Degree Discipline

Degree Level

3,372 Matching Results

Results open in a new window/tab.

Medical Malpractice Insurance: Multiple Factors Have Contributed to Increased Premium Rates (open access)

Medical Malpractice Insurance: Multiple Factors Have Contributed to Increased Premium Rates

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Over the past several years, large increases in medical malpractice insurance premium rates have raised concerns that physicians will no longer be able to afford malpractice insurance and will be forced to curtail or discontinue providing certain services. Additionally, a lack of profitability has led some large insurers to stop selling medical malpractice insurance, furthering concerns that physicians will not be able to obtain coverage. To help Congress better understand the reasons behind the rate increases, GAO undertook a study to (1) describe the extent of the increases in medical malpractice insurance rates, (2) analyze the factors that contributed to those increases, and (3) identify changes in the medical malpractice insurance market that might make this period of rising premium rates different from previous such periods."
Date: June 27, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tax Administration: IRS Is Implementing the National Research Program as Planned (open access)

Tax Administration: IRS Is Implementing the National Research Program as Planned

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) needs up-to-date information on voluntary compliance in order to assess and improve its programs. IRS's last detailed study of voluntary compliance was done in the late 1980s, so the compliance information IRS is using today is not current. IRS is now carrying out the National Research Program (NRP), through which IRS auditors are reviewing about 47,000 randomly selected tax year 2001 individual tax returns. In June 2002, GAO reported that NRP was necessary, that its design was sound, and that it appeared to meet IRS's goals of acquiring useful compliance data while minimizing burden on taxpayers with returns in the sample. GAO was asked to review IRS's implementation of NRP. GAO reviewed IRS's method of gathering internal and third-party data (casebuilding) and IRS's process of reviewing casebuilding materials to determine if audits are necessary (classification) and assessed IRS's plans to ensure consistent data collection while minimizing burden on taxpayers."
Date: June 16, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
International Trade: Experts' Advice for Small Businesses Seeking Foreign Patents (open access)

International Trade: Experts' Advice for Small Businesses Seeking Foreign Patents

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Small businesses, which are important to the U.S. economy for their roles in job creation and technological development, must be able to protect and profit from their innovations. One way to protect their innovations on a global basis is to obtain U.S. and foreign patents. These businesses, however, face numerous impediments when trying to patent their goods or processes abroad. These impediments, which GAO identified in a July 2002 report, include high costs, limited resources, and limited knowledge among small businesses about foreign patent laws and systems. Because of concern that small businesses, particularly high technology firms, were not obtaining patent protection abroad and thus were losing potential sales in foreign markets, GAO was asked to (1) identify the factors that patent law experts believe small businesses should consider as they decide whether to seek patent protection abroad and provide information on how small businesses viewed these factors and (2) identify the steps that small businesses should take to improve their foreign patent efforts, according to our survey of patent law experts."
Date: June 26, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Attorneys: Controls Over Grant-Related Activities Should Be Enhanced (open access)

U.S. Attorneys: Controls Over Grant-Related Activities Should Be Enhanced

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Ninety-three U.S. Attorneys serve 94 judicial districts (the same U.S. Attorney serves the District of Guam and the District of the Northern Mariana Islands) under the direction of the Attorney General. Among other things, the Attorney General expects U.S. Attorneys to lead or be involved with the community in preventing and controlling crime including efforts to secure Department of Justice (DOJ) grant funds and work with grantees. This report provides information about the guidance U.S. Attorneys are given in carrying out their responsibilities with regard to DOJ grants. It makes recommendations to assess compliance with guidance and to reduce the potential for conflicts of interest."
Date: June 10, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Environmental Compliance: Better DOD Guidance Needed to Ensure That the Most Important Activities Are Funded (open access)

Environmental Compliance: Better DOD Guidance Needed to Ensure That the Most Important Activities Are Funded

