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Human Capital: Senior Executive Performance Management Can Be Significantly Strengthened to Achieve Results (open access)

Human Capital: Senior Executive Performance Management Can Be Significantly Strengthened to Achieve Results

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Congress and the administration have established a new performance-based pay system for members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) that is designed to provide a clear and direct linkage between SES performance and pay. Also, GAO previously reported that significant opportunities exist for agencies to hold the SES accountable for improving organizational results. GAO assessed how well selected agencies are creating linkages between SES performance and organizational success by applying nine key practices GAO previously identified for effective performance management. GAO selected the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)."
Date: May 26, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
DOD Personnel Clearances: Additional Steps Can Be Taken to Reduce Backlogs and Delays in Determining Security Clearance Eligibility for Industry Personnel (open access)

DOD Personnel Clearances: Additional Steps Can Be Taken to Reduce Backlogs and Delays in Determining Security Clearance Eligibility for Industry Personnel

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "As more and more federal jobs are privatized, individuals working for private industry are taking on a greater role in national security work for the Department of Defense (DOD) and other federal agencies. Because many of these jobs require access to classified information, industry personnel must hold a security clearance. As of September 30, 2003, industry workers held more than one-third of all clearances issued by DOD. Long-standing security clearance backlogs and delays in determining clearance eligibility affect industry personnel, military members, and federal employees. As requested, we reviewed the clearance eligibility process for industry personnel and (1) describe the size of the backlog and changes in the time needed to issue eligibility determinations, (2) identify reasons for the backlog and delays, and (3) evaluate initiatives that DOD could take to eliminate the backlog and decrease the delays."
Date: May 26, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Missile Defense: Actions Being Taken to Address Testing Recommendations, but Updated Assessment Needed (open access)

Missile Defense: Actions Being Taken to Address Testing Recommendations, but Updated Assessment Needed

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In August 2000, the Defense Department's (DOD) Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), made 50 recommendations on a test program for a system to defeat long-range ballistic missile threats against the United States. DOD's Missile Defense Agency (MDA) plans to begin fielding the system by September 2004. GAO examined (1) how MDA addressed DOT&E's recommendations and (2) what is known about the effectiveness of the system to be fielded by September 2004. GAO issued a classified report on this subject in June 2003. This unclassified, updated version reflects changes in MDA's test schedule."
Date: February 26, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Distance Education: Improved Data on Program Costs and Guidelines on Quality Assessments Needed to Inform Federal Policy (open access)

Distance Education: Improved Data on Program Costs and Guidelines on Quality Assessments Needed to Inform Federal Policy

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Distance education--that is, offering courses by Internet, video, or other forms outside the classroom--has changed considerably in recent years and is a growing force in postsecondary education. More than a decade ago, concerns about fraud and abuse by some correspondence schools led to federal restrictions on, among other things, the percentage of courses a school could provide by distance education and still qualify for federal student aid. Given the recent changes in distance education, GAO was asked to review the extent to which the restrictions affect schools' ability to offer federal student aid and the Department of Education's assessment of the continued appropriateness of the restrictions. Additionally, GAO was asked to look at the extent to which accrediting agencies evaluate distance education programs, including their approach for assessing student outcomes."
Date: February 26, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Foreign Assistance: U.S. Anticorruption Programs in Sub-Saharan Africa Will Require Time and Commitment (open access)

Foreign Assistance: U.S. Anticorruption Programs in Sub-Saharan Africa Will Require Time and Commitment

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In October 2000, Congress passed the International Anticorruption and Good Governance Act (P.L. 106-309). The purpose of this legislation is to promote good governance by helping other countries combat corruption and improve government transparency and accountability. U.S. agencies spent about $33 million per year in fiscal years 2001-2002 providing anticorruption assistance to 22 sub-Saharan African countries. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) provided the majority of this assistance, along with the Departments of the Treasury, Justice, Commerce, and State. To help Congress oversee management of anticorruption programs in sub-Saharan Africa, GAO was asked to examine (1) what is known about the extent of corruption in the region, (2) the factors that give rise to corruption in this region, (3) the anticorruption assistance U.S. agencies have provided, and (4) the lessons about anticorruption assistance that U.S. agencies and other international organizations have learned."
Date: April 26, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Private Pensions: Multiemployer Plans Face Short- and Long-Term Challenges (open access)

