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D.C. Charter Schools: Strengthening Monitoring and Process When Schools Close Could Improve Accountability and Ease Student Transitions (open access)

D.C. Charter Schools: Strengthening Monitoring and Process When Schools Close Could Improve Accountability and Ease Student Transitions

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "D.C. has a larger percentage of students in charter schools than any state. To help oversee D.C. charter schools, Congress established two authorizers--the Board of Education (BOE), which has an Office of Charter Schools responsible for oversight, and the independent Public Charter School Board (PCSB). Congress required the GAO to conduct a study of the authorizers. This report--which completes GAO's May 2005 study--examines the (1) authorizers' resources, (2) oversight practices, and (3) actions taken once charter schools close. GAO examined BOE and PCSB monitoring reports, revenue and expenditure documents, and closure procedures."
Date: November 17, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Suggested Areas for Oversight for the 110th Congress (open access)

Suggested Areas for Oversight for the 110th Congress

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO is pleased to offer three sets of recommendations for consideration of the agenda of the 110th Congress. The first suggests targets for near-term oversight; the second proposes policies and programs that are in need of fundamental reform and re-engineering; and the third lists governance issues that should be addressed to help ensure an economical, efficient, effective, ethical, and equitable federal government capable of responding to the various challenges and capitalizing on related opportunities in the 21st century. Details on each of these recommendations can be found in the enclosure. GAO has three key roles to play in making a difference for the Congress and the American people: oversight, insight, and foresight. The attached lists reflect those missions and represent an effort to synthesize GAO's institutional knowledge and special expertise for the benefit of you and your colleagues in your planning efforts. In this regard, GAO believes that to be effective, congressional oversight needs to be constructive. For example, related hearings and other activities should offer opportunities for leading federal agencies to share best practices and facilitate governmentwide transformation. They should also hold people accountable for delivering positive …
Date: November 17, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Confirmation of Political Appointees: Eliciting Nominees' Views on Management Challenges within Agencies and across Government (open access)

Confirmation of Political Appointees: Eliciting Nominees' Views on Management Challenges within Agencies and across Government

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "While some progress has been made in recent years, agencies urgently need to strengthen basic management capabilities to successfully address current and emerging demands. The incoming administration will face challenges in implementing its policy and program agendas because of shortcomings in agencies' management capabilities. Building and developing the institutional capacity to meet these challenges will require appointing the right people to the right positions. It is vitally important that leadership and management skills, abilities, and experience be among the key criteria the new President uses to select his leadership teams in the agencies. The Senate's interest in leveraging its role in confirmation hearings will send a strong message that nominees should have the requisite skills to deal effectively with the broad array of complex management challenges they will face. This report includes questions for each of 28 major executive branch departments and agencies, and one for each of the following seven major governmentwide management areas: (1) acquisition management, (2) collaboration, (3) financial management, (4) human capital management, (5) information and technology management, (6) results-oriented decision making, and (7) real property management and security."
Date: November 17, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Transit Administration: Progress Made in Implementing Changes to the Job Access Program, but Evaluation and Oversight Processes Need Improvement (open access)

Federal Transit Administration: Progress Made in Implementing Changes to the Job Access Program, but Evaluation and Oversight Processes Need Improvement

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Begun in 1998, the Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) program provides grants to states and localities for improving the mobility of low-income persons seeking work. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) administers this program. In 2005, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act--A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) authorized $727 million for JARC for fiscal years 2005 through 2009, changed how these funds were to be awarded after fiscal year 2005, and required FTA to evaluate the program by August 2008. GAO examined (1) SAFETEA-LU's changes to JARC, (2) FTA's progress in implementing these changes, (3) states' and localities' efforts to respond and challenges they have encountered, and (4) FTA's proposed strategy for evaluation and oversight. GAO's work included analyzing program guidance as well as interviewing officials from FTA, industry groups, and more than 30 state and local agencies."
Date: November 17, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Land Management: Challenges to Implementing the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (open access)

