Resource Type

Agricultural Pesticides: Management Improvements Needed to Further Promote Integrated Pest Management (open access)

Agricultural Pesticides: Management Improvements Needed to Further Promote Integrated Pest Management

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Chemical pesticides play an important role in providing Americans with an abundant and inexpensive food supply. However, these chemicals can have adverse effects on human health and the environment, and pests continue to develop resistance to them. Sustainable and effective agricultural pest management will require continued development and increased use of alternative pest management strategies, such as integrated pest management (IPM). Some IPM practices yield significant environmental and economic benefits in certain crops, and IPM can lead to better long-term pest management than chemical control alone. However, the federal commitment to IPM has waned over the years. The IPM initiative is missing several key management elements identified in the Government Performance and Results Act. Specifically, no one is effectively in charge of federal IPM efforts; coordination of IPM efforts is lacking among federal agencies and with the private sector; the intended results of these efforts have not been clearly articulated or prioritized; and methods for measuring IPM's environmental and economic results have not been developed. Until these shortcomings are addressed, the full range of potential benefits that IPM can yield for producers, the public, and the …
Date: August 17, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Skilled Nursing Facilities: Services Excluded From Medicare's Daily Rate Need to be Reevaluated (open access)

Skilled Nursing Facilities: Services Excluded From Medicare's Daily Rate Need to be Reevaluated

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Congress and the Health Care Financing Administration recognized that certain services needed to be excluded from the skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS) rate to help ensure beneficiary access to appropriate care and to financially protect the SNFs that take care of high-cost patients. The criteria used to identify services--high cost, infrequently provided during a SNF stay and likely to be overprovided--and the services currently excluded appear reasonable. Even so, questions remain about whether beneficiaries have appropriate access to services that are covered in the rate or whether additional services should have been excluded. A second concern is that Medicare coverage for excluded facility services has been shifted from part A to part B, which will increase beneficiary liability. and program spending might increase because certain services are excluded only when provided in hospital settings, thus discouraging the use of less expensive, clinically appropriate sites of service. Finally, excluding services from the PPS rate when they are provided in emergency rooms may lead to overuse of emergency rooms, unnecessarily increasing Medicare spending. The Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS) does not plan to …
Date: August 22, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Military Personnel: Longer Time Between Moves Related to Higher Satisfaction and Retention (open access)

Military Personnel: Longer Time Between Moves Related to Higher Satisfaction and Retention

A briefing report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "About one-third of all military service members make permanent change of station (PCS) moves each year. These moves, which may involve the members' dependents and household goods, are a considerable cost to both the government and individual service members. Not all relocation and moving costs are covered by the government. Reimbursements are based on what property a member was authorized to move and weight allowances that vary by grade and dependents. GAO found that the average duration time between PCS moves was about two years. Personnel who were unmarried and without dependents had the least time between PCS moves. Among the services, the Marine Corps had the shortest average time between PCS moves. Among enlisted personnel, those in the combat occupations had the shortest time between moves; for officers, those who were in the intelligence and tactical operations areas had the shortest average tours. GAO found that the duration of PCS tours was related to satisfaction. Those with shorter time spent between moves were less likely to be satisfied and were more likely to have a spouse who favored the member leaving the military. The most …
Date: August 3, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Management: Better Guidance Needed in Selecting Operating Methods for Name-Brand, Fast-Food Restaurants (open access)

Defense Management: Better Guidance Needed in Selecting Operating Methods for Name-Brand, Fast-Food Restaurants

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The military exchange services operate a wide range of retail activities, such as department stores, florist shops, barber and beauty shops, gas stations, and restaurants. Hamburger restaurants represent a major segment of the exchange services' name-brand, fast-food sales. The exchange services use either a direct or an indirect method to operate these restaurants. Under the direct method, the exchange service enters into a franchise agreement with a name-brand company to sell its product on a military installation. As the franchisee, the exchange service builds and operates the restaurant and directly employs and trains the personnel. In turn, the exchange service receives all of the revenues and profits and usually pays the company a licensing fee plus a percentage of the restaurant's sales. Under the indirect method, the exchange service contracts with a name-brand company that, in turn, builds the restaurant and either operates it as a company restaurant or provides a licensed operator. The company or its licensed operator hires, trains, and pays the restaurant personnel and usually pays annual fees and commissions to the exchange service on the basis of restaurant's sales. Under this agreement, …
Date: August 24, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Inventory: Navy Spare Parts Quality Deficiency Reporting Program Needs Improvement (open access)

