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Contingency Contract Management: DOD Needs to Develop and Finalize Background Screening and Other Standards for Private Security Contractors (open access)

Contingency Contract Management: DOD Needs to Develop and Finalize Background Screening and Other Standards for Private Security Contractors

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Currently in Iraq, there are thousands of private security contractor (PSC) personnel supporting DOD and State, many of whom are foreign nationals. Congressional concerns about the selection, training, equipping, and conduct of personnel performing private security functions in Iraq are reflected in a provision in the fiscal year 2008 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that directs DOD to develop guidance on PSCs. This report examines the extent (1) that DOD and State have developed and implemented policies and procedures to ensure that the backgrounds of PSC employees have been screened and (2) that DOD has developed guidance to implement the provisions of the NDAA and (3) that DOD and State have addressed measures on other issues related to PSC employees in Iraq. To address these objectives, GAO reviewed DOD and State guidance, policies, and contract oversight documentation and interviewed agency and private security industry officials."
Date: July 31, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Equal Employment Opportunity: DHS Has Opportunities to Better Identify and Address Barriers to EEO in Its Workforce (open access)

Equal Employment Opportunity: DHS Has Opportunities to Better Identify and Address Barriers to EEO in Its Workforce

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "DHS has generally relied on workforce data and has not regularly included employee input from available sources to identify "triggers," the term EEOC uses for indicators of potential barriers. GAO's analysis of DHS's MD-715 reports showed that DHS generally relied on workforce data to identify 13 of 15 triggers, such as promotion and separation rates. According to EEOC, in addition to workforce data, agencies are to regularly consult a variety of sources, such as exit interviews, employee groups, and employee surveys, to identify triggers. Involving employees helps to incorporate insights about operations from a frontline perspective in determining where potential barriers exist. DHS does not consider employee input from such sources as employee groups, exit interviews, and employee surveys in conducting its MD-715 analysis. Data from the governmentwide employee survey and DHS's internal employee survey are available, but DHS does not use these data to identify triggers. By not considering employee input on DHS personnel policies and practices, DHS is missing opportunities to identify potential barriers. Once a trigger is revealed, agencies are to investigate and pinpoint actual barriers and their causes. In 2007, through its …
Date: August 31, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Home Mortgages: Provisions in a 2007 Mortgage Reform Bill (H.R. 3915) Would Strengthen Borrower Protections, but Views on Their Long-term Impact Differ (open access)

Home Mortgages: Provisions in a 2007 Mortgage Reform Bill (H.R. 3915) Would Strengthen Borrower Protections, but Views on Their Long-term Impact Differ

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "H.R. 3915 (2007), a bill introduced, but not enacted by the 110th Congress, was intended to reform mortgage lending practices to prevent a recurrence of problems in the mortgage market, particularly in the nonprime market segment. The bill would have set minimum standards for all mortgages (e.g., reasonable ability to repay) and created a "safe harbor" for loans that met certain requirements. Securitizers of safe harbor loans would be exempt from liability provisions, while securitizers of non-safe harbor loans would be subject to limited liability for loans that violated the bill's minimum standards. In response to a congressional request, this report discusses (1) the proportions of recent nonprime loans that likely would have met and not met the bill's safe harbor requirements and factors influencing the performance of these loans, and (2) relevant research and the views of mortgage industry stakeholders concerning the potential impact of key provisions of the bill on the availability of mortgage credit. To do this work, GAO analyzed a proprietary database of securitized nonprime loans, reviewed studies of state and local anti-predatory lending laws, and met with financial regulatory agencies and …
Date: July 31, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Troubled Asset Relief Program: March 2009 Status of Efforts to Address Transparency and Accountability Issues (open access)

Troubled Asset Relief Program: March 2009 Status of Efforts to Address Transparency and Accountability Issues

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO's third report on the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) follows up on recommendations from the January 28, 2009, report (GAO-09-296). It also reviews (1) the nature and purpose of activities that had been initiated under TARP as of March 27, 2009; (2) the Department of Treasury's Office of Financial Stability's (OFS) hiring efforts, use of contractors, and progress in developing an internal control system; and (3) TARP performance indicators. For this work, GAO reviewed signed agreements and other relevant documentation and met with officials from OFS, contractors, and federal agencies. As of March 27, 2009, Treasury had disbursed $303.4 billion of the $700 billion in TARP funds. Most of the funds (almost $199 billion) went to purchase preferred shares of 532 financial institutions under the Capital Purchase Program (CPP), Treasury's primary vehicle under TARP for stabilizing financial markets."
Date: March 31, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Medicare Physician Payments: Fees Could Better Reflect Efficiencies Achieved When Services Are Provided Together (open access)

