Procedures: Highway Trust Fund Excise Taxes

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Inspector General (IG) of the Department of Transportation requested that GAO perform procedures to assist the IG's office in ascertaining whether the net excise tax revenue distributed to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2003, is supported by the underlying records. GAO evaluated fiscal year 2003 activity affecting distributions to the HTF."
Date: November 20, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Army Readiness: Readiness Improved for Selected Divisions, but Manning Imbalances Persist (open access)

Army Readiness: Readiness Improved for Selected Divisions, but Manning Imbalances Persist

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In recent years, GAO has testified that personnel shortages, assignment priorities, and frequent peacekeeping deployments were undermining the combat readiness of the Army's five later-deploying divisions. In 2001, GAO reported on the Army Chief of Staff's manning initiative of October 1999, which seeks to ensure that all active Army units are assigned the numbers, grades, and skills needed to carry out wartime missions. Since then, terrorists have attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and the Bush administration has formulated a new military strategy. These developments may change how, when, and where these divisions will be used--as seen in the deployment of soldiers from the 40th Infantry Division in Operation Enduring Freedom. As of June 2001 the five divisions reported they were ready and able to perform all or most of their combat missions. Enlisted personnel levels were at or near 100 percent of their authorization compared with 93 percent in March 1998. However, staffing imbalances persist for some combat support skills. Each division met its training requirements for combat missions. The amount of equipment on hand and the serviceability of that equipment indicated that …
Date: December 20, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Aviation Security: Efforts to Measure Effectiveness and Strengthen Security Programs (open access)

Aviation Security: Efforts to Measure Effectiveness and Strengthen Security Programs

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Commercial aviation has been a long-standing target for terrorists. Since the tragic attacts of September 11, 2001, substantial changes have been made to enhance security--including the creation of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the federalization of the passenger screener workforce. However, despite these changes, vulnerabilities in aviation security continue to exist. Accordingly, GAO was asked to describe TSA's efforts to (1) measure the effectiveness of its aviation security initiatives, (2) strengthen its passenger screening program, and (3) address additional challenges in further enhancing aviation security."
Date: November 20, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Aviation Security: Terrorist Acts Demonstrate Urgent Need to Improve Security at the Nation's Airports (open access)

Aviation Security: Terrorist Acts Demonstrate Urgent Need to Improve Security at the Nation's Airports

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "A safe and secure civil aviation system is a critical component of the nation's overall security, physical infrastructure, and economic foundation. Billions of dollars and myriad programs and policies have been devoted to achieving such a system. Although it is not fully known at this time what actually occurred or what all the weaknesses in the nation's aviation security apparatus are that contributed to the horrendous events on September 11, 2001, it is clear that serious weaknesses exist in our aviation security system and that their impact can be far more devastating than previously imagined. As reported last year, GAO's review of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) oversight of air traffic control (ATC) computer systems showed that FAA had not followed some critical aspects of its own security requirements. Specifically, FAA had not ensured that ATC buildings and facilities were secure, that the systems themselves were protected, and that the contractors who access these systems had undergone background checks. Controls for limiting access to secure areas, including aircraft, have not always worked as intended. GAO's special agents used fictitious law enforcement badges and credentials to gain access to …
Date: September 20, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Aviation Security: Terrorist Acts Illustrate Severe Weaknesses in Aviation Security (open access)

Aviation Security: Terrorist Acts Illustrate Severe Weaknesses in Aviation Security

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "A safe and secure civil aviation system is critical to the nation's security, physical infrastructure, and economy. Billions of dollars and myriad programs and policies have been devoted to achieving such a system. Although it is not fully known at this time what actually occurred or what all the weaknesses in the nation's aviation security apparatus are that contributed to the horrendous events on September 11, 2001, it is clear that serious weaknesses exist in our aviation security system and that their impact can be far more devastating than previously imagined. As reported last year, GAO's review of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) oversight of air traffic control (ATC) computer systems showed that FAA had not followed some critical aspects of its own security requirements. Specifically, FAA had not ensured that ATC buildings and facilities were secure, that the systems themselves were protected, and that the contractors who use these systems had undergone background checks. Controls for limiting access to secure areas, including aircraft, have not always worked as intended. GAO's special agents used fictitious law enforcement badges and credentials to gain access to secure areas, bypass security …
Date: September 20, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Aviation Security: Vulnerabilities and Potential Improvements for the Air Cargo System (open access)

Aviation Security: Vulnerabilities and Potential Improvements for the Air Cargo System

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "U.S. air carriers transport billions of tons of cargo each year in both passenger planes and all-cargo planes. Typically, about one-half of the hull of each passenger aircraft is filled with cargo. As a result, any vulnerabilities in the air cargo security system potentially threaten the entire air transport system. GAO agreed to determine the security vulnerabilities that have been identified in the air cargo system, the status of key recommendations that have been made since 1990 to improve air cargo security, and ways in which air cargo security can be improved in the near-and long-term."
Date: December 20, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Blood Supply: Availability of Blood to Meet the Nation's Requirements (open access)

