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No Child Left Behind Act: Assistance from Education Could Help States Better Measure Progress of Students with Limited English Proficiency (open access)

No Child Left Behind Act: Assistance from Education Could Help States Better Measure Progress of Students with Limited English Proficiency

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "For the Spanish translation of the highlights page for this document, see GAO-06-1111. Ley para que ningun nino se quede atras: La ayuda del Departamento de Educacion puede contribuir a que los Estados midan mejor el progreso de los alumnos que no dominan bien el ingles. GAO-06-1111, Julio de 2006. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLBA) focused attention on the academic achievement of more than 5 million students with limited English proficiency. Obtaining valid test results for these students is challenging, given their language barriers. This report describes (1) the extent to which these students are meeting annual academic progress goals, (2) what states have done to ensure the validity of their academic assessments, (3) what states are doing to ensure the validity of their English language proficiency assessments, and (4) how the U.S. Department of Education (Education) is supporting states' efforts to meet NCLBA's assessment requirements for these students. To collect this information, we convened a group of experts and studied five states (California, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, and Texas). We also conducted a state survey and reviewed state and Education …
Date: July 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Rail Transit: Additional Federal Leadership Would Enhance FTA's State Safety Oversight Program (open access)

Rail Transit: Additional Federal Leadership Would Enhance FTA's State Safety Oversight Program

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. rail transit system is a vital component of the nation's transportation infrastructure. Safety and security oversight of rail transit is the responsibility of state-designated oversight agencies following Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requirements. In this report, GAO addressed: (1) how the State Safety Oversight program is designed; (2) what is known about the program's impact; and (3) challenges facing the program. We also provide information about oversight of transit systems that cross state boundaries. To do our work we surveyed state oversight agencies and transit agencies covered by FTA's program."
Date: July 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Ryan White CARE Act: Improved Oversight Needed to Ensure AIDS Drug Assistance Programs Obtain Best Prices for Drugs (open access)

Ryan White CARE Act: Improved Oversight Needed to Ensure AIDS Drug Assistance Programs Obtain Best Prices for Drugs

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The CARE Act authorized grants to the states and certain territories for AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAP) to purchase and provide HIV/AIDS drugs to eligible individuals. An ADAP's coverage--who and what is covered--is determined by each ADAP's eligibility and other program criteria, and ADAPs may establish waiting lists for eligible individuals. ADAPs may purchase their drugs through the 340B federal drug pricing program, which provides discounts on certain drugs to covered entities. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) oversees ADAPs and is responsible for monitoring the prices they pay. GAO was asked to examine (1) coverage differences among ADAPs, (2) how the prices ADAPs reported paying for HIV/AIDS drugs compare to 340B prices, (3) how HRSA monitors the drug prices ADAPs pay, and (4) how the 340B prices compare to other selected federal drug pricing programs."
Date: April 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Land Exchange: Assessment of Mount Hood Land Appraisal Reports (open access)

Federal Land Exchange: Assessment of Mount Hood Land Appraisal Reports

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In response to a Congressional request, we briefed Congressional staff on September 21, 2006, on the results of our review of two appraisal reports prepared for a proposed land exchange contained within the pending bill H.R. 5025, the Mount Hood Stewardship Legacy Act. This bill would authorize the exchange of private land and business interests at Cooper Spur for Forest Service land at Government Camp in Oregon. Specifically, Congress asked that we determine whether the appraisal reports supporting this land exchange were prepared in compliance with recognized appraisal standards, namely, appraisal industry standards as defined in the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practices (USPAP) and federal standards as defined in the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions (UASFLA)."
Date: September 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Title Insurance: Preliminary Views and Issues for Further Study (open access)