Medicare Physician Payments: Fees Could Better Reflect Efficiencies Achieved When Services Are Provided Together

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Medicare's physician fees may not always reflect efficiencies that occur when a physician performs multiple services for the same patient on the same day, and some resources required for these services do not need to be duplicated. In response to a request from Congress, GAO examined (1) the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) efforts to set appropriate fees for services furnished together and (2) additional opportunities for CMS to avoid excessive payments when services are furnished together. GAO examined relevant policies, laws, and regulations; interviewed CMS officials and others; and analyzed claims data to identify opportunities for further savings."
Date: July 31, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Private Health Insurance: Research on Competition in the Insurance Industry (open access)

Private Health Insurance: Research on Competition in the Insurance Industry

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Health care providers and members of Congress have raised concerns that consolidation in the private health insurance industry may be resulting in less competitive markets and contributing to rising health insurance rates paid by consumers and employers. However, measuring the extent of changes in market competition over time or the effects of changes is challenging. In particular, reliable, longitudinal data to measure concentration, that is, the number of competitors and their relative market share, are only available on health maintenance organizations (HMO) but not on preferred provider organizations (PPO) or other insurance products that may comprise the market. Further, data on health insurers are not available at all geographic levels. Despite these challenges, researchers have used the data available to study competition in health insurance markets, typically using one of two measures of competition: (1) HMO market concentration or (2) the number of HMOs in a market. Researchers acknowledge that market concentration and the number of competitors are not perfect measures of competition in private health insurance markets and that there are limits to the conclusions to be drawn from studies that rely on the available data. This …
Date: July 31, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Information Technology: HUD Needs to Strengthen Its Capacity to Manage and Modernize Its Environment (open access)

Information Technology: HUD Needs to Strengthen Its Capacity to Manage and Modernize Its Environment

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Information technology (IT) plays a critical role in the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) ability to carry out its home ownership and community development mission, which was recently expanded under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. Pursuant to a congressional mandate to study HUD's IT environment, GAO reviewed the adequacy of key IT management and modernization controls within the department, including strategic planning and performance measurement, investment management, human capital management, enterprise architecture development and use, and modernization program office establishment. To do so, GAO compared HUD policies, guidance, plans, reports, and other products and actions to relevant aspects of statutory requirements, federal guidance, and related best practices."
Date: July 31, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Border Patrol: Checkpoints Contribute to Border Patrol's Mission, but More Consistent Data Collection and Performance Measurement Could Improve Effectiveness (open access)

Border Patrol: Checkpoints Contribute to Border Patrol's Mission, but More Consistent Data Collection and Performance Measurement Could Improve Effectiveness

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. Border Patrol, part of the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection (CBP), operates checkpoints on U.S. roads, mainly in the southwest border states where most illegal entries occur. As part of a three-tiered strategy to maximize detection and apprehension of illegal aliens, Border Patrol agents at checkpoints screen vehicles for illegal aliens and contraband. GAO was asked to assess (1) checkpoint performance and factors affecting performance, (2) checkpoint performance measures, (3) community impacts considered in checkpoint placement and design, and (4) the impact of checkpoint operations on nearby communities. GAO work included a review of Border Patrol data and guidance; visits to checkpoints and communities in five Border Patrol sectors across four southwest border states, selected on the basis of size, type, and volume, among other factors; and discussions with community members and Border Patrol officials in headquarters and field locations."
Date: August 31, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Disaster Recovery: Experiences from Past Disasters Offer Insights for Effective Collaboration after Catastrophic Events (open access)

Disaster Recovery: Experiences from Past Disasters Offer Insights for Effective Collaboration after Catastrophic Events