Defense Inventory: Navy Spare Parts Quality Deficiency Reporting Program Needs Improvement

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) budgets billions of dollars each year to purchase and repair the spare parts needed to maintain its weapons systems and support equipment. The quality of the spare parts can greatly determine if the Department's investment of funds is effective, efficient, and economical. This report examines the Navy's Product Quality Deficiency Reporting Program and the extent to which the program has gathered the data needed for the analysis, correction, and prevention of deficiencies in spare parts. GAO found that data on parts defects identified at the time of installation were underreported. Data on parts that failed after some operation but before their expected design life were not collected as part of this program. In the quality reports GAO reviewed, some key information was omitted on the cause of the parts' failures and some reports did not identify who was responsible for the defects. To a large extent, the program's ineffectiveness can be attributed to lack of management, limited training and incentives to report deficiencies, and competing priorities for the staff resources needed to carry out the program."
Date: August 8, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
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.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Farm Credit Administration: Analysis of Administrative Expenses and Funding Through Assessments (open access)

Farm Credit Administration: Analysis of Administrative Expenses and Funding Through Assessments

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Farm Credit Administration (FCA) regulates the farm credit system. Administrative expenses, which accounted for about 97 percent of FCA's total operating expenses of $34.5 million in fiscal year 2000, are funded primarily by assessments on the institutions that make up the system, including the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac). This report (1) analyses trends in administrative expenses for fiscal years 1996 through 2000 and (2) compares ways that FCA and other federal financial regulators calculate the assessments they need to fund their operations. GAO found that although FCA's administrative expenditures varied each year between 1996 and 2000, they remained below 1996 levels and stayed within congressionally imposed annual spending limits for each year during 1997 through 2000. Between 1996 and 2000, the agency experienced a decline in administrative spending of around $2 million, or 5.8 percent. Personnel costs were the largest single expense, consistently accounting for more than 80 percent of administrative spending; thus, a 15 percent staff reduction also provided the greatest overall savings. Unlike many government agencies whose operations are funded by taxpayers' money, the federal financial regulators are self-funded agencies that …
Date: August 2, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Foreign Assistance: Lessons Learned From Donors' Experiences in the Pacific Region (open access)

Foreign Assistance: Lessons Learned From Donors' Experiences in the Pacific Region

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States have been the major providers of bilateral development assistance to the Pacific Island nations since 1987. The Asian Development Bank and the European Union have been the major multilateral donors. The donors' main development objectives, according to the planning documents, have been to alleviate poverty and to set the Pacific Island nations on the path to economic self-sufficiency. To achieve these objectives, these donors focus their assistance in key areas, such as education, policy reform, and infrastructure. The United States could draw several lessons from the donors' experiences for providing assistance as well as the strategies and approaches the donors have adopted. These lessons could provide valuable insights for the United States as it negotiates additional economic assistance to the Federal States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. On the basis of the donors' experiences, GAO observed that (1) assistance strategies may involve trade-offs in expectations of aid effectiveness if other objectives for providing assistance take priority over development objectives; (2) assistance strategies may involve trade-offs between effectiveness and accountability, on the …
Date: August 17, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Welfare Reform: Challenges in Maintaining a Federal-State Fiscal Partnership (open access)