Title Insurance: Preliminary Views and Issues for Further Study

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Title insurance is a required element of almost all real estate purchases and is not an insignificant cost for consumers. However, consumers generally do not have the knowledge needed to "shop around" for title insurance and usually rely on professionals involved in real estate--such as lenders, real estate agents, and attorneys--for advice in selecting a title insurer. Recent state and federal investigations into title insurance sales have identified practices that may have benefited these professionals and title insurance providers at the expense of consumers. At the request of the House Financial Services Committee, GAO currently has work under way studying the title insurance industry, including pricing, competition, the size of the market, the roles of the various participants in the market, and how the industry is regulated. This testimony discusses the preliminary results of GAO's work to date and identifies issues for further study. In so doing, this testimony focuses on: (1) the reasonableness of cost structures and agent practices common to the title insurance market that are not typical of other insurance markets; (2) the implications of activities identified in recent state and federal investigations that may …
Date: April 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
House Contested Election Cases: 1933 to 2005 (open access)

House Contested Election Cases: 1933 to 2005

This report provides a summary of contested election cases from the 73rd Congress through the 109th Congress, 1933 to 2005. The descriptions primarily provide information concerning the nature of the action and the disposition of the case. The summary is limited to only those cases that were considered by the House of Representatives; cases decided at the state level are beyond the scope of this report.
Date: October 26, 2006
Creator: Whitaker, L. Paige
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Travel System: Reported Savings Questionable and Implementation Challenges Remain (open access)

Defense Travel System: Reported Savings Questionable and Implementation Challenges Remain

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 1995, the Department of Defense (DOD) began an effort to implement a standard departmentwide travel system. The Defense Travel System (DTS) is envisioned as DOD's standard end-to-end travel system. This report is a follow-up to GAO's January 2006, report which highlighted DTS implementation problems. Because of continued congressional interest in DTS, GAO initiated this follow-up audit under the Comptroller General's statutory authority. GAO determined whether (1) two key assumptions made in the September 2003 economic analysis were reasonable, (2) DOD is taking action to ensure full utilization of DTS and gathering the data needed to monitor DTS utilization, and (3) DOD has resolved the previously identified problems with DTS flight information. To address the above objectives, GAO (1) reviewed the September 2003 DTS economic analysis, (2) analyzed DTS utilization data, and (3) analyzed DTS flight information."
Date: September 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Fiscal Year 2007 Budget Request: U.S. Government Accountability Office (open access)

Fiscal Year 2007 Budget Request: U.S. Government Accountability Office

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "We are pleased to appear before the Congress today in support of the fiscal year 2007 budget request for the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). This request will help us continue our support of the Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and will help improve the performance and ensure the accountability of the federal government for the benefit of the American people. Budget constraints in the federal government grew tighter in fiscal years 2005 and 2006. In developing our fiscal year 2007 budget, we considered those constraints consistent with GAO's and Congress's desire to "lead by example." In fiscal year 2007, we are requesting budget authority of $509.4 million, a reasonable 5 percent increase over our fiscal year 2006 revised funding level. In the event Congress acts to hold federal pay increases to 2.2 percent, our requested increase will drop to below 5 percent. This request will allow us to continue making improvements in productivity, maintain our progress in technology and other transformation areas, and support a full-time equivalent (FTE) staffing level of 3,267. This represents an increase of 50 FTEs over our planned fiscal year 2006 staffing …
Date: April 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Debt Management: Backup Funding Options Would Enhance Treasury's Resilience to a Financial Market Disruption (open access)

Debt Management: Backup Funding Options Would Enhance Treasury's Resilience to a Financial Market Disruption

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The September 11, 2001, attacks significantly affected the financial markets that the U.S. Treasury (Treasury) relies on. To understand how Treasury could obtain funds during a future potential wide-scale financial market disruption GAO examined (1) steps Treasury and others took during the September 11 attacks and after to assure required debt obligations and payments were made on time and ensure liquidity in the markets, (2) major actions Treasury and others have taken since the attacks to increase the resiliency of the auction process, and (3) the opinions of relevant parties on the main design features of any backup funding options. We conducted interviews with Treasury officials and others and reviewed appropriate documents."
Date: September 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Export Controls: Improvements to Commerce's Dual-Use System Needed to Ensure Protection of U.S. Interests in the Post-9/11 Environment (open access)

Export Controls: Improvements to Commerce's Dual-Use System Needed to Ensure Protection of U.S. Interests in the Post-9/11 Environment

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In regulating exports of dual-use items, which have both commercial and military applications, the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) seeks to allow U.S. