Resource Type

2000 Census: Coverage Evaluation Interviewing Overcame Challenges, but Further Research Needed (open access)

2000 Census: Coverage Evaluation Interviewing Overcame Challenges, but Further Research Needed

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "As part of its Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation (ACE), the U.S. Census Bureau interviewed people across the country to develop an estimate of the number of persons missed, counted more than once, or otherwise improperly counted in the 2000 census. In conducting the interviews, which took place in person or over the phone, Census faced several challenges, including (1) completing the operation on schedule, (2) ensuring data quality, (3) overcoming unexpected computer problems, (4) obtaining a quality address list, and (5) keeping the interviews independent of census follow-up operations to ensure unbiased estimates of census errors. The Bureau completed the interviews largely ahead of schedule. On the basis of the results of its quality assurance program, the Bureau assumes that about one-tenth of one percent of all cases nationally would have failed the program because they were believed to have been falsified. Early on, the Bureau dealt with an unexpected problem with its automated work management system, which allows supervisors to selectively reassign work among interviewers. According to the Bureau officials, the Bureau addressed the underlying programming error within two weeks, and the operations proceeded on …
Date: December 31, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Civil Fines and Penalties Debt: Review of CMS' Management and Collection Processes (open access)

Civil Fines and Penalties Debt: Review of CMS' Management and Collection Processes

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report focuses on the debt collection processes and procedures used by the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The primary reason for the growth of CMS' civil monetary penalties (CMP) receivables was the expansion of fraud and abuse detection activities from fiscal year 1995 through fiscal year 1997 that significantly increased reported fraud and abuse debts in fiscal year 1997. GAO's analysis of CMS' CMP receivable data revealed similar financial accountability and reporting issues as those identified for non-CMP receivables by CMS' external financial statement auditors. GAO identified (1) unreconciled differences of tens of millions of dollars in the CMP receivables balances reported by HHS and CMS for fiscal years 1997 through 1999 and (2) an unreconciled net difference of about $22 million between the CMP receivables balance in CMS' general ledger and the detailed subsidiary systems as of September 30, 2000. The data reliability issue prevented GAO from determining the overall adequacy of the CMP debt collection policies and procedures. However, GAO's limited tests showed that debt collection policies and procedures were followed for 11 of …
Date: December 31, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Civil Fines and Penalties Debt: Review of OSM's Management and Collection Processes (open access)

Civil Fines and Penalties Debt: Review of OSM's Management and Collection Processes

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report focuses on debt collection processes and procedures used by the Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining (OSM). GAO discusses (1) the primary reasons for the growth in civil monetary penalties owed to OSM; (2) whether OSM's receivables for civil monetary penalties have financial accountability and reporting issues similar to those of its other receivables; (3) whether adequate processes exist to collect this debt; and (4) what roles, if any, the Office of Management and Budget and the Treasury Department play in overseeing and monitoring OSM's collection of civil monetary penalties debt."
Date: December 31, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Edwards Aquifer Authority Annual Financial Report: 2001 (open access)

Edwards Aquifer Authority Annual Financial Report: 2001

Annual financial report of the The Edwards Aquifer Authority documenting income, expenditures, and other relevant financial information for fiscal year 2001.
Date: December 31, 2001
Creator: Edwards Aquifer Authority (Tex.). Administration Team.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Elementary and Secondary Education: Reconsideration of the Federal Role by the 107th Congress (open access)

Elementary and Secondary Education: Reconsideration of the Federal Role by the 107th Congress

This report brief provides an overview of legislation to reauthorize the ESEA, ERDDIA, and NESA.
Date: December 31, 2001
Creator: Riddle, Wayne & Stedman, James
System: The UNT Digital Library
Export Controls: Reengineering Business Processes Can Improve Efficiency of State Department License Reviews (open access)

Export Controls: Reengineering Business Processes Can Improve Efficiency of State Department License Reviews