Federal Land Management: Challenges to Implementing the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service manage about 628 million acres of public land, mostly in 11 western states and Alaska. Under the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (FLTFA) of 2000, revenue raised from selling BLM lands is available to the agencies, primarily to acquire nonfederal land within the boundaries of land they already own--known as inholdings. These inholdings can create significant land management problems. To acquire land, the agencies can nominate parcels under state-level interagency agreements or the Secretaries can use their discretion to initiate acquisitions. FLTFA expires in July 2010. This testimony discusses GAO's 2008 report: Federal Land Management: Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act Restrictions and Management Weaknesses Limit Future Sales and Acquisitions (GAO-08-196). Specifically, the testimony discusses (1) FLTFA revenue generated, (2) challenges to future sales, (3) FLTFA expenditures, (4) challenges to future acquisitions, and (5) agencies' implementation of GAO's recommendations. Among other things, GAO examined the act, agency guidance, and FLTFA sale and acquisition data, interviewed agency officials, and obtained some updated information."
Date: November 17, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Military Personnel: DOD Needs Action Plan to Address Enlisted Personnel Recruitment and Retention Challenges (open access)

Military Personnel: DOD Needs Action Plan to Address Enlisted Personnel Recruitment and Retention Challenges

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) must recruit and retain hundreds of thousands of servicemembers each year to carry out its missions, including providing support in connection with events such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In addition to meeting legislatively mandated aggregate personnel levels, each military component must also meet its authorized personnel requirements for each occupational specialty. DOD reports that over half of today's youth cannot meet the military's entry standards for education, aptitude, health, moral character, or other requirements, making recruiting a significant challenge. GAO, under the Comptroller General's authority (1) assessed the extent to which DOD's active, reserve, and National Guard components met their enlisted aggregate recruiting and retention goals; (2) assessed the extent to which the components met their authorized personnel levels for enlisted occupational specialties; and (3) analyzed the steps DOD has taken to address recruiting and retention challenges."
Date: November 17, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Business Systems Modernization: IRS's Fiscal Year 2004 Expenditure Plan (open access)

Business Systems Modernization: IRS's Fiscal Year 2004 Expenditure Plan

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) Business Systems Modernization (BSM) program is a multibillion-dollar, high-risk, highly complex effort that involves the development and delivery of a number of modernized information systems that are intended to replace the agency's aging business and tax processing systems. BSM funds are not available until IRS submits an expenditure plan that meets various conditions to congressional appropriations committees for approval. In January and July 2004, the Department of the Treasury submitted IRS's initial and revised fiscal year 2004 plans, respectively. As required by law, GAO reviewed the plans to (1) determine whether the plans satisfied the conditions specified in the law, (2) determine what progress IRS had made in implementing our prior recommendations, and (3) provide any other observations about the plans and IRS's BSM program."
Date: November 17, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority: Information on Contracting at Washington Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Between 1992 and 1999 (open access)

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority: Information on Contracting at Washington Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Between 1992 and 1999

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "As required by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Act of 1986, GAO must periodically determine whether the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) uses fair practices in determining which vendors win contracts. This correspondence provides information on MWAA's uses contracting practices between 1992 and 1999. GAO found that 2,843 contracts for supplies and services were awarded during this period. The initial award of these contracts was $1.43 billion. Between 1998 and 1999, GAO found that 95 out of 124 large contracts had been awarded using full and open competition. The remaining contracts were awarded on a sole-source basis or by using limited competition."
Date: November 17, 2000
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Review of OMB Circular A-76 Health Benefit Cost Factor Needed (open access)

Review of OMB Circular A-76 Health Benefit Cost Factor Needed

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Determining whether to obtain required services using government employees or through contracts with the private sector is an important economic and strategic decision for agency managers. In this regard, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-76 prescribes policies and procedures for use by agencies as they select service providers through competitions among public and private-sector sources. The Circular is intended to ensure that the competitive sourcing process is conducted as fairly as possible, and that the estimated cost of government performance reflects all of the costs of performing the work in house. The purpose of this letter is to convey an issue we identified during the course of an ongoing review of how the costs of health benefits for federal and private-sector employees are reflected in public-private competitions conducted by the Department of Defense."
Date: November 17, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Social Security Administration: Short Time Frame and Workload Challenges Could Affect Timely Implementation of Income-Based Medicare Part B Premiums (open access)

Social Security Administration: Short Time Frame and Workload Challenges Could Affect Timely Implementation of Income-Based Medicare Part B Premiums