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In the wake of the 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes, coordination and collaboration challenges created obstacles during the government's response and recovery efforts. Because of the many stakeholders involved in recovery, including all levels of government, it is critical to build collaborative relationships. Building on GAO's September 2008 report which provided several key recovery practices from past catastrophic disasters, this report presents examples of how federal, state, and local governments have effectively collaborated in the past. GAO reviewed five catastrophic disasters--the Loma Prieta earthquake (California, 1989), Hurricane Andrew (Florida, 1992), the Northridge earthquake (California, 1994), the Kobe earthquake (Japan, 1995), and the Grand Forks/Red River flood (North Dakota and Minnesota, 1997)--to identify recovery lessons. GAO interviewed officials involved in the recovery from these disasters and experts on disaster recovery. GAO also reviewed relevant legislation, policies, and the disaster recovery literature."
Date: July 31, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Securities and Exchange Commission: Greater Attention Needed to Enhance Communication and Utilization of Resources in the Division of Enforcement (open access)

Securities and Exchange Commission: Greater Attention Needed to Enhance Communication and Utilization of Resources in the Division of Enforcement

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Division of Enforcement (Enforcement) plays a key role in meeting the agency's mission to protect investors and maintain fair and orderly markets. In recent years, Enforcement has brought cases yielding record civil penalties, but questions have been raised about its capacity to manage its resources and fulfill its law enforcement and investor protection responsibilities. GAO was asked to evaluate, among other issues, (1) SEC's progress toward implementing GAO's 2007 recommendations; (2) the extent to which Enforcement has an appropriate mix of resources dedicated to achieving its objectives; and (3) the adoption, implementation, and effects of recent penalty policies. GAO analyzed information on resources, enforcement actions, and penalties; and interviewed current and former SEC officials and staff, and others."
Date: March 31, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Troubled Asset Relief Program: Status of Efforts to Address Transparency and Accountability Issues (open access)

Troubled Asset Relief Program: Status of Efforts to Address Transparency and Accountability Issues

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony discusses our work on the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), under which the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) has the authority to purchase and insure up to $700 billion in troubled assets held by financial institutions through its Office of Financial Stability (OFS). As Congress may know, Treasury was granted this authority in response to the financial crisis that has threatened the stability of the U.S. banking system and the solvency of numerous financial institutions. The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (the act) that authorized TARP on October 3, 2008, requires GAO to report at least every 60 days on the findings resulting from our oversight of the actions taken under the program. We are also responsible for auditing TARP's annual financial statements and for producing special reports on any issues that emerge from our oversight. To carry out these oversight responsibilities, we have assembled interdisciplinary teams with a wide range of technical skills, including financial market and public policy analysts, accountants, lawyers, and economists who represent combined resources from across GAO. This testimon is based primarily on our March 31, 2009 report that we are issuing …
Date: March 31, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Recovery Act: States' Use of Highway Infrastructure Funds and Compliance with the Act's Requirements (open access)

Recovery Act: States' Use of Highway Infrastructure Funds and Compliance with the Act's Requirements

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) included more than $48 billion for the Department of Transportation's (DOT) investment in transportation infrastructure, including highways, rail, and transit. This testimony--based on GAO report GAO-09-829, issued on July 8, 2009 and updated with more recent data, in response to a mandate under the Recovery Act--addresses (1) the uses of Recovery Act transportation funding including the types of projects states have funded, (2) the steps states have taken to meet the act's requirements, and (3) GAO's other work on transportation funding under the Recovery Act. In GAO-09-829, GAO examined the use of Recovery Act funds by 16 states and the District of Columbia (District), representing about 65 percent of the U.S. population and two-thirds of the federal assistance available through the act. GAO also obtained data from DOT on obligations and reimbursements for the Recovery Act's highway infrastructure funds."
Date: July 31, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Review of Special Counsel Expenses for 6 Months Ended September 30, 2008 (open access)

Review of Special Counsel Expenses for 6 Months Ended September 30, 2008

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This report presents the results of GAO's review of the expenses of the Office of Special Counsel-Patrick J. Fitzgerald (OSC-Fitzgerald) for the 6 months ended September 30, 2008. The expenses we reviewed were those made by the Department of Justice (DOJ) between April 1, 2008, and September 30, 2008, from the permanent, indefinite appropriation (fund) for OSC-Fitzgerald. To determine if there were additional payments made subsequent to the 6-month period covered by our review, we also reviewed expenses paid out of the fund between October 1, 2008, and February 28, 2009. DOJ determined that the appropriation established by Public Law 100-2021 to fund expenses by independent counsels pursuant to the independent counsel law or other law is available to fund the expenses of U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald, who was appointed as a special counsel within the Department of Justice by the then-Acting Attorney General. Under this law, we are required to perform semiannual financial reviews of expenses from the fund, and, we report our findings to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. To satisfy this requirement, we review each expense processed by DOJ to determine whether it …
Date: March 31, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Theoretical Studies of Nucleation Kinetics and Nanodroplet Microstructure (open access)