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. defense industry and some foreign government purchasers have expressed concern that the U.S. export control process is unnecessarily burdensome. Defense industry officials contend that extended reviews of export license applications by the State Department have resulted in lost sales and are harming the nation's defense industry. The State Department's Office of Defense Trade Controls is responsible for licensing the export and temporary import of defense articles and services. Many license applications take a long time to review because of their complexity and the need to consider different points of view. However, several conditions make the application review process less efficient and cause delays. The State Department has not established formal guidelines for determining the agencies and offices that need to review license applications. As a result, the licensing office refers more license applications to other agencies and offices than may be necessary. Furthermore, many license application reviewers in State Department reviewing offices consider license reviews a low priority. The State Department lacks procedures to monitor the flow of license applications through the review process. The State Department has hired new licensing officers which license …
Date: December 31, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Final Report: Natural State Models of The Geysers Geothermal System, Sonoma County, California (open access)

Final Report: Natural State Models of The Geysers Geothermal System, Sonoma County, California

Final project report of natural state modeling effort for The Geysers geothermal field, California. Initial models examined the liquid-dominated state of the system, based on geologic constraints and calibrated to match observed whole rock delta-O18 isotope alteration. These models demonstrated that the early system was of generally low permeability (around 10{sup -12} m{sup 2}), with good hydraulic connectivity at depth (along the intrusive contact) and an intact caprock. Later effort in the project was directed at development of a two-phase, supercritical flow simulation package (EOS1sc) to accompany the Tough2 flow simulator. Geysers models made using this package show that ''simmering'', or the transient migration of vapor bubbles through the hydrothermal system, is the dominant transition state as the system progresses to vapor-dominated. Such a system is highly variable in space and time, making the rock record more difficult to interpret, since pressure-temperature indicators likely reflect only local, short duration conditions.
Date: December 31, 2001
Creator: Brikowski, T. H.; Norton, D. L. & Blackwell, D. D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
United States Postal Service: Information on Retirement Plans (open access)

United States Postal Service: Information on Retirement Plans

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report identifies long-term structural or operational issues that may affect the U. S. Postal Services's (USPS) ability to provide affordable universal postal service on a break-even basis. One key issue is the Service's retirement costs and future liabilities. USPS had a net loss of $199 million in fiscal year 2000 and recently announced a $1.7 billion net loss for fiscal year 2001. The impact of September 11 and the subsequent anthrax mailings on the volume and the cost of future mail service is unclear. USPS' annual retirement plan costs are projected to rise significantly in the next 10 years--from $8.5 billion in fiscal year 2000 to $14 billion in fiscal year 2010. USPS also faces mounting debt because of pay increases resulting from new labor contracts and annual cost-of-living adjustments for retirees. USPS reported an outstanding liability for future retirement benefits of $32.2 billion as of September 2000, and anticipates paying another $16.5 billion in interest on this liability over 30 years. The Post-Retirement Health Benefit Program--an additional benefit available to USPS retirees--cost $744 million in fiscal year 2000. When this benefit is added to …
Date: December 31, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
2000 Census: Analysis of Fiscal Year 2000 Budget and Internal Control Weaknesses at the U.S. Census Bureau (open access)

2000 Census: Analysis of Fiscal Year 2000 Budget and Internal Control Weaknesses at the U.S. Census Bureau

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In September 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau told Congress that it had at least $305 million in budget savings out of its $4.5 billion fiscal year 2000 no-year appropriations for the 2000 decennial census. Of the $4.5 billion appropriated to the U.S. Census Bureau in fiscal year 2000, lower-than-expected expenditures and obligations resulted in available balances of at least $415 million. A lower-than-expected support staff workload reduced salary and benefit costs by about $348 million. Enumerator workload is largely determined by the initial mail response rate for returned census questionnaires. The initial mail response of 64 percent meant that Census enumerators did not have to visit more than three million American households. However, the available balances from the higher mail response rate and the lower support staff workload were partially offset by about $100 million of higher salary and benefit costs for enumerators, including a higher workload for unanticipated recounts. According to Bureau data, enumerator productivity did not significantly affect budget variances for the 2000 decennial census. The Bureau reported the national average time to visit a household and complete a census questionnaire was about the …
Date: December 28, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Regulatory Reform: Compliance Guide Requirement Has Had Little Effect on Agency Practices (open access)

