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Puerto Rico: Información Sobre Como la Estatidad Afectaría Determinados Programas y Fuentes de Ingresos Federales (open access)

Puerto Rico: Información Sobre Como la Estatidad Afectaría Determinados Programas y Fuentes de Ingresos Federales

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This is the Spanish language highlights associated with GAO-14-31."
Date: March 13, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Maritime Infrastructure: Key Issues Related to Commercial Activity in the U.S. Arctic over the Next Decade (open access)

Maritime Infrastructure: Key Issues Related to Commercial Activity in the U.S. Arctic over the Next Decade

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Commercial U.S. Arctic maritime activities are expected to be limited for the next 10 years, according to industry representatives, due to a variety of factors. Interviews with industry representatives highlighted a variety of general challenges related to operating in the Arctic, such as geography, extreme weather, and hard-to-predict ice floes. Industry-specific factors were also cited as contributing to limited commercial activity. For example, shipping companies noted higher costs with Arctic transit; cruise industry groups noted a lack of demand for Arctic cruises from the mainstream cruise-consumer base, and oil companies last drilled offshore exploratory wells in the U.S. Arctic in 2012."
Date: March 19, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Medicare: Second Year Update for CMS's Durable Medical Equipment Competitive Bidding Program Round 1 Rebid (open access)

Medicare: Second Year Update for CMS's Durable Medical Equipment Competitive Bidding Program Round 1 Rebid

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Medicare competitive bidding program (CBP) for durable medical equipment (DME) is administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) within the Department of Health and Human Services. Under the CBP, only competitively selected contract suppliers can furnish certain DME product categories (such as oxygen supplies and hospital beds) at competitively determined prices to Medicare beneficiaries in designated competitive bidding areas. The CBP's round 1 rebid was in effect for a 3-year period, from 2011 through 2013. It included nine DME product categories in nine geographic areas. For CBP monitoring purposes, CMS also selected nine comparator areas that were demographically similar to the rebid areas. GAO's analysis found that in 2012, the second year of the round 1 rebid:"
Date: March 7, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: Slower Than Expected Progress in Software Testing May Limit Initial Warfighting Capabilities (open access)

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: Slower Than Expected Progress in Software Testing May Limit Initial Warfighting Capabilities

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Delays in developmental flight testing of the F-35's critical software may hinder delivery of the warfighting capabilities the military services expect. F-35 developmental flight testing comprises two key areas: mission systems and flight sciences. Mission systems testing verifies that the software-intensive systems that provide critical warfighting capabilities function properly and meet requirements, while flight sciences testing verifies the aircraft's basic flying capabilities. Challenges in development and testing of mission systems software continued through 2013, due largely to delays in software delivery, limited capability in the software when delivered, and the need to fix problems and retest multiple software versions. The Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) predicts delivery of warfighting capabilities could be delayed by as much as 13 months. Delays of this magnitude will likely limit the warfighting capabilities that are delivered to support the military services' initial operational capabilities—the first of which is scheduled for July 2015—and at this time it is not clear what those specific capabilities will be because testing is still ongoing. In addition, delays could increase the already significant concurrency between testing and aircraft procurement and result in additional cost growth. …
Date: March 26, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
National Preparedness: HHS Has Funded Flexible Manufacturing Activities for Medical Countermeasures, but It Is Too Soon to Assess Their Effect (open access)

National Preparedness: HHS Has Funded Flexible Manufacturing Activities for Medical Countermeasures, but It Is Too Soon to Assess Their Effect

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In fiscal years 2012 and 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) awarded nearly $440 million in contracts to establish three Centers for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing (CIADM) and a network of facilities to provide packaging support for medical countermeasure distribution, known as the Fill Finish Manufacturing Network (FFMN). The contracts require the CIADMs to develop three activities to support flexible manufacturing for medical countermeasure development and production: the manufacture of pandemic influenza vaccines during an emergency; core services to support the development and production of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) medical countermeasures; and workforce training. During the contract base periods, each CIADM is to retrofit existing or build new facilities able to produce 50 million doses of pandemic influenza vaccine within 4 months of receipt of the influenza virus strain and to establish the capacity to provide core services, such as assisting countermeasure developers by manufacturing products to be used for clinical trials. The CIADMs are also required to develop workforce training programs, which are intended to increase expertise in CBRN medical countermeasure …
Date: March 31, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Afghanistan: Key Oversight Issues for USAID Development Efforts (open access)