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) and its military services are responsible for complying with a broad range of environmental laws and other requirements that apply to the lands they manage, including more than 425 major military installations covering about 25 million acres across the United States. Through its environmental quality program, DOD spends about $2 billion per year to comply with these requirements. Although the services have made significant improvements in environmental management in recent years, DOD has not reached full environmental compliance. In response to the Senate Armed Services Committee's report on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002, we assessed how DOD and the services identify, prioritize, and fund their environmental quality activities to determine whether the most important and appropriate activities are funded."
Date: June 17, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Inventory: Air Force Plans and Initiatives to Mitigate Spare Parts Shortages Need Better Implementation (open access)

Defense Inventory: Air Force Plans and Initiatives to Mitigate Spare Parts Shortages Need Better Implementation

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Despite reporting $10.5 billion in appropriations spent on spare parts since fiscal year 2000, the Air Force continues to report shortages of spare parts. The service has taken numerous actions to address these shortages. GAO examined whether the Air Force's strategic plan addresses the mitigation of spare parts shortages, whether key initiatives are likely to mitigate the shortages, and the impact on readiness identified from increased investments for spare parts."
Date: June 27, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Long-Term Care: Federal Oversight of Growing Medicaid Home and Community-Based Waivers Should Be Strengthened (open access)

Long-Term Care: Federal Oversight of Growing Medicaid Home and Community-Based Waivers Should Be Strengthened

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Home and community-based settings have become a growing part of states' Medicaid long-term care programs, serving as an alternative to care in institutional settings, such as nursing homes. To cover such services, however, states often obtain waivers from certain federal statutory requirements. GAO was asked to review (1) trends in states' use of Medicaid home and community-based service (HCBS) waivers, particularly for the elderly, (2) state quality assurance approaches, including available data on the quality of care provided to elderly individuals through waivers, and (3) the adequacy of federal oversight of state waivers. GAO is recommending that the Administrator of CMS take steps to (1) better ensure that state quality assurance efforts are adequate to protect the health and welfare of HCBS waiver beneficiaries, and (2) strengthen federal oversight of the growing HCBS waiver programs. Although CMS raised certain concerns about aspects of the report, such as the respective state and federal roles in quality assurance and the potential need for additional federal oversight resources, CMS generally concurred with the recommendations."
Date: June 20, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Environmental Protection Agency: Continued Improvement Needed in Assessing Equal Employment Opportunity (open access)

Environmental Protection Agency: Continued Improvement Needed in Assessing Equal Employment Opportunity

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Minority employees at the EPA reported for a number of years that the agency had discriminated against them based on their race and retaliated against them for filing complaints. These issues were aired at hearings held by the House Committee on Science at which EPA said it would take actions to ensure a fair and discrimination free workplace. GAO was asked to review (1) the accuracy of EPA's equal employment opportunity (EEO) data, (2) various issues about the processes used to resolve discrimination complaints, and (3) the disciplinary actions taken for managers who discriminate."
Date: June 26, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tennessee Valley Authority: Information on Lease-Leaseback and Other Financing Arrangements (open access)

Tennessee Valley Authority: Information on Lease-Leaseback and Other Financing Arrangements

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Concern about the implications of the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) debt on its future competitiveness prompted Representative Richard Baker to ask GAO to determine TVA's planned and actual use of nontraditional financing arrangements (which, to date, has consisted primarily of lease-leaseback arrangements), who is at risk under TVA's lease-leaseback arrangements, and whether TVA's accounting for the lease-leaseback arrangements complies with applicable standards and requirements."
Date: June 30, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Best Practices: Improved Knowledge of DOD Service Contracts Could Reveal Significant Savings (open access)

Best Practices: Improved Knowledge of DOD Service Contracts Could Reveal Significant Savings

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Department of Defense (DOD) spending on service contracts approaches $100 billion annually, but DOD's management of services procurement is inefficient and ineffective and the dollars are not always well spent. Recent legislation requires DOD to improve procurement practices to achieve savings. Many private companies changed management practices based on analyzing spending patterns and coordinating procurement in order to achieve major savings. This report evaluates five companies' best practices and their conduct and use of "spend analysis" and the extent that DOD can pursue similar practices."
Date: June 9, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Flexibility Demonstration Programs: Education Needs to Better Target Program Information (open access)