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Beginning January 1, 2007, the premiums for the Medicare Part B Supplementary Medical Insurance program will be based on income, which will raise the premiums for approximately 1.65 million higher-income beneficiaries to as much as 80 percent of the full cost over the 3-year phase-in period. This change, which may be unknown to some beneficiaries, will affect single individuals with incomes over $80,000 and married couples who file jointly with incomes over $160,000. Medicare Part B is a voluntary program administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that covers doctors' services, certain outpatient services, and other care. Currently, Medicare Part B beneficiaries generally pay a flat premium of 25 percent (the standard monthly premium) of the cost of the program, with the remaining 75 percent subsidized by the federal government. While CMS administers the program, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is responsible for determining and assessing Medicare Part B income-based premiums once CMS has set the standard premium amount for the year. To better understand how SSA is implementing such premiums, the Senate Committee on Finance requested that we review the process that SSA has …
Date: November 17, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Data Quality: Census Bureau Needs to Accelerate Efforts to Develop and Implement Data Quality Review Standards (open access)

Data Quality: Census Bureau Needs to Accelerate Efforts to Develop and Implement Data Quality Review Standards

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Data from the decennial census are used to apportion and redistrict seats in the House of Representatives, distribute billions of dollars of federal funds, and guide the planning and investment decisions of the public and private sectors. Given the importance of these data, it is essential that they meet high quality standards before they are distributed to the public. After questions arose about the quality of certain data from the 2000 Census, the requesters asked GAO to review U.S. Census Bureau (Bureau) standards on the quality of data disseminated to the public."
Date: November 17, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Department of State (State) and United Nations relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Actions to Implement Section 301(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (open access)

Department of State (State) and United Nations relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Actions to Implement Section 301(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Established in 1949 by the United Nations, UNRWA provides assistance to Palestinian refugees in the Middle East. UNRWA assistance is primarily education, health, and relief and social services. More than 4 million Palestinian refugees are eligible to receive these services in UNRWA's five areas of operation--Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, and Gaza. In section 301(c) of the 1961 Foreign Assistance Act (PL 87-195) as amended, Congress has directed that "No contributions by the United States shall be made to (UNRWA) except on the condition that (UNRWA) take all possible measures to assure that no part of the United States contribution shall be used to furnish assistance to any refugee who is receiving military training as a member of the so-called Palestine Liberation Army or any other guerrilla type organization or who has engaged in any act of terrorism." To fulfill a legislative mandate, we are reporting on State Department actions and UNRWA's implementation of procedures to address section 301(c)."
Date: November 17, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Higher Education: Factors Lenders Consider in Making Lending Decisions for Private Education Loans (open access)

Higher Education: Factors Lenders Consider in Making Lending Decisions for Private Education Loans

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Over the past few decades, the cost of tuition, room, and board for undergraduate students has increased, making it more difficult for some students and families to afford the cost of college. While students have historically relied on federal loans and grants and family contributions to pay for college, a growing number have turned to private education loans to help them cover the cost. In 2007-08, private loan volume, including private sector and state sponsored loans, totaled $19 billion, up from $3 billion in 1997-98, according to the 2008 College Board report on student aid. Unlike federal loans, private education loans are not guaranteed by the federal government and are typically more costly for students than loans offered through federal programs. Despite their generally higher cost, about 26 percent of students who obtained private education loans in 2007-08 did not obtain Federal Stafford loans, and more than one-half of these students did not apply for Federal financial aid, according to the Institute for College Access and Success. In 2007-08, 14 percent of undergraduate students obtained private education loans, according to the Institute for College Access and Success, and …
Date: November 17, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Occupational Safety: Selected Cost and Benefit Implications of Needlestick Prevention Devices for Hospitals (open access)

Occupational Safety: Selected Cost and Benefit Implications of Needlestick Prevention Devices for Hospitals

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Because of the serious concern for health care workers in the United States, GAO examined the benefit and cost implications of purchasing needlestick prevention devices for hospitals. GAO estimates about 69,000 needlesticks in hospitals can be prevented in 1 year through the use of needles with safety features. Eliminating these needlesticks could reduce the number of health care workers who become infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) after sustaining a needlestick injury. GAO's analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows that reducing needlesticks may prevent at least 25 cases of HBV and at least 16 cases of HCV infection per year. The reduction in the number of HIV infections cannot be estimated. GAO estimates that the cost to purchase needles with safety features would be between $70 million and $352 million per year. The exact cost to adopt these needles is difficult to determine because several factors must be considered, including the cost to train workers to use the devices and the extent to which the needles reduce injuries."
Date: November 17, 2000
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
International Remittances: Information on Products, Costs, and Consumer Disclosures (open access)

International Remittances: Information on Products, Costs, and Consumer Disclosures