Afghanistan: Key Oversight Issues for USAID Development Efforts

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 2010, the United States pledged to provide at least 50 percent of its development aid directly through the Afghan government budget within 2 years. This direct assistance is intended to help develop the capacity of Afghan government ministries to manage programs and funds. Using bilateral agreements and multilateral trust funds, the United States more than tripled its direct assistance awards to Afghanistan in the first year of the pledge, going from over $470 million in fiscal year 2009 to over $1.4 billion in fiscal year 2010. The U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) most current reporting shows that for fiscal year 2012 the agency provided over $800 million in mission funds through direct assistance. In 2013, GAO reported that while USAID had established and generally complied with various financial and other controls in its direct assistance agreements, it had not always assessed the risks in providing direct assistance before awarding funds. USAID has taken steps in response to GAO's recommendations to help ensure the accountability of direct assistance funds provided to the Afghan government. Recently, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) reported that USAID determined …
Date: March 13, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Request: U.S. Government Accountability Office (open access)

Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Request: U.S. Government Accountability Office

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO's fiscal year (FY) 2015 budget request of $525.1 million seeks an increase of 3.9 percent to maintain staff capacity as well as continue necessary maintenance and improvements to our information technology (IT) and building infrastructure. Additionally, receipts and reimbursements, primarily from program and financial audits, and rental income, totaling $30.9 million are expected in FY 2015."
Date: March 5, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle: Introducing Competition into National Security Space Launch Acquisitions (open access)

Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle: Introducing Competition into National Security Space Launch Acquisitions

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) began the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program in 1995 to provide a new generation of launch vehicles to ensure affordable access to space for government satellites. In November 1997, based on commercial forecasts at that time, the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) approved maintaining competition between two contractors, and in 1998, DOD competitively awarded “other transaction agreements” to Boeing and Lockheed Martin for the development and the associated launch infrastructure to meet EELV program requirements. In 2005, DOD revised the EELV acquisition strategy to reflect the collapse of the commercial launch market and the ensuing erosion of the industrial base which DOD believed threatened its assured access to space. In acknowledging the government's role as the primary EELV customer, the new strategy maintained assured access to space by funding two product lines of launch vehicles. Shortly afterwards, Boeing and Lockheed Martin announced plans to consolidate their launch operations into a joint venture—United Launch Alliance (ULA). According to DOD, the EELV program was focused on mission success in the ensuing years, until 2010, when DOD officials predicted EELV program costs would …
Date: March 5, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Medicare: Certain Physician Feedback Reporting Practices of Private Entities Could Improve CMS's Efforts (open access)

Medicare: Certain Physician Feedback Reporting Practices of Private Entities Could Improve CMS's Efforts

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Private entities GAO reviewed for this study selected a range of measures and benchmarks to assess physician group performance, and provided feedback reports to physicians more than once a year. Private entities almost exclusively focused their feedback efforts on primary care physician groups participating in medical homes and accountable care organizations, which hold physicians responsible for the quality and cost of all services provided. They limited their feedback reporting to those with a sufficient number of enrollees to ensure the reliability of reported measures. The entities decided on the number and type of measures for their reports, and compared each group's performance to multiple benchmarks, including peer group averages or past performance. All the entities used quality measures, and some also used utilization or cost measures. Because of the variety of quality measures and benchmarks, feedback report content differed across the entities. Some entities noted that in addition to national benchmarks, they compared results to state or regional level rates to reflect local patterns of care which may be more relevant to their physicians. Most health insurers spent from 4 to 6 months to generate their …
Date: March 26, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Petroleum Refining: Industry's Outlook Depends on Market Changes and Key Environmental Regulations (open access)

Petroleum Refining: Industry's Outlook Depends on Market Changes and Key Environmental Regulations

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Stakeholders GAO contacted and information reviewed by GAO identified the following three major changes that have recently affected the domestic petroleum refining industry:"
Date: March 14, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Department of Health and Human Services: Solicitations of Support for Enroll America (open access)

Department of Health and Human Services: Solicitations of Support for Enroll America