Flexibility Demonstration Programs: Education Needs to Better Target Program Information

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLBA) has focused national attention on increasing accountability for states and school districts to improve student achievement. While increasing accountability, NCLBA also provided states and school districts with additional flexibility. The act established two flexibility demonstration programs--State- and Local-Flex--which allow up to 7 states and 80 school districts to redirect up to 100 percent of certain NCLBA program funds. GAO was asked to determine factors that affect states' and districts' decisions whether or not to apply for the demonstration programs and to determine the extent to which the U.S. Department of Education publicized, provided guidance, and established a process to review and award flexibility demonstration programs. To address these questions, GAO conducted a study, using telephone interviews with officials in 22 states and 37 school districts, and site visits to 2 of the four applicants."
Date: June 9, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Firearms Controls: Federal Agencies Have Firearms Controls, but Could Strengthen Controls in Key Areas (open access)

Firearms Controls: Federal Agencies Have Firearms Controls, but Could Strengthen Controls in Key Areas

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In March 2001, the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General reported that the Immigration and Naturalization Service could not account for over 500 of its firearms. Furthermore, in July 2001, the Federal Bureau of Investigation disclosed that 449 of its firearms were lost or stolen. Given the possible threat that lost, stolen, or missing firearms poses to the public, GAO assessed (1) the consistency of federal agencies' firearms controls with federal internal control standards and related criteria; and (2) compliance by Justice and Treasury agencies with established firearms controls and improvements made to strengthen and enforce controls."
Date: June 13, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Invasive Species: Federal Efforts and State Perspectives on Challenges and National Leadership (open access)

Invasive Species: Federal Efforts and State Perspectives on Challenges and National Leadership

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Invasive species--nonnative plants and animals--have caused billions of dollars in damage to natural areas, businesses, and consumers. In 2001, the federal government issued a National Management Plan to coordinate a national control effort involving the 20 or so federal agencies that are responsible for managing invasive species. In October 2002, GAO reported on the implementation of the management plan and efforts to manage ballast water, among other things. This testimony discusses some of GAO's findings and recommendations in that report. It also presents the results of a subsequent GAO survey of state officials responsible for managing terrestrial and aquatic invasive species. This survey sought state perspectives on (1) the perceived gaps in existing legislation and barriers to addressing terrestrial and aquatic invasive species and (2) the federal leadership structure for addressing invasive species, as well as the integration of federal legislation on terrestrial invasive species with legislation on aquatic invasives."
Date: June 17, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Budget: Opportunities for Oversight and Improved Use of Taxpayer Funds (open access)

Federal Budget: Opportunities for Oversight and Improved Use of Taxpayer Funds

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "No government should waste its taxpayers' money, whether we are operating during a period of budget surpluses or deficits. Further, it is important for everyone to recognize that waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement are not victimless activities. Resources are not unlimited, and when they are diverted for inappropriate, illegal, inefficient, or ineffective purposes, both taxpayers and legitimate program beneficiaries are cheated. Both the Administration and the Congress have an obligation to safeguard benefits for those that deserve them and avoid abuse of taxpayer funds by preventing such diversions. Beyond preventing obvious abuse, government also has an obligation to modernize its priorities, practices, and processes so that it can meet the demands and needs of today's changing world. More broadly, the federal government must reexamine the entire range of policies and programs--entitlements, discretionary, and tax incentives--in the context of the 21st century. Periodic reexamination and revaluation of government activities has never been more important than it is today. Our nation faces long-term fiscal challenges. Increased pressure also comes from world events: both from the recognition that we cannot consider ourselves "safe" between two oceans--which has increased demands for spending …
Date: June 18, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Department of Defense: Status of Financial Management Weaknesses and Progress Toward Reform (open access)

Department of Defense: Status of Financial Management Weaknesses and Progress Toward Reform