Welfare Reform: Challenges in Maintaining a Federal-State Fiscal Partnership

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant represents an opportunity to re-examine the fiscal balance between the federal government and the states in providing services to needy families. Since the enactment of federal welfare reform, there has been much discussion of the fiscal implications of these sweeping changes in national welfare policy. A particularly contentious issue has been the extent to which states have replaced, rather than supplemented, their own spending with federal TANF dollars, thereby freeing up state funds for other budget priorities. This report reviews (1) the degree to which states have used the flexibility afforded in the federal TANF grant to supplant, rather than supplement, state spending for low-income families; (2) the changes that have occurred in the states' use of different funding sources (including their TANF funds) on programs that help the poor; (3) the effects of state funding choices on the amounts of TANF funds the states have left unspent at the U.S. Treasury; and (4) the measures states are taking to save a portion of the TANF grant or set aside their funds for a …
Date: August 10, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Trade Adjustment Assistance: Experiences of Six Trade-Impacted Communities (open access)

Trade Adjustment Assistance: Experiences of Six Trade-Impacted Communities

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report reviews trade adjustment assistance and other assistance programs, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement Transitional Adjustment Assistance (NAFTA-TAA) program, to determine if they have helped distressed communities deal with the adverse impacts of trade. GAO conducted case studies in six such trade-impacted communities, all of which experienced major trade-related plant closures and layoffs in the mid- to late-1990s. Two communities lost a large percentage of local jobs in sudden plant closures and experienced economic crises. The other communities experienced rolling layoffs or a series of smaller plant closures that dislocated as many or more workers but did so gradually. Experiences in the communities GAO visited indicate that Temporary Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and NAFTA-TAA assistance to dislocated workers, although substantial, could be implemented more effectively. Program administrators and training providers in each community said that the programs have structural problems that impede effective service delivery. One factor that influenced the implementation of training benefits in many communities is that a significant percentage of dislocated workers needed to earn a high school equivalency degree or take remedial courses before they could even start a …
Date: August 24, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Mass Transit: FTA Could Relieve New Starts Program Funding Constraints (open access)

Mass Transit: FTA Could Relieve New Starts Program Funding Constraints

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) New Starts program has provided state and local agencies with more than $6 billion in the last eight years to help design and construct transit projects. Although the funding for this program is higher than it has ever been, the demand for these resources is also extremely high. FTA was directed to prioritize projects for funding by evaluating, rating, and recommending potential projects on the basis of specific financial and project justification criteria. This report discusses (1) the refinements made to FTA's evaluation and rating process since last year, (2) how New Starts projects were selected for FTA's New Starts report and budget request for fiscal year 2002, and (3) FTA's remaining New Starts commitment authority. GAO found that FTA made several refinements to its rating process. For instance, potential grantees were more strictly assessed on their ability to build and operate proposed projects than in the past. FTA also made several technical changes and established new performance measures to evaluate the program. New Starts projects were selected by evaluating 40 new projects for 2002 and developing ratings for 26 of …
Date: August 9, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Budget Scoring: Budget Scoring Affects Some Lease Terms, but Full Extent Is Uncertain (open access)

Budget Scoring: Budget Scoring Affects Some Lease Terms, but Full Extent Is Uncertain

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report responds to a concern that budget-scoring restrictions were forcing the General Services Administration (GSA) to rely on shorter term leases that increase the costs to the Federal Buildings Fund because their per-square-foot costs are greater than longer term leases. Budget-scorekeeping rules are to be used by the scorekeepers to ensure compliance with budget laws and that legislation are consistent with scorekeeping conventions and that specific legal requirements. The rules are reviewed annually and revised as necessary to achieve those purposes. The way in which budget-scoring rules were implemented affected the lease or lease project term of at least 13 of the 39 federal agency leases GAO reviewed. Since GSA officials do not generally seek comparisons of long-term versus short-term leases in the solicitation process, GAO could not determine the overall monetary impact of budget scoring in the lease term. However, GAO identified three isolated cases that had comparisons of long term versus short-term leases in the solicitation process, and, in each case, the price per net useable square foot was lower with the longer term lease. GSA officials said that while budget scoring affects …
Date: August 31, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Disaster Assistance: Improvement Needed in Disaster Declaration Criteria and Eligibility Assurance Procedures (open access)