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO’s review of written responses and documentation from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found that, since enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the Secretary of HHS (the Secretary) contacted the Chief Executive Officers of five organizations to solicit support for one outside entity, Enroll America, involved in activities related to PPACA. Specifically, the Secretary requested financial support for Enroll America from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and H&R Block; and nonfinancial support, such as technical assistance, from Ascension Health, Johnson & Johnson, and Kaiser (which consists of the Kaiser Foundation Health Plans and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals). GAO’s review of the documentation also found that the Secretary received oral guidance from HHS’s Office of General Counsel in early February 2013 and written guidance on soliciting support for outside entities later in the month, after the contact with RWJF but prior to the four remaining contacts. Among other things, this guidance stated that HHS officials may encourage members of the public to support certain organizations assisting Americans to enroll in coverage under PPACA, pursuant to authority provided under sections 1703 and 1704 …
Date: March 21, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Retirement Security: Trends in Marriage, Work, and Pensions May Increase Vulnerability for Some Retirees (open access)

Retirement Security: Trends in Marriage, Work, and Pensions May Increase Vulnerability for Some Retirees

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The decline in marriage, rise in women's labor force participation, and transition away from defined benefit (DB) plans to defined contribution (DC) plans have resulted in changes in the types of retirement benefits households receive and increased vulnerabilities for some. Since the 1960s, the percentage of unmarried and single-parent families has risen dramatically, especially among low-income, less-educated individuals, and some minorities. At the same time, the percentage of married women entering the labor force has increased. The decline in marriage and rise in women's labor force participation have affected the types of Social Security benefits households receive, with fewer women receiving spousal benefits today than in the past. In addition, the shift away from DB to DC plans has increased financial vulnerabilities for some due to the fact that DC plans typically offer fewer spousal protections. DC plans also place greater responsibility on households to make decisions and manage their pension and financial assets so they have income throughout retirement. As shown in the figure below, despite Social Security's role in reducing poverty among seniors, poverty remains high among certain groups of seniors, such as minorities and unmarried …
Date: March 5, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Programa Para Mitigar Activos Problemáticos: Es necesario un mayor esfuerzo en el control de préstamos equitativos y en el acceso a los programas de vivienda por parte de personas sin dominio del inglés (open access)

Programa Para Mitigar Activos Problemáticos: Es necesario un mayor esfuerzo en el control de préstamos equitativos y en el acceso a los programas de vivienda por parte de personas sin dominio del inglés

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This is the Spanish language highlights associated with GAO-14-117."
Date: March 31, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Major Automated Information Systems: Selected Defense Programs Need to Implement Key Acquisition Practices (open access)

Major Automated Information Systems: Selected Defense Programs Need to Implement Key Acquisition Practices

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Of the 15 selected Department of Defense (DOD) major automated information system (MAIS) programs, 13 had cost information available (2 did not, due to revisions to requirements and changes in scope). Of these 13 programs, 11 experienced changes in their cost estimates, including 7 that experienced increases ranging from 4 to 2,233 percent and 4 that experienced decreases ranging from 4 to 86 percent. Two programs remained unchanged in their cost goals. Additionally, of 14 programs that had schedule information available (1 did not due to revisions to requirements), 13 experienced schedule changes—including 12 that had slippages ranging from a few months to 6 years, and 1 that accelerated its schedule. One program remained on schedule. Further, of 11 programs that had system performance data available, 3 programs met their system performance targets, while 8 did not fully meet their targets."
Date: March 27, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Arizona Border Surveillance Technology Plan: Additional Actions Needed to Strengthen Management and Assess Effectiveness (open access)

Arizona Border Surveillance Technology Plan: Additional Actions Needed to Strengthen Management and Assess Effectiveness

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) schedules and Life-cycle Cost Estimates for the Arizona Border Surveillance Technology Plan (the Plan) reflect some, but not all, best practices. Scheduling best practices are summarized into four characteristics of reliable schedules—comprehensive, well constructed, credible, and controlled (i.e., schedules are periodically updated and progress is monitored). GAO assessed CBP's schedules as of March 2013 for the three highest-cost programs that represent 97 percent of the Plan's estimated cost. GAO found that schedules for two of the programs at least partially met each characteristic (i.e., satisfied about half of the criterion), and the schedule for the other program at least minimally met each characteristic (i.e., satisfied a small portion of the criterion), as shown in the table below. For example, the schedule for one of the Plan's programs partially met the characteristic of being credible in that CBP had performed a schedule risk analysis for the program, but the risk analysis was not based on any connection between risks and specific activities. For another program, the schedule minimally met the characteristic of being controlled in that it …
Date: March 12, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Information Security: VA Needs to Address Long-Standing Challenges (open access)