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "As seen again in Iraq, the excellence of our military forces is unparalleled. This same level of excellence is not yet evident in the Department of Defense's (DOD) financial management and other business areas, impeding DOD's ability to provide complete, reliable, and timely information to the Congress, DOD managers, and other decision makers. Congress asked GAO to testify on the status of DOD's financial management and business process reform efforts. Specifically, GAO was asked to provide an overview of the long-standing financial management weaknesses facing DOD and a summary of the underlying causes of DOD's financial management challenges. In addition, GAO's testimony focused on (1) key actions necessary to correct DOD's financial management problems and (2) the progress DOD is making toward business process reform."
Date: June 25, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Department of Education: Status of Efforts to Address Major Management Challenges (open access)

Department of Education: Status of Efforts to Address Major Management Challenges

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In its 2003 performance and accountability report on the Department of Education, GAO identified challenges in, among other areas, student financial aid programs and financial management. The information GAO presents in this testimony is intended to assist Congress in assessing Education's progress in addressing and overcoming these challenges. GAO is not making new recommendations in this testimony, but past reports have made specific recommendations aimed at addressing some of these major management challenges."
Date: June 10, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Bonneville Power Administration: Obligations to Fish and Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest (open access)

Bonneville Power Administration: Obligations to Fish and Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Bonneville Power Administration produces a large portion of the Pacific Northwest's electric power, largely from hydroelectric projects in the Federal Columbia River Power System. Bonneville also has obligations to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish and wildlife populations affected by these hydroelectric projects. In the past several years, Bonneville has experienced financial difficulties, in part because of rising costs of providing power, lower-than-projected revenue from selling surplus power, and drought conditions. Bonneville's financial situation may adversely affect fish and wildlife. Stakeholders have expressed concern that Bonneville has effectively reduced spending on fish and wildlife programs. This testimony addresses (1) Bonneville's statutory and other obligations to support fish and wildlife programs, (2) Bonneville's historical spending and other efforts in support of fish and wildlife, (3) Bonneville's current financial condition, (4) Bonneville's recent actions that affect fish and wildlife programs, and (5) challenges Bonneville faces in supplying electricity to the region while simultaneously protecting, mitigating and enhancing fish and wildlife."
Date: June 4, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Transit Administration: Bus Rapid Transit Offers Communities a Flexible Mass Transit Option (open access)

Federal Transit Administration: Bus Rapid Transit Offers Communities a Flexible Mass Transit Option

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Buses form the backbone of the nation's mass transit systems. About 58 percent of all mass transit users take the bus, and even in many cities with extensive rail systems, more people ride the bus than take the train. In recent years, innovative Bus Rapid Transit systems have gained attention as an option for transit agencies to meet their mass transit needs. These systems are designed to provide major improvements in the speed, reliability, and quality of bus service through barrier-separated bus-ways, high-occupancy vehicle lanes, or reserved lanes or other enhancements on arterial streets. The characteristics of Bus Rapid Transit systems vary considerably, but may include (1) improved physical facilities or specialized structures such as dedicated rights-of-way; (2) operating differences such as fewer stops and higher speeds; (3) new equipment such as more advanced, quieter, and cleaner buses; and (4) new technologies such as more efficient traffic signalization and real-time information systems. This testimony, which updates a report GAO issued in September 2001, provides (1) information on federal support for Bus Rapid Transit systems and (2) an overview of factors affecting the selection of Bus Rapid Transit as …
Date: June 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Geographic Information Systems: Challenges to Effective Data Sharing (open access)

Geographic Information Systems: Challenges to Effective Data Sharing

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Geographic information systems (GIS) manipulate, analyze, and graphically present an array of information associated with geographic locations, have been invaluable to all levels of government. Their usefulness in disaster response was recently demonstrated during the Space Shuttle Columbia recovery effort. GIS provided precise maps and search grids to guide crews to the debris that was strewn across 41 counties in Texas and Louisiana. The federal government has long been attempting to develop an integrated nationwide GIS network. The information available through such a network could significantly enhance decision--making in myriad public--service areas, including emergency response, national security, law enforcement, health care, and the environment. Among GAO's objectives were to describe the federal government's efforts to coordinate GIS activities, the long-standing challenges of adopting and implementing federal GIS standards, and the role of Geospatial One-Stop."
Date: June 10, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Information Security: Continued Efforts Needed to Fully Implement Statutory Requirements (open access)