Private Pensions: Multiemployer Plans Face Short- and Long-Term Challenges

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Multiemployer-defined benefit pension plans, which are created by collective bargaining agreements covering more than one employer and generally operated under the joint trusteeship of labor and management, provide coverage to over 9.7 million of the 44 million participants insured by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). The recent termination of several large single-employer plans--plans sponsored by individual firms--has led to millions of dollars in benefit losses for thousands of workers and left PBGC, their public insurer, an $11.2 billion deficit as of September 30, 2003. The serious difficulties experienced by these single-employer plans have prompted questions about the health of multiemployer plans. This report provides the following information on multiemployer pension plans: (1) trends in funding and worker participation, (2) PBGC's role regarding the plans' financial solvency, and (3) potential challenges to the plans' long-term prospects."
Date: March 26, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Homeland Security Advisory System: Preliminary Observations Regarding Threat Level Increases from Yellow to Orange (open access)

Homeland Security Advisory System: Preliminary Observations Regarding Threat Level Increases from Yellow to Orange

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Established in March 2002, the Homeland Security Advisory System was designed to disseminate information regarding the risk of terrorist acts to federal, state, and local government agencies and the public. However, this system generated concern among federal, state, and local government agencies regarding whether they are receiving the necessary information to respond appropriately to heightened alerts and about the amount of additional costs protective measures entail. Congress requested that we review (1) the operations of the Homeland Security Advisory System, including the decision making process for changing the national threat level, notifications to federal, state, and local government agencies of changes in the threat level, and ongoing revisions to the system; (2) guidance and information that federal, state, and local government agencies reportedly used to determine any protective measures to implement when the threat level is raised to high--or code-orange--alert; (3) any protective measures these agencies implemented during code-orange alert periods; (4) any additional costs these agencies reported incurring to implement such measures; and (5) any threat advisory systems that federal, state, or local government agencies had in place before the creation of the Homeland Security Advisory System."
Date: February 26, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. International Broadcasting: Enhanced Measure of Local Media Conditions Would Facililate Decisions to Terminate Language Services (open access)

U.S. International Broadcasting: Enhanced Measure of Local Media Conditions Would Facililate Decisions to Terminate Language Services

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In its fiscal year 2004 budget request to Congress, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (the Board) proposed the elimination of 17 Central and Eastern European language services managed by the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) in order to free resources for higher-priority initiatives such as the war on terrorism. GAO was asked to examine (1) how the Board determines which language services should be proposed for reduction or termination and (2) the extent to which local media conditions are considered before a termination proposal is made. In addition, GAO's report provides summary analysis and conclusions relating to the media conditions in three countries impacted by the Board's language service termination decisions."
Date: February 26, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Posthearing Questions Related to Fragmentation and Overlap in the Federal Food Safety System (open access)

Posthearing Questions Related to Fragmentation and Overlap in the Federal Food Safety System

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO testified before Congress at the hearing A System Rued: Inspecting Food. This report responds to Congress's request that GAO provide answers to follow-up questions from the hearing."
Date: May 26, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
GSA Actions Leading to Proposed Debarment of WorldCom (open access)

GSA Actions Leading to Proposed Debarment of WorldCom

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "On June 25, 2002, WorldCom, Inc., announced its intention to restate its financial statements for 2001 and the first quarter of 2002, reducing previously reported earnings by nearly $4 billion. WorldCom's announcement sparked a series of investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Department of Justice, and WorldCom's Board of Directors, among others, and eventually resulted in criminal charges against six of its corporate officials. WorldCom filed for bankruptcy protection in July 2002, and, over the next several months, announced restatements for additional periods. On July 31, 2003--over a year after WorldCom first announced its intention to restate its earnings--the General Services Administration (GSA) formally proposed the company for debarment, making the company ineligible for future government contracts. When WorldCom consented to a 3-year administrative agreement allowing GSA to continue monitoring the company's conduct, GSA terminated the debarment proceedings on January 7, 2004. House Report 108-243, which accompanied the Transportation, Treasury, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004, required us to review the actions GSA took between WorldCom's June 2002 announcement and GSA's July 2003 decision to propose the company for debarment. We agreed to (1) identify …
Date: May 26, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Electronic Disability Claims Processing: SSA Needs to Address Risks Associated with Its Accelerated Systems Development Strategy (open access)