Disaster Assistance: Improvement Needed in Disaster Declaration Criteria and Eligibility Assurance Procedures

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Since 1990, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has provided more than $27 billion in disaster assistance, more than half of which was spent for public assistance projects, such as repairs of damaged roads, government buildings, utilities, and hospitals. FEMA uses established criteria to determine whether to (1) recommend that the President declare a disaster and (2) once a disaster has been declared, approve and fund Public Assistance projects. In 1999, FEMA published formal criteria for recommending the presidential approval of disaster declarations. These criteria include both minimum financial thresholds and other qualitative measures that FEMA applies in deciding whether to recommend presidential approval. These criteria do not necessarily indicate a state's ability to pay for the damage because they do not consider the substantial differences in states' financial capacities to respond when disasters occur. As a result, federal funds may be provided for some disasters when they are not needed. Problems with applying FEMA's criteria remain. In part, these problems may persist because many of the staff assigned to disaster field offices who make eligibility decisions are temporary and may not have the skills and …
Date: August 31, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Military Housing: DOD Needs to Address Long-Standing Requirements Determination Problems (open access)

Military Housing: DOD Needs to Address Long-Standing Requirements Determination Problems

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report reviews the Department of Defense's (DOD) family housing program. GAO discusses (1) whether DOD has implemented a standard process for determining the required military housing based on housing available in the private sector and (2) how an increase in the housing allowance is likely to affect the need for housing on military installations over the long term. Despite calls from Congress, GAO, and DOD's Inspector General, DOD has not introduced a standard process for determining military housing requirements. DOD and the services have worked to develop the framework for the process, but technical concerns, such as standards for affordable housing and commuting distance, have stalled its adoption. Increasing the housing allowance underscores the urgent need for a consistent process to determine military housing requirements because it is expected to increase demand for civilian housing and lessen the demand for military housing. From a policy standpoint, increasing the allowance better positions DOD to rely on the private sector first for housing because it removes the financial disincentive to living in civilian housing. From a management standpoint, considerable evidence suggests that it is less expensive to …
Date: August 3, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Special Minimum Wage Program: Centers Offer Employment and Support Services to Workers With Disabilities, But Labor Should Improve Oversight (open access)

Special Minimum Wage Program: Centers Offer Employment and Support Services to Workers With Disabilities, But Labor Should Improve Oversight

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "To prevent the curtailment of employment opportunities for disabled persons, the Fair Labor Standards Act allows employers to pay individuals less than the minimum wage if they have a physical or mental disability that impairs their earning or productive capacity. The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) administers the special minimum wage program. More than 5,600 employers nationwide pay special wages to workers with disabilities; about 84 percent are work centers established to provide employment opportunities and support services to individuals with disabilities. Businesses comprise about 9 percent of these employers; the remaining 7 percent are hospitals or other residential care facilities and schools. Seventy-four percent of the workers paid special minimum wages by work centers have mental retardation or another developmental disability as their primary impairment, and 46 percent have multiple disabilities. From the data received by employers on the productivity of their disabled workers, it is estimated that 70 percent of the workers are less than half as productive as workers without disabilities performing the same jobs. Labor has not effectively managed the special minimum wage program to ensure that disabled workers …
Date: August 3, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
National Airspace System: Free Flight Tools Show Promise, but Implementation Challenges Remain (open access)

National Airspace System: Free Flight Tools Show Promise, but Implementation Challenges Remain

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report reviews the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) progress on implementing the Free Flight Program, which would provide more flexibility in air traffic operations. This program would increase collaboration between FAA and the aviation community. By using a set of new automated technologies (tools) and procedures, free flight is intended to increase the capacity and efficiency of the nation's airspace system while helping to minimize delays. GAO found that the scheduled March 2002 date will be too early for FAA to make an informed investment decision about moving to phase 2 of its Free Flight Program because of significant technical and operational issues. Furthermore, FAA's schedule for deploying these tools will not allow enough time to collect enough data to fully analyze their expected benefits. Currently, FAA lacks enough data to demonstrate that these tools can be relied upon to provide accurate data."
Date: August 31, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Insurance Regulation: The NAIC Accreditation Program Can Be Improved (open access)