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Remittances are personal funds immigrants send to their home countries. The United States is the largest remittance-sending country in the world, with more than $36 billion remitted in 2003, according to the International Monetary Fund. The majority of these remittances are sent to Latin America and the Caribbean and they are a very important source of financial flows to many countries. In 2004, the United States, with other countries, pledged to reduce fees for remittances. Remittance senders in the United States can send funds through entities in the formal financial sector such as money transfer operators, banks, and credit unions or other informal means such as couriers. This report provides information on (1) the methods of transmission available to remittance senders in the formal financial sector and the advantages and disadvantages of each, (2) the costs to send remittances through the formal financial sector, and (3) disclosures remittance providers typically provide to senders."
Date: November 17, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Space Acquisitions: DOD Needs to Take More Action to Address Unrealistic Initial Cost Estimates of Space Systems (open access)

Space Acquisitions: DOD Needs to Take More Action to Address Unrealistic Initial Cost Estimates of Space Systems

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Estimated costs for the Department of Defense's (DOD) major space acquisition programs have increased by about $12.2 billion from initial estimates for fiscal years 2006 through 2011. Cost growth for ongoing Air Force programs above initial estimates accounts for a substantial portion of this 44 percent increase. In light of the role that optimistic estimating is believed to have played in exacerbating space acquisition cost growth, you requested that we examine (1) in what areas space system acquisition cost estimates have been unrealistic and (2) what incentives and pressures have contributed to the quality and usefulness of cost estimates for space system acquisitions."
Date: November 17, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Medicare: CMS's Program Safeguards Did Not Deter Growth in Spending for Power Wheelchairs (open access)

Medicare: CMS's Program Safeguards Did Not Deter Growth in Spending for Power Wheelchairs

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Medicare spending for power wheelchairs--one of the program's most expensive items of durable medical equipment (DME)--rose more than fourfold from 1999 through 2003, while overall Medicare spending rose by about 11 percent for the same period, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This spending growth has raised concerns that some of the payments may have been improper. In May 2003, the Department of Justice indicted several power wheelchair suppliers in Texas alleged to have fraudulently billed Medicare. GAO was asked to examine the early and more recent steps taken by CMS and its contractors to respond to improper payments for power wheelchairs."
Date: November 17, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Air Traffic Control: FAA Needs to Ensure Better Coordination When Approving Air Traffic Control Systems (open access)

Air Traffic Control: FAA Needs to Ensure Better Coordination When Approving Air Traffic Control Systems

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) process for ensuring that air traffic control (ATC) systems will operate safely in the national airspace system is an integral part of the agency's multibillion-dollar ATC modernization and safety effort. GAO was asked to review (1) FAA's process for approving ATC systems for safe use in the national airspace system; (2) challenges FAA has faced approving ATC systems and how these challenges affected the cost, schedule, and performance estimates of the systems; and (3) actions FAA has taken to improve its process for approving ATC systems."
Date: November 17, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
New Drug Development: Science, Business, Regulatory, and Intellectual Property Issues Cited as Hampering Drug Development Efforts (open access)

New Drug Development: Science, Business, Regulatory, and Intellectual Property Issues Cited as Hampering Drug Development Efforts

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Drug development is complex and costly, requiring the testing of numerous chemical compounds for their potential to treat disease. Before a new drug can be marketed in the United States, a new drug application (NDA), which includes scientific and clinical data, must be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Recent scientific advances have raised expectations that an increasing number of new and innovative drugs would soon be developed to more effectively prevent, treat, and cure serious illnesses. However, industry analysts and the FDA have reported that new drug development, and in particular, development of new molecular entities (NMEs)--potentially innovative drugs containing ingredients that have never been marketed in the United States--has become stagnant. GAO was asked to provide information on (1) trends in the pharmaceutical industry's reported research and development expenses as well as trends in the number of NDAs submitted to, and approved by, FDA; and (2) experts' views on factors accounting for these trends and their suggestions for expediting and enhancing drug development. GAO analyzed data from FDA on all 1,264 NDAs submitted to the agency from 1993 through 2004. GAO also …
Date: November 17, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Aviation Safety: FAA's Safety Oversight System Is Effective but Could Benefit from Better Evaluation of Its Programs' Performance (open access)

Aviation Safety: FAA's Safety Oversight System Is Effective but Could Benefit from Better Evaluation of Its Programs' Performance