Electronic Disability Claims Processing: SSA Needs to Address Risks Associated with Its Accelerated Systems Development Strategy

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Social Security Administration's (SSA) AeDib initiative is designed to provide SSA with a more efficient, paperless system that will enable its disability components to electronically view and share claims data and process claims electronically. Yet previous GAO reviews found that SSA's accelerated strategy to develop AeDib involved risks that could threaten a complete and successful transition to this capability. At the Subcommittee's request, GAO reviewed AeDib to assess (1) SSA's progress and strategy, (2) the adequacy of measures taken to avoid software development problems similar to those encountered in SSA's previous efforts, (3) the adequacy of cost/benefit analyses, and (4) SSA's consultation with stakeholders."
Date: March 26, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Supports For Low-Income Families: States Serve a Broad Range of Families through a Complex and Changing System (open access)

Supports For Low-Income Families: States Serve a Broad Range of Families through a Complex and Changing System

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Over the last decade, the Congress has made significant changes in numerous federal programs that support low-income families, including changes that have shifted program emphases from providing cash assistance to providing services that promote employment and economic independence. As a result of some of the federal policy changes, the support system is more decentralized than before. This heightens the importance of understanding policy choices and practices at the state and local levels as well as those at the federal level. To provide the Congress with information on this system, GAO agreed to address the following questions: (1) To what extent do states provide supports for lowincome families? (2) How have states structured programs to support low-income families? (3) What changes have states made to supports for low-income families in recent years? Our review focused primarily on supports for which states make many of the key decisions about eligibility, benefit amounts, and service provision. To obtain this information, GAO conducted a mail survey of the social service directors in the 50 states and the District of Columbia; conducted site visits in New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Washington, …
Date: January 26, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Mandatory Audit Firm Rotation Study: Study Questionnaires, Responses, and Summary of Respondents' Comments (open access)

Mandatory Audit Firm Rotation Study: Study Questionnaires, Responses, and Summary of Respondents' Comments

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 required GAO to study the potential effects of requiring public companies registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to periodically rotate the public accounting firms that audit their financial statements. On November 21, 2003, GAO issued its report entitled Public Accounting Firms: Required Study on the Potential Effects of Mandatory Audit Firm Rotation (GAO-04-216). This supplemental report contains a copy of each questionnaire used in our study, annotated to show summary responses for each question and selected comments from respondents. GAO is issuing this supplemental report to provide additional detail on the responses to our surveys on the potential effects of mandatory audit firm rotation and to facilitate future research efforts in performing studies related to these matters."
Date: February 26, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Telecommunications: GSA Faces Challenges in Planning for New Governmentwide Program (open access)

Telecommunications: GSA Faces Challenges in Planning for New Governmentwide Program

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Genera1 Services Administration (GSA) has initiated planning for its next-generation telecommunications acquisition program, known as Networx, which will replace the current Federal Telecommunications System (FTS) 2001 for longdistance and international services. It will also replace contracts for wireless and satellite communications products and services. Planning for this acquisition is occurring within an environment of tremendous change--in the industry, in underlying services and technology, and potentially in the regulatory environment. In this context, Networx can offer a significant opportunity for the federal government to flexibly acquire telecommunications services at competitive rates and apply innovative solutions to improving agency operations. At the request of the Chairman of the House Committee on Government Reform, GAO is providing an overview of acquisition planning steps completed to date, along with its assessment of challenges facing GSA and federal agencies as this acquisition proceeds."
Date: February 26, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Management Report: Improvements Needed in IRS's Internal Controls and Accounting Procedures (open access)