Blood Supply: Availability of Blood to Meet the Nation's Requirements

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the availability of blood to meet the nation's requirements, focusing on: (1) recent trends in blood donation and the demand for blood transfusions; (2) the expected effect of a ban on blood from donors who have travelled to the United Kingdom; and (3) the potential effect of policy changes to allow units of blood collected from individuals with hemochromatosis to be distributed."
Date: September 20, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Bureau of Prisons Contract Payments (open access)

Bureau of Prisons Contract Payments

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the Bureau of Prisons to determine whether it had made overpayments to contractors. During fiscal year 2001, the Bureau of Prisons had 24 open construction contracts that totaled about $1.9 billion. In addition to general disbursement controls, GAO found internal controls specific to construction contracts in which both the project representative and the contracting officer must approve each monthly progress payment invoice. GAO sampled 27 payments on five construction contracts to determine if construction contract payment controls were properly designed, in place, and operating to prevent or detect overpayments. GAO found that the internal controls were in place and operating and construction contract payment amounts were correct, or, if errors occurred, they were detected and corrected promptly as a normal part of the payment system. A few minor clerical errors were subsequently detected and corrected by the Bureau of Prisons through its own routine control procedures before GAO made its review. GAO concludes that the risk of undetected construction contractor overpayments at the Bureau of Prisons appears to be small."
Date: March 20, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Bureau of Reclamation: Opportunities Exist to Improve Managerial Cost Information and Cost Recovery (open access)

Bureau of Reclamation: Opportunities Exist to Improve Managerial Cost Information and Cost Recovery

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In a previous report (GAO/AIMD-00-127, May 2000), GAO identified reimbursable project costs that were not being recovered by the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation. In this report, GAO reviewed the Bureau of Reclamation's managerial cost accounting and cost recovery practices. The Bureau does not currently identify and distribute all of the costs it incurs to its specific projects and activities. These costs are not distributed because the Bureau considers them nonreimbursable and because its cost accounting system is used to capture costs related to reimbursable purposes such as irrigation, municipal and industrial (M&I) water supply, and power generation. While GAO recognizes that the Bureau does not have the authority to recover certain costs, such as those funded through the Policy and Administration appropriation, all of the costs should nevertheless be distributed to the relevant activities to provide information useful in managerial decision making. Because not all costs are distributed, information on the full cost of projects and activities is not readily available to the Congress, program managers, and others to facilitate decision making and the allocation of the federal government's resources."
Date: September 20, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Challenge of Data Sharing: Results of a GAO-Sponsored Symposium on Benefit and Loan Programs (open access)

The Challenge of Data Sharing: Results of a GAO-Sponsored Symposium on Benefit and Loan Programs

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Data sharing among federal agencies that run federal benefit and loan programs is important for determining the eligibility of applicants and beneficiaries. A GAO symposium on data sharing highlighted various issues facing federal agencies in their efforts to prevent abuse of federal programs. Symposium speakers focused on the number of program dollars saved by interagency data exchanges. Agencies using computer matching have detected undisclosed income and welfare recipients who receive benefits from more than one state. Improved technologies offer agencies the opportunity to expand their data sharing efforts. Such technologies include computer systems that can communicate directly with other systems and computer networks that can obtain information directly from financial institutions. Symposium speakers agreed that applicants' privacy should be protected when personal information is shared among agencies, but they disagreed about the extent to which data sharing threatens it. Privacy laws and security-related technology provide individuals with some protection against the possible misuse of personal information, but symposium participants differed on whether these protections are adequate."
Date: October 20, 2000
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Chemical and Biological Defense: Observations on Actions Taken to Protect Military Forces (open access)

Chemical and Biological Defense: Observations on Actions Taken to Protect Military Forces

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the Department of Defense's (DOD) continuing efforts to protect U.S. military forces against chemical and biological weapons."
Date: October 20, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Child and Family Services Reviews: Better Use of Data and Improved Guidance Could Enhance HHS's Oversight of State Performance (open access)

Child and Family Services Reviews: Better Use of Data and Improved Guidance Could Enhance HHS's Oversight of State Performance

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In 2001, the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Administration for Children and Families (ACF) implemented the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSR) to increase states' accountability. The CFSR uses states' data profiles and statewide assessments, as well as interviews and an on-site case review, to measure state performance on 14 outcomes and systemic factors, including child well-being and the provision of caseworker training. The CFSR also requires progress on a program improvement plan (PIP); otherwise ACF may apply financial penalties. This report examines (1) ACF's and the states' experiences preparing for and conducting the statewide assessments and on-site reviews; (2) ACF's and the states' experiences developing, funding, and implementing items in PIPs; and (3) any additional efforts that ACF has taken beyond the CFSR to help ensure that all states meet federal goals related to children's safety, permanency, and well-being."
Date: April 20, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Child Welfare: New Financing and Service Strategies Hold Promise, but Effects Unknown (open access)

Child Welfare: New Financing and Service Strategies Hold Promise, but Effects Unknown