Information Security: VA Needs to Address Long-Standing Challenges

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) continues to face long-standing challenges in effectively implementing its information security program. Specifically, from fiscal year 2007 through 2013, VA has consistently had weaknesses in key information security control areas (see table)."
Date: March 25, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financial Audit: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Funds' 2013 and 2012 Financial Statements (open access)

Financial Audit: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Funds' 2013 and 2012 Financial Statements

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In GAO's opinion, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) fairly presented, in all material respects, the 2013 and 2012 financial statements for the two funds it administers—the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) and the FSLIC Resolution Fund (FRF). Also, in GAO's opinion, FDIC maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting relevant to the DIF and to the FRF as of December 31, 2013. Further, GAO did not find any reportable instances of noncompliance with provisions of applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements it tested."
Date: March 13, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Dominican Republic: Background and U.S. Relations (open access)

Dominican Republic: Background and U.S. Relations

This report provides background information on political and economic conditions in the Dominican Republic, as well as an overview of some of the key issues in U.S.-Dominican relations
Date: March 21, 2014
Creator: Ribando Seelke, Clare
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tort Suits Against Federal Contractors: Selected Legal Issues (open access)

Tort Suits Against Federal Contractors: Selected Legal Issues

This report provides background on, and analysis of, key legal issues that such suits present. It provides a broad overview of tort claims generally, discusses the primary mechanisms through which contractors have attempted to defend against tort liability, and examines indemnification agreements between the government and contractors.
Date: March 31, 2014
Creator: Perry, Rodney M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
State and Local "Sanctuary" Policies Limiting Participation in Immigration Enforcement (open access)

State and Local "Sanctuary" Policies Limiting Participation in Immigration Enforcement

This report discusses legal issues related to state and local measures that limit law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. It includes legal background and select limitations on immigration enforcement including traditional "sanctuary" policies, declining to honor immigration detainers, shielding juveniles from federal detection, and modifying criminal sentences to avoid immigration consequences.
Date: March 28, 2014
Creator: Garcia, Michael John & Manuel, Kate M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Small Business Management and Technical Assistance Training Programs (open access)

Small Business Management and Technical Assistance Training Programs

This report examines small business startups' experiences with the Small Business Administration's (SBA's) management and technical assistance training programs -- focusing on Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), Women Business Centers (WBCs), and SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) -- the 7(a), 504/CDC, and Microloan lending programs; and the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) venture capital program.
Date: March 24, 2014
Creator: Dilger, Robert Jay
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The U.S. Secret Service: History and Missions (open access)

The U.S. Secret Service: History and Missions

This report discusses potential policy questions concerning the U.S. Secret Service through an examination of the Service's history and its statutory authorities, mission, and present activities within Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Date: March 25, 2014
Creator: Reese, Shawn
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library

Faculty and Student Recital: 2014-03-18 – Improbable Encounters

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
A faculty and student recital performed at the UNT College of Music Voertman Hall.
Date: March 18, 2014
Creator: Klein, Joseph, 1962-; Dubois, Susan; Harlos, Steven, 1953-; McNutt, Elizabeth; Stec, Kyle; Morscheck, Stephen et al.
Object Type: Video
System: The UNT Digital Library
Government Efficiency and Effectiveness: Views on the Progress and Plans for Addressing Government-wide Management Challenges (open access)

Government Efficiency and Effectiveness: Views on the Progress and Plans for Addressing Government-wide Management Challenges

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "A number of areas on the President's Management Agenda are consistent with issues highlighted by GAO's work on the High Risk Program, its annual reports on fragmentation, overlap, and duplication, and other work related to long-standing management challenges. These include, for example: using information technology to better manage for results; addressing improper payments; expanding strategic sourcing; strengthening strategic human capital management; and improving the Department of Defense's weapon systems and services acquisitions. Lasting success in addressing the difficult and longstanding issues on the Presidents Management Agenda will hinge on effective implementation, including sustained top leadership attention. GAO and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) have agreed to hold a series of high level meetings on the issues on GAO's High Risk List to discuss progress and actions that are needed to fully address high-risk issues. Further, the executive branch has taken a number of steps to implement key provisions of the GPRA Modernization Act by developing cross-agency and agency priority goals; assigning performance management roles and responsibilities to leadership; conducting agency quarterly performance reviews; and developing Performance.gov, a website that provides quarterly updates on the priority goals."
Date: March 12, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library