Management Report: Improvements Needed in IRS's Internal Controls and Accounting Procedures

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In November 2003, we issued our report on the results of our audit of the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) financial statements as of and for the fiscal years ending September 30, 2003 and 2002, and on the effectiveness of its internal controls as of September 30, 2003. We also reported our conclusions on IRS's compliance with significant provisions of selected laws and regulations and on whether IRS's financial management systems substantially comply with requirements of the Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996. A separate report on the implementation status of recommendations from our prior IRS financial audits and related financial management reports including this one will be issued shortly. The purpose of this report is to discuss issues identified during our fiscal year 2003 audit regarding internal controls and accounting procedures that could be improved for which we do not presently have any recommendations outstanding. Although not all of these issues were discussed in our fiscal year 2003 audit report, they all warrant management's consideration."
Date: April 26, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Medicare Savings Programs: Results of Social Security Administration's 2002 Outreach to Low-Income Beneficiaries (open access)

Medicare Savings Programs: Results of Social Security Administration's 2002 Outreach to Low-Income Beneficiaries

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "To assist low-income beneficiaries with their share of premiums and other out-of-pocket costs associated with Medicare, Congress has created four Medicare savings programs. Historic low enrollment in these programs has been attributed to several factors, including lack of awareness about the programs, and cumbersome eligibility determination and enrollment processes through state Medicaid programs. Concerned about this low enrollment, Congress passed legislation as part of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 (BIPA) requiring the Social Security Administration (SSA) to notify low-income Medicare beneficiaries of their potential eligibility for Medicare savings programs. The statute also required GAO to study the impact of SSA's outreach effort. GAO examined what outreach SSA undertook to increase enrollment, how enrollment changed following SSA's 2002 outreach, and how enrollment changed in selected states following SSA's outreach and what additional outreach efforts these states undertook. GAO reviewed information obtained from SSA and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), analyzed enrollment data provided by SSA and CMS, and interviewed officials in and obtained data from six selected states (Alabama, California, Louisiana, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington)."
Date: March 26, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
[Minutes: Intelligence Joint Cross-Service Group, May 26, 2004] (open access)

[Minutes: Intelligence Joint Cross-Service Group, May 26, 2004]

BRAC 2005 Intelligence Joint Cross-Service Group Meeting Minutes of May 26, 2004. The document is redacted and includes the IJCSG Principals Meeting brief (PowerPoint slides).
Date: May 26, 2004
Creator: United States. Department of Defense.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Non-Poisson Dichotomous Noise: Higher-Order Correlation Functions and Aging (open access)

Non-Poisson Dichotomous Noise: Higher-Order Correlation Functions and Aging

This article discusses non-Poisson dichotomous noise and higher-order correlation functions and aging.
Date: October 26, 2004
Creator: Allegrini, Paolo; Grigolini, Paolo; Palatella, Luigi & West, Bruce J.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Line-imaging velocimeter for shock diagnostics at the OMEGA laser facility (open access)

Line-imaging velocimeter for shock diagnostics at the OMEGA laser facility

None
Date: January 26, 2004
Creator: Celliers, P M; Bradley, D K; Collins, G W; Hicks, D G; Boehly, T R & Armstrong, W J
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
YUMMY: The Yucca Mountain MCNP-Library (open access)

YUMMY: The Yucca Mountain MCNP-Library

None
Date: October 26, 2004
Creator: Alpan, FA
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Failure Forewarning in NPP Equipment NERI2000-109 Final Project Report (open access)