Regulatory Reform: Compliance Guide Requirement Has Had Little Effect on Agency Practices

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act requires agencies to publish compliance guides for each rule or group of related rules for which the agency is required to prepare a final regulatory flexibility analysis. GAO found that Section 212 has had little impact, and its implementation has varied across and sometimes within the agencies. None of the agencies in GAO's review provided GAO with guidance documents that met all of the statutory requirements for all of their 1999 and 2000 final rules. The agencies indicated that they tried to put their compliance guides in plain language--just as they have for all their regulatory materials. The guidance documents that the agencies gave GAO were often published on the agencies' web sites. Direct mail, electronic list servers, agency/regional offices, and workshops were also used for distribution."
Date: December 28, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: Full Funding of State Formula (open access)

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: Full Funding of State Formula

This report discusses Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which assists participating states to serve school-age children with disabilities. The state funding formula, which provides a foundation amount based on states’ FY1999 grants and allocates remaining amounts based on states’ shares of school-age children and of school-age poor children, authorizes a maximum allotment per disabled child served of 40% of the national average per pupil expenditure (APPE). Annual appropriations have never been sufficient to provide each state its maximum allotment; in FY2002, states will receive approximately 16.5% of the national APPE per disabled child served. Some advocates for the program have called upon the Congress to fully fund the formula. An estimated $18.2 billion would be required to provide states the maximum allotment allowed per disabled child served in FY2002, about 2.4 times more than the appropriation of $7.5 billion for FY2002.
Date: December 27, 2001
Creator: Apling, Richard N.
System: The UNT Digital Library
D.C. Tuition Assistance Grants: Program May Increase College Choices, but a Few Program Procedures May Hinder Grant Receipt for Some Residents (open access)

D.C. Tuition Assistance Grants: Program May Increase College Choices, but a Few Program Procedures May Hinder Grant Receipt for Some Residents

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Twenty-one percent of grant-eligible applicants who did not use the District of Columbia's tuition assistance grant (TAG) funding to attend a participating college or university may have encountered such barriers as college entrance requirements and the absence of minority outreach programs. Whether enrollment caps at colleges posed a barrier for applicants is unclear. In the program's first year, 516 of the nearly 2,500 eligible applicants did not use the grants. About 21 percent of the institutions in which applicants expressed interest restrict the number of out-of-state students that they will accept, although the extent to which this played a role in limiting access to these institutions is unclear. Enrollment at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) changed little during the TAG program's first year. The TAG program and UDC appeared to serve different freshmen populations, which may account for the TAG program's minimal impact on UDC enrollment. Although concerns about TAG program administration were largely resolved with the revision of program regulations in December 2000, other administrative issues may hinder program operations, including the determination of applicant eligibility and the distribution of information on …
Date: December 26, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Courthouse Cornerstones, Volume 2, Number 1, Winter 2001 (open access)

Courthouse Cornerstones, Volume 2, Number 1, Winter 2001

Annual progress report for the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program outlining courthouses of importance and projects that are finished, ongoing, and planned.
Date: Winter 2001
Creator: Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program
System: The Portal to Texas History
Department of Energy: Fundamental Reassessment Needed to Address Major Mission, Structure, and Accountability Problems (open access)

Department of Energy: Fundamental Reassessment Needed to Address Major Mission, Structure, and Accountability Problems

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Energy (DOE) manages the nation's nuclear weapons production complex, cleans up the environmental legacy from the production of nuclear weapons, and conducts research and development into both energy and basic science. DOE launched several reforms in the 1990s to realign its organizational structure, reduce its workforce, strengthen contracting procedures by competitive awards practices, streamline oversight of activities, and delegate some responsibilities to the private sector. Despite these reforms, GAO found that management weaknesses persist because DOE's reforms were piecemeal solutions whose effect has been muted by three impediments to fundamental improvement: the department's diverse missions, dysfunctional organizational structure, and weak control of accountability. Management weaknesses and performance problems will likely continue unless DOE addresses these impediments in a comprehensive fashion."
Date: December 21, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Economic Development: Federal Assistance Programs for American Indians and Alaska Natives (open access)