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the progress made by states and localities as they develop new financing, service-delivery, and accountability strategies for child welfare programs, focusing on: (1) the financial and service-delivery changes states and localities have made in their managed care initiatives; (2) how they are measuring the initiatives' outcomes; and (3) what is known about the effect of these changes on children and families."
Date: July 20, 2000
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Climate Change: Observations on the April 1999 Report on Climate Change Programs (open access)

Climate Change: Observations on the April 1999 Report on Climate Change Programs

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed activities relating to climate change programs, focusing on: (1) the Energy Information Administration's report on federal expenditures for climate change activities; and (2) a limitation--set forth in the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) appropriations act for fiscal year (FY) 1999--that was designed to prevent the agency from taking specified regulatory actions to implement the Kyoto Protocol on climate change."
Date: May 20, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Combating Terrorism: FEMA Continues to Make Progress in Coordinating Preparedness and Response (open access)

Combating Terrorism: FEMA Continues to Make Progress in Coordinating Preparedness and Response

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) actions to improve its capabilities to respond to terrorist incidents based on its response to lessons learned from the Oklahoma City bombing, requirements in Presidential Decision Directives 39 and 62, and its own guidance. Specifically, GAO determined the extent to which FEMA has (1) incorporated the lessons learned from the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing, (2) ensured the preparedness of states and federal agencies to respond to terrorist incidents, and (3) ensured that states' plans are tested through exercises. GAO found that FEMA (1) has made across the board improvements in those areas identified as needing action after the Oklahoma City bombing, (2) updated the Federal Response Plan to address how federal agencies, states, and localities would work together to respond to an act of terrorism, and (3) assessed states' capabilities for consequence management in 1995 and set up a system to continue monitoring those capabilities."
Date: March 20, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Combating Terrorism: Observations on the Threat of Chemical and Biological Terrorism (open access)

Combating Terrorism: Observations on the Threat of Chemical and Biological Terrorism

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed its observations on the threat of chemical and biological terrorism, focusing on the: (1) ease or difficulty for a terrorist to create mass casualties (defined as at least 1,000 deaths or illnesses) by making and using chemical or biological agents without the assistance of a state-sponsored program; and (2) need to use intelligence estimates and risk assessments to better guide and prioritize appropriate countermeasures and programs."
Date: October 20, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Comments on Proposed Changes to Profit Policy (DFARS Case 2000-D018) (open access)

Comments on Proposed Changes to Profit Policy (DFARS Case 2000-D018)

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In July 2000, the Department of Defense published a proposed revision of its guidelines for developing profit objectives used in contract negotiations. The existing profit policy guidelines address investment in facilities and equipment, performance risk, and contract type risk. For each profit factor, the contracting officer determines an appropriate value and applies it against a specified base to develop the profit objectives. The proposed revision would make the following changes to the profit guidelines: (1) include a fourth element--cost efficiency, that would allow the contracting officer to reward cost reduction efforts; (2) eliminate profit on investment in buildings and reduce the amount of profit derived from equipment investment; (3) increase the amount of profit based on performance risk; and (4) add general and administrative expenses to the cost base used to compute profit for performance risk, contract type risk, and cost efficiency. The decrease in profit for investment in facilities would be offset by the increased profit derived from performance risk and the inclusion of general and administrative expenses."
Date: November 20, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
[Comments on Whether EPA Interim Guidance Is a Rule Under the Congressional Review Act] (open access)

[Comments on Whether EPA Interim Guidance Is a Rule Under the Congressional Review Act]

Other written product issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO provided information on whether interim guidance for investigating Title VI administrative complaints challenging permits issued by the Environmental Protection Agency is a rule under the Congressional Review Act portion of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Act (SBREFA). GAO held that, irrespective of whether or not in isolation the second portion of the interim guidance is properly viewed as procedural, considered as a whole, the interim guidance clearly affects the rights of non-agency parties. Thus, it constitutes a rule under SBREFA subject to congressional review."
Date: January 20, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Commercial Aviation: A Framework for Considering Federal Financial Assistance (open access)

Commercial Aviation: A Framework for Considering Federal Financial Assistance

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11 killed thousands of Americans and foreign nationals. The economic toll will also be enormous. Countless jobs and retirement funds are now at risk. Estimates of the losses to the airline industry alone have ranged from $4 billion, according to many analysts, to more than $20 billion, according to some airline officials. Congress has already appropriated $40 billion for emergency responses, including increased transportation security, and Congress is considering financial assistance to the airline industry. GAO believes that the government needs to clearly define the nature of the problem--separating short-term needs from long-term challenges, industry wants from real needs. Although all airlines now face major financial challenges, government assistance cannot overcome the financial difficulty that confronted several carriers before the events of September 11. The government has a range of options to assist the airline industry, from loans and loan guarantees to tax subsidies. The choice and design of the assistance is critical to targeting federal aid to the immediate problems, spreading responsibility among all industry stakeholders, and ensuring accountability to Congress and the American …
Date: September 20, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library