Failure Forewarning in NPP Equipment NERI2000-109 Final Project Report

The objective of this project is forewarning of machine failures in critical equipment at next-generation nuclear power plants (NPP). Test data were provided by two collaborating institutions: Duke Engineering and Services (first project year), and the Pennsylvania State University (Applied Research Laboratory) during the second and third project years. New nonlinear methods were developed and applied successfully to extract forewarning trends from process-indicative, time-serial data for timely, condition-based maintenance. Anticipation of failures in critical equipment at next-generation NPP will improve the scheduling of maintenance activities to minimize safety concerns, unscheduled non-productive downtime, and collateral damage due to unexpected failures. This approach provides significant economic benefit, and is expected to improve public acceptance of nuclear power. The approach is a multi-tiered, model-independent, and data-driven analysis that uses ORNL's novel nonlinear method to extract forewarning of machine failures from appropriate data. The first tier of the analysis provides a robust choice for the process-indicative data. The second tier rejects data of inadequate quality. The third tier removes signal artifacts that would otherwise confound the analysis, while retaining the relevant nonlinear dynamics. The fourth tier converts the artifact-filtered time-serial data into a geometric representation, that is then transformed to a discrete distribution function …
Date: March 26, 2004
Creator: Hively, LM
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
TOXECON RETROFIT FOR MERCURY AND MULTI-POLLUTANT CONTROL-ON THREE 90 MW COAL FIRED BOILERS (open access)

TOXECON RETROFIT FOR MERCURY AND MULTI-POLLUTANT CONTROL-ON THREE 90 MW COAL FIRED BOILERS

With the Nation's coal-burning utilities facing tighter controls on mercury pollutants, the U.S. Department of Energy is supporting projects that could offer power plant operators better ways to reduce these emissions at much lower costs. Sorbent injection technology represents one of the simplest and most mature approaches to controlling mercury emissions from coal-fired boilers. It involves injecting a solid material such as powdered activated carbon into the flue gas. The gas-phase mercury in the flue gas contacts the sorbent and attaches to its surface. The sorbent with the mercury attached is then collected by a particle control device along with the other solid material, primarily fly ash. We Energies has over 3,200 MW of coal-fired generating capacity and supports an integrated multi-emission control strategy for SO{sub 2}, NO{sub x} and mercury emissions while maintaining a varied fuel mix for electric supply. The primary goal of this project is to reduce mercury emissions from three 90 MW units that burn Powder River Basin coal at the We Energies Presque Isle Power Plant. Additional goals are to reduce nitrogen oxide (NO{sub x}), sulfur dioxide (SO{sub 2}), and particulate matter (PM) emissions, allow for reuse and sale of fly ash, demonstrate a reliable …
Date: October 26, 2004
Creator: Johnson, Richard E.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Identifying Oil Exploration Leads using Intergrated Remote Sensing and Seismic Data Analysis, Lake Sakakawea, Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, Willistion Basin (open access)

Identifying Oil Exploration Leads using Intergrated Remote Sensing and Seismic Data Analysis, Lake Sakakawea, Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, Willistion Basin

The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, inhabited by the Arikara, Mandan and Hidatsa Tribes (now united to form the Three Affiliated Tribes) covers a total area of 1530 mi{sup 2} (980,000 acres). The Reservation is located approximately 15 miles east of the depocenter of the Williston basin, and to the southeast of a major structural feature and petroleum producing province, the Nesson anticline. Several published studies document the widespread existence of mature source rocks, favorable reservoir/caprock combinations, and production throughout the Reservation and surrounding areas indicating high potential for undiscovered oil and gas resources. This technical assessment was performed to better define the oil exploration opportunity, and stimulate exploration and development activities for the benefit of the Tribes. The need for this assessment is underscored by the fact that, despite its considerable potential, there is currently no meaningful production on the Reservation, and only 2% of it is currently leased. Of particular interest (and the focus of this study) is the area under the Lake Sakakawea (formed as result of the Garrison Dam). This 'reservoir taking' area, which has never been drilled, encompasses an area of 150,000 acres, and represents the largest contiguous acreage block under control of the Tribes. Furthermore, …
Date: February 26, 2004
Creator: Reeves, Scott R. & Billingsley, Randal L.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
[Clipping: Women Pilots given their due by Museum of Flight] (open access)

[Clipping: Women Pilots given their due by Museum of Flight]

Newspaper clipping of an article about WASP being honored for their service in WWII at the seventh annual Texas Aviation Hall of Fame induction gala. Portions of other articles are visible on the back of the clipping.
Date: November 26, 2004
Creator: Bishop, Jim
Object Type: Clipping
System: The Portal to Texas History