Insurance Regulation: The NAIC Accreditation Program Can Be Improved

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The National Association of Insurance Commissioners' (NAIC) evaluates a state's program for regulating insurer solvency about once every five years to determine if it meets the association's minimum standards. The accreditation program has been in place for about 10 years. During that time, NAIC expanded the standards and modified the process for evaluating the adequacy of states' solvency regulation. Weaknesses in solvency regulation in Tennessee, Mississippi, and three other states allowed a $200 million insurance fraud to continue for eight years, resulting in the failure of seven insurance companies. During 2000, both Tennessee and Mississippi underwent accreditation reviews by NAIC and were reaccredited. NAIC has tried to strengthen its accreditation program by adding model laws and regulations to the required standards. It has also revised the way in which accreditation reviews are performed and scored and has improved training for members of review teams. Accreditation reviews done in Tennessee and Mississippi disclosed gaps and weaknesses in the accreditation program. In particular, the program does not cover a key area of solvency regulation--chartering and change in ownership of insurance companies. Oversight of chartering and change in ownership …
Date: August 31, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
General Services Administration: Status of Achieving Key Outcomes and Addressing Major Management Challenges (open access)

General Services Administration: Status of Achieving Key Outcomes and Addressing Major Management Challenges

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report reviews the General Services Administration's (GSA) performance report for fiscal year 2000 and its performance plan for fiscal year 2002 to assess GSA's progress in achieving key outcomes important to its mission. GAO found that some goals were met or exceeded and others were not met. For fiscal year 2002, GSA set up a strategy to better meet these goals. Overall, GSA's fiscal year 2000 performance report and fiscal year 2002 plan were more informative and useful than its report and plan from last year."
Date: August 3, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Electronic Combat: Services Should Consider Greater Use of New Test Equipment for Their Aircraft (open access)

Electronic Combat: Services Should Consider Greater Use of New Test Equipment for Their Aircraft

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The armed services have had problems for years with their ability to adequately test their electronic combat systems. The success of the new Joint Service Electronic Combat Systems Tester Program in providing improved test capability is a positive development. Because the tester has identified many more faults in the F-15C and F/A-18C electronic combat systems than has the current test equipment, existing readiness, logistics, and maintenance problems with such systems could worsen. However, pilots would at least have greater knowledge about the readiness and reliability of their self-protection systems and their need for support from specialized aircraft designed to suppress enemy air defenses. GAO believes that it makes sense for the Air Force and Navy to consider using the new test equipment on their non-fighter aircraft."
Date: August 30, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Acquisitions: Actions to Improve Navy SPAWAR Low-Rate Initial Production Decisions (open access)

Defense Acquisitions: Actions to Improve Navy SPAWAR Low-Rate Initial Production Decisions

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "During its review of the Navy's Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Command's fiscal year 2001 budget request, GAO found that many information technology systems were being procured and fielded in relatively large quantities--sometimes exceeding 50 percent of the total--during low-rate initial production and before completion of operational testing. The primary purpose of low-rate initial production is to produce enough units for operational testing and evaluation and to establish production capabilities to prepare for full-rate production. Commercial and Department of Defense (DOD) best practices have shown that completing a system's testing before producing significant quantities substantially lowers the risk of costly fixes and retrofits. For major weapons systems, statutory provisions limit the quantities of systems produced during low-rate initial production to the minimum quantity necessary. These statutory provisions also require justification for quantities exceeding 10 percent of total production. Although these provisions do not apply to non-major systems, DOD and Navy acquisition regulations encourage these programs to make use of the low-rate initial production concept. This report reviews (1) information systems being procured and fielded for SPAWAR in large numbers before operational testing, (2) what effects …
Date: August 7, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Fire Safety: Comprehensive Information on Fire Incidences in Federal Facilities Is Lacking (open access)

Fire Safety: Comprehensive Information on Fire Incidences in Federal Facilities Is Lacking