Information Security: Continued Efforts Needed to Fully Implement Statutory Requirements

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Since 1996, GAO has reported that poor information security in the federal government is a widespread problem with potentially devastating consequences. Further, GAO has identified information security as a governmentwide high-risk issue in reports to the Congress since 1997--most recently in January 2003. To strengthen information security practices throughout the federal government, information security legislation has been enacted. This testimony discusses efforts by federal departments and the administration to implement information security requirements mandated by law. In so doing, it examines overall information security weaknesses and challenges that the government faces, and the status of actions to address them, as reported by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). GAO's evaluation of agency efforts to implement federal information security requirements and correct identified weaknesses. New requirements mandated by the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA)."
Date: June 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Mutual Funds: Additional Disclosures Could Increase Transparency of Fees and Other Practices (open access)

Mutual Funds: Additional Disclosures Could Increase Transparency of Fees and Other Practices

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Concerns have been raised over whether the disclosures of mutual fund fees and other fund practices are sufficiently transparent and fair to investors. GAO's testimony discusses (1) mutual fund fee disclosures, (2) the extent to which various corporate governance reforms are in place in the mutual fund industry, (3) the potential conflicts that arise when mutual fund advisers pay broker-dealers to sell fund shares, and (4) the benefits and concerns over fund advisers' use of soft dollars."
Date: June 18, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Military Aircraft: Information on Air Force Aerial Refueling Tankers (open access)

Military Aircraft: Information on Air Force Aerial Refueling Tankers

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Both the Congress and the Department of Defense are concerned about the age of the U.S. aerial refueling fleet and its potential impact on the military services' ability to meet operational requirements. Aerial refueling provides a key capability that is essential to the mobility of U.S. forces. At present, the Air Force is in the early stages of planning for modernizing its aging fleet. In this testimony, GAO was asked to present its initial observations on (1) the status of the KC-135 fleet, including its age, projected life limits, and mission capable rates (i.e., the percent of time on average that the aircraft are available to perform their assigned mission); and (2) Air Force aerial refueling requirements."
Date: June 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Real Property: Executive and Legislative Actions Needed to Address Long-standing and Complex Problems (open access)

Federal Real Property: Executive and Legislative Actions Needed to Address Long-standing and Complex Problems

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Long-standing problems with excess and underutilized real property, deteriorating facilities, unreliable real property data, and costly space challenges are shared by several agencies. These factors have multibillion-dollar cost implications and can seriously jeopardize agencies' missions. Federal agencies face many challenges securing real property due to the threat of terrorism. This testimony discusses long-standing, complex problems in the federal real property area and what actions are needed to address them."
Date: June 5, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Compact of Free Association: An Assessment of the Amended Compacts and Related Agreements (open access)

Compact of Free Association: An Assessment of the Amended Compacts and Related Agreements

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In 1986, the United States entered into a Compact of Free Association with the Pacific Island nations of the Federated States of Micronesia, or FSM, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or RMI. The Compact provided about $2.1 billion in U.S. funds, supplied by the Department of the Interior, over 17 years (1987-2003) to the FSM and the RMI. These funds were intended to advance economic development. In a past report, GAO found that this assistance did little to advance economic development in either country, and accountability over funding was limited. The Compact also established U.S. defense rights and obligations in the region and allowed for migration from both countries to the United States. The three parties recently renegotiated expiring economic assistance provisions of the Compact in order to provide an additional 20 years of assistance (2004-2023). In addition, the negotiations addressed defense and immigration issues. The House International Relations and Resources Committees requested that GAO report on Compact negotiations. This testimony discusses negotiated changes to the levels and structure of future assistance, including the potential cost to the U.S. government. Further, it reviews accountability, defense, and …
Date: June 18, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library