Economic Development: Federal Assistance Programs for American Indians and Alaska Natives

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Despite the recent success of casino gaming and other business ventures undertaken by some Native Americans and Alaska Natives, unemployment and poverty remain widespread in these communities. Many federal programs are available to help Native Americans with economic development, and some tribes are using these programs. Although agencies reported that their programs helped to create and retain jobs, little is known about the effectiveness of these programs. The preparation of performance plans and reports, the designation of agency points of contact, and the establishment of a single office to coordinate federal programs relating to Indian economic development could improve Native Americans' access to federal programs and provide federal decisionmakers with valuable performance information."
Date: December 21, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financial Audit: U.S. Senate Stationery Room Revolving Fund's Fiscal Year 2000 Financial Statement (open access)

Financial Audit: U.S. Senate Stationery Room Revolving Fund's Fiscal Year 2000 Financial Statement

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO audited the financial statement for the Senate Stationary Room Revolving Fund for fiscal year 2000. GAO found that (1) the statement is presented fairly in all material respects; (2) although internal control should be improved, the Stationary Room had effective internal controls over financial reporting and compliance with laws and regulations; and (3) there was no reportable noncompliance with selected provisions of laws and regulations GAO tested."
Date: December 21, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
North American Free Trade Agreement: Coordinated Operational Plan Needed to Ensure Mexican Trucks' Compliance With U.S. Standards (open access)

North American Free Trade Agreement: Coordinated Operational Plan Needed to Ensure Mexican Trucks' Compliance With U.S. Standards

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) allowed Mexican commercial trucks to travel throughout the United States. Because of concerns about the safety of these vehicles, the United States has limited Mexican truck operations to commercial zones near the border. Relatively few Mexican carriers are expected to operate beyond these commercial zones once the United States fully opens its highways to Mexican carriers. Specific regulatory and economic factors that may limit the number of Mexican carriers operating beyond the commercial zones include (1) the lack of established business relationships beyond the U.S. commercial zones that permit drivers to return to Mexico carrying cargo, (2) difficulties obtaining competitively priced insurance, (3) congestion and delays in crossing the U.S.-Mexico border that make long-haul operations less profitable, and (4) high registration fees. Over time, improvements in trucking and border operations may increase the number of Mexican commercial vehicles traveling beyond the commercial zones. GAO found that the Department of Transportation (DOT) lacks a fully developed or approved plan to ensure that Mexican-domiciled carriers comply with U.S. safety standards. DOT has not secured permanent space at any of the 25 …
Date: December 21, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nuclear Waste: Technical, Schedule, and Cost Uncertainties of the Yucca Mountain Repository Project (open access)

Nuclear Waste: Technical, Schedule, and Cost Uncertainties of the Yucca Mountain Repository Project

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The administration's energy policy reflects renewed interest in expanding nuclear power as a source of electricity. However, the nation lacks a facility to permanently dispose of spent fuel from commercial power plants. The Department of Energy (DOE) has been studying Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as a possible repository for these highly radioactive wastes. GAO believes that it may be premature for the Secretary of Energy to recommend Yucca Mountain as a suitable site. Once the President considers the site qualified for a license application and recommends the site to Congress, the Nuclear Waste Policy act requires DOE to submit a license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) within five to eight months. DOE will be unable to submit an acceptable application to NRC within the statutory time frames for several years because of unresolved technical issues. DOE is unlikely to achieve its goal of opening a repository at Yucca Mountain by 2010, and it does not have a reliable estimate of when, and at what cost, such a repository can be opened."
Date: December 21, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Social Security: Report of the President's Commission to Strengthen Social Security (open access)

Social Security: Report of the President's Commission to Strengthen Social Security

This report describes the Commission’s three reform plans. The first plan would make no other changes to the program. The second plan would slow the growth of Social Security through one major provision that would index initial benefits to prices rather than wages. The third plan would slow future program growth through a variety of measures.
Date: December 21, 2001
Creator: Nuschler, Dawn
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tax Administration: Assessment of IRS' 2001 Tax Filing Season (open access)