Theoretical Studies of Nucleation Kinetics and Nanodroplet Microstructure

The goals of this project were to (1) explore ways of bridging the gap between fundamental molecular nucleation theories and phenomenological approaches based on thermodynamic reasoning, (2) test and improve binary nucleation theory, and (3) provide the theoretical underpinning for a powerful new experimental technique, small angle neutron scattering (SANS) from nanodroplet aerosols, that can probe the compositional structure of nanodroplets. This report summarizes the accomplishments of this project in realizing these goals. Publications supported by this project fall into three general categories: (1) theoretical work on nucleation theory (2) experiments and modeling of nucleation and condensation in supersonic nozzles, and (3) experimental and theoretical work on nanodroplet structure and neutron scattering. These publications are listed and briefly summarized in this report.
Date: January 31, 2009
Creator: Wilemski, Gerald
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Conceptual Design Report: Nevada Test Site Mixed Waste Disposal Facility Project (open access)

Conceptual Design Report: Nevada Test Site Mixed Waste Disposal Facility Project

Environmental cleanup of contaminated nuclear weapons manufacturing and test sites generates radioactive waste that must be disposed. Site cleanup activities throughout the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) complex are projected to continue through 2050. Some of this waste is mixed waste (MW), containing both hazardous and radioactive components. In addition, there is a need for MW disposal from other mission activities. The Waste Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Record of Decision designates the Nevada Test Site (NTS) as a regional MW disposal site. The NTS has a facility that is permitted to dispose of onsite- and offsite-generated MW until November 30, 2010. There is not a DOE waste management facility that is currently permitted to dispose of offsite-generated MW after 2010, jeopardizing the DOE environmental cleanup mission and other MW-generating mission-related activities. A mission needs document (CD-0) has been prepared for a newly permitted MW disposal facility at the NTS that would provide the needed capability to support DOE's environmental cleanup mission and other MW-generating mission-related activities. This report presents a conceptual engineering design for a MW facility that is fully compliant with Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and DOE O 435.1, 'Radioactive Waste Management'. The facility, which will …
Date: January 31, 2009
Creator: National Security Technologies, LLC
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Greensheet (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 572, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 31, 2009 (open access)

The Greensheet (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 572, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 31, 2009

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.
Date: December 31, 2009
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
Greensheet (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 97, Ed. 1 Tuesday, March 31, 2009 (open access)

Greensheet (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 97, Ed. 1 Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.
Date: March 31, 2009
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
The Greensheet (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 310, Ed. 1 Friday, July 31, 2009 (open access)

The Greensheet (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 310, Ed. 1 Friday, July 31, 2009

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.
Date: July 31, 2009
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 53, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 31, 2009 (open access)

Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 53, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 31, 2009

Weekly newspaper from Port Aransas, Texas on Mustang Island that includes local, state and national news along with extensive advertising.
Date: December 31, 2009
Creator: Judson, Mary Henkel
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
Greensheet (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 98, Ed. 1 Tuesday, March 31, 2009 (open access)

Greensheet (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 98, Ed. 1 Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.
Date: March 31, 2009
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
The Greensheet (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 561, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 31, 2009 (open access)

The Greensheet (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 561, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 31, 2009

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.
Date: December 31, 2009
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
The Greensheet (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 312, Ed. 1 Friday, July 31, 2009 (open access)

The Greensheet (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 312, Ed. 1 Friday, July 31, 2009

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.
Date: July 31, 2009
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
The Brand (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 97, No. 12, Ed. 1 Tuesday, March 31, 2009 (open access)

The Brand (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 97, No. 12, Ed. 1 Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Bi-weekly student newspaper from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas that includes campus news and local news of interest to students along with advertising.
Date: March 31, 2009
Creator: Koe, Crystal
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 93, No. 36, Ed. 1 Tuesday, March 31, 2009 (open access)

North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 93, No. 36, Ed. 1 Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Daily student newspaper from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas that includes local, state and campus news along with advertising.
Date: March 31, 2009
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History