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Developing fire protection standards and testing products against them are critical to promoting fire safety. Business offices, including federal facilities, experience thousands of fires, more than $100 million in property losses, and dozens of casualties each year. Knowing the number and types of fires in the workplace, as well as their causes, is critical to understanding and reducing fire risks. Some private-sector groups track the number and causes of fires in different types of buildings. Such information is used to manage risk and reduce property damage, injuries, and deaths. However, the federal government collects little information on the fire risks in its facilities. As a result, the federal government cannot provide standards-development organizations with timely information that could be used to develop or revise fire safety standards, testing procedures, and certification decisions. Collecting and analyzing such data would help the government to better protect its employees and would contribute to the production of better standards to protect the public from fire."
Date: August 20, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
International Crime Control: Sustained Executive-Level Coordination of Federal Response Needed (open access)

International Crime Control: Sustained Executive-Level Coordination of Federal Response Needed

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "International crimes, such as drugs and arms trafficking, terrorism, money laundering, and public corruption, transcend national borders and threaten global security and stability. The National Security Council (NSC) told GAO that international crime and the framework for the U.S. response are under review by the new administration. The extent of International crime is growing, but measuring its true extent is difficult. Several efforts have been made to gauge the threat posed to the United States and other countries by international crime. The 1999 threat assessment was classified, but a published version of the 2000 assessment divided the threat into the following five broad categories: (1) terrorism and drug trafficking; (2) illegal immigration, trafficking of women and children, and environmental crimes; (3) illicit transfer or trafficking of products across international borders; (4) economic trade crimes; and (5) financial crimes. NSC identified 34 federal entities with significant roles in fighting international crime. These included the Department of Justice, Treasury, and State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. The efforts to combat public corruption internationally involves two strategies: the elimination of bribes in transnational business activities, such as …
Date: August 13, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Agency for International Development: Status of Achieving Key Outcomes and Addressing Major Management Challenges (open access)

U.S. Agency for International Development: Status of Achieving Key Outcomes and Addressing Major Management Challenges

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report reviews the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) fiscal year 2000 performance report and fiscal year 2002 performance plan to assess the agency's progress in achieving selected key outcomes that are important to the agency's mission. GAO found that although USAID reported progress toward achieving the selected outcomes, the extent of the progress is unclear because the agency based its support on disaggregated and, in some cases, out-of-date and selective data. Unlike past years when USAID issued separate performance reports and performance plans, the agency issued a performance overview supplemented by more detailed data in the fiscal year 2000 budget justification to Congress, both of which incorporated elements of performance reporting and planning. In the fiscal year 2000 Performance Overview, USAID based its statements of progress on self-reported fiscal year 1999 performance data provided by individual USAID missions. In addition, USAID reported progress toward achieving agency goals and objectives by relying on selected information about an individual country's missions' performance. Although USAID reported detailed fiscal year 2000 performance data at the operating unit level in its budget justification, those data were not aggregated to …
Date: August 17, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financial Management: DOD Improvement Plan Needs Strategic Focus (open access)

Financial Management: DOD Improvement Plan Needs Strategic Focus

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Defense operations involve about $1 trillion in assets, $310 billion in annual budgetary authority, $24 billion in monthly disbursements, and three million military and civilian employees. Moreover, execution of DOD's operations spans a wide range of defense organizations, including the military services and their respective major commands and numerous defense agencies. Effectively managing DOD's finance and accounting operations across this complex array of organizations is both a formidable challenge and a prerequisite for effective and efficient departmental performance and accountability. Without reliable financial management information, DOD cannot make informed decisions among competing spending priorities and cannot effectively identify opportunities for reducing costs and reallocating resources to pressing needs. Because of congressional concern with DOD's financial management difficulties, Section 1008 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998 directed the Secretary of Defense to submit to Congress a biennial strategic plan for the improvement of financial management. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000 established additional reporting requirements that were to be addressed in DOD's Financial Management Improvement Plan. This report reviews whether the plan (1) represents an effective tool for helping resolve …
Date: August 15, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library