Tax Administration: Assessment of IRS' 2001 Tax Filing Season

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO assessed the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) performance in the following five key tax filing season activities: (1) processing individual tax returns and refunds, (2) increasing the extent to which individual income tax returns are filed electronically, (3) answering telephone calls and providing quality telephone service, (4) providing accurate and timely face-to-face assistance at its Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TAC), and (5) providing services via the Internet. GAO found that IRS' performance during the 2001 filing season varied. Although there was less information available on which to base a judgement than in past filing seasons, IRS' processing of 130 million individual income tax returns and 94 million refunds in 2001 went smoothly. IRS addressed problems quickly, with relatively minor impact on taxpayers. About 31 percent of all individual income tax returns were filed electronically in 2001--an increase of 13.7 percent compared to 2000. That rate of increase was below IRS' goal of 20 percent and the lowest percentage since 1996. IRS has identified several impediments, but it lacks enough information to determine why about 40 million individual income tax returns were prepared on computers but filed on …
Date: December 21, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Postal Service: Update on E-Commerce Activities and Privacy Protections (open access)

U.S. Postal Service: Update on E-Commerce Activities and Privacy Protections

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Management of the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS) e-commerce program has been fragmented, and implementation of e-commerce initiatives has varied at different business units. Overall, USPS' performance in this area has fallen short of expectations. Last year, the Postmaster General announced a sweeping management restructuring that changed both the reporting structure and program managers. USPS also revised its procedures for approving and implementing new Internet initiatives, including e-commerce. However, concerns persist about whether USPS' e-commerce initiatives are being cross-subsidized by other postal products and services. USPS managers contend that e-commerce products and services must cover their incremental costs. GAO found that this goal has not been met and it is unclear when it might be achieved. Without accurate, complete, and consistent financial information, USPS cannot assess its progress toward its financial performance goals for e-commerce. USPS also lacks clear and comprehensive policies and procedures for reporting direct and indirect revenues and costs for e-commerce and other new products and services. As a result, reporting inconsistencies are likely to continue. In contrast, USPS has reportedly developed privacy policies and practices for its e-commerce customers that exceed those required …
Date: December 21, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Army Readiness: Readiness Improved for Selected Divisions, but Manning Imbalances Persist (open access)

Army Readiness: Readiness Improved for Selected Divisions, but Manning Imbalances Persist

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In recent years, GAO has testified that personnel shortages, assignment priorities, and frequent peacekeeping deployments were undermining the combat readiness of the Army's five later-deploying divisions. In 2001, GAO reported on the Army Chief of Staff's manning initiative of October 1999, which seeks to ensure that all active Army units are assigned the numbers, grades, and skills needed to carry out wartime missions. Since then, terrorists have attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and the Bush administration has formulated a new military strategy. These developments may change how, when, and where these divisions will be used--as seen in the deployment of soldiers from the 40th Infantry Division in Operation Enduring Freedom. As of June 2001 the five divisions reported they were ready and able to perform all or most of their combat missions. Enlisted personnel levels were at or near 100 percent of their authorization compared with 93 percent in March 1998. However, staffing imbalances persist for some combat support skills. Each division met its training requirements for combat missions. The amount of equipment on hand and the serviceability of that equipment indicated that …
Date: December 20, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: The Next Chapter (open access)

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: The Next Chapter

This report discusses the ongoing debate about whether or not to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for energy development. The report discusses arguments for and against such development and focuses especially on related pieces of legislation that directly affects the future of the ANWR.
Date: December 17, 2001
Creator: Corn, M. Lynne; Gelb, Bernard A. & Baldwin, Pamela
System: The UNT Digital Library
Arms Control and Strategic Nuclear Weapons: Unilateral vs. Bilateral Reductions (open access)

Arms Control and Strategic Nuclear Weapons: Unilateral vs. Bilateral Reductions

This report discusses changing U.S. policy and priorities in regards to arms control. The report compares the various strengths and weaknesses of unilateral and bilateral approaches to arms reduction.
Date: December 17, 2001
Creator: Woolf, Amy F.
System: The UNT Digital Library