A statement of record issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. commercial aviation industry has an extraordinary safety record. However, when passenger airlines have accidents or serious incidents, regardless of their rarity, the consequences can be tragic. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) works to maintain a high level of safety through an effective safety oversight system. Keys to this system are to: (1) establish programs that focus resources on areas of highest safety risk and on mitigating risks; (2) provide training and communication to ensure that inspectors can consistently carry out the agency's oversight programs; and (3) have processes and data to continuously monitor, evaluate, and improve the numerous oversight programs that make up the safety oversight system. This statement focuses on these three key areas and is based on recent GAO reports on FAA's inspection oversight programs, industry partnership programs, enforcement program, and training program."
Date: November 17, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
International Trade: Options for Congressional Consideration to Improve U.S. Trade Preference Programs (open access)

International Trade: Options for Congressional Consideration to Improve U.S. Trade Preference Programs

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "U.S. trade preference programs promote economic development in poorer nations by providing duty-free export opportunities in the United States. The Generalized System of Preferences, Caribbean Basin Initiative, Andean Trade Preference Act, and African Growth and Opportunity Act unilaterally reduce U.S. tariffs for many products from over 130 countries. However, two of these programs expire partially or in full this year, and Congress is exploring options as it considers renewal. This testimony describes the growth in preference program imports, identifies policy trade-offs, and summarizes the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommendations and options suggested by a panel of experts on the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The testimony is based on studies issued in September 2007, March 2008, and August 2009. For those studies, GAO analyzed trade data, reviewed trade literature and program documents, interviewed U.S. officials, did fieldwork in nine countries, and convened a panel of experts."
Date: November 17, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financial Product Sales: Actions Needed to Protect Military Members (open access)

Financial Product Sales: Actions Needed to Protect Military Members

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 2004, a series of media articles alleged that financial firms were marketing expensive and potentially unnecessary insurance or other financial products to members of the military. GAO's report for this committee examined (1) features and marketing of certain insurance and securities products being sold to military members and (2) how financial regulators and the Department of Defense (DOD) were overseeing the sales of insurance and securities products to military members. GAO also examined issues relating to DOD's oversight of insurance sales for a report issued in June 2005."
Date: November 17, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Microenterprise Development: USAID's Program Has Met Some Goals; Annual Reporting Has Limitations (open access)

Microenterprise Development: USAID's Program Has Met Some Goals; Annual Reporting Has Limitations

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Microenterprises--small businesses owned and operated by poor entrepreneurs--have potential to help the world's poorer populations. For this reason, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) included microenterprise development in its programming. In 2001, the agency reported that its was conducting microenterprise projects in 52 countries and had obligated almost $2 billion since 1988 to support its program. The program supports micro loans, among other services, to assist poor entrepreneurs. Since 1996, USAID has annually reported the program's results. To help Congress oversee USAID's management of its microenterprise development program, GAO was asked to (1) determine the extent to which the agency's microfinance activities are meeting the program's key objectives, (2) assess the reliability of USAID's reporting on its overall microenterprise activities, and (3) examine the agency's role in identifying and disseminating microenterprise best practices."
Date: November 17, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Combating Nuclear Smuggling: Recent Testing Raises Issues About the Potential Effectiveness of Advanced Radiation Detection Portal Monitors (open access)

Combating Nuclear Smuggling: Recent Testing Raises Issues About the Potential Effectiveness of Advanced Radiation Detection Portal Monitors

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) is responsible for addressing the threat of nuclear smuggling. Radiation detection portal monitors are key elements in the nation's defenses against such threats. DHS has sponsored testing to develop new monitors, known as advanced spectroscopic portal (ASP) monitors, to replace radiation detection equipment being used at ports of entry. DNDO expects that ASPs may offer improvements over current-generation portal monitors, particularly the potential to identify as well as detect radioactive material and thereby to reduce both the risk of missed threats and the rate of innocent alarms, which DNDO considers to be key limitations of radiation detection equipment currently used by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at U.S. ports of entry. However, ASPs cost significantly more than current generation portal monitors. Due to concerns about ASPs' cost and performance, Congress has required that the Secretary of Homeland Security certify that ASPs provide a significant increase in operational effectiveness before obligating funds for full-scale ASP procurement. In May 2009, GAO issued a report (GAO-09-655) on the status of the ongoing ASP testing round. This testimony (1) discusses the …
Date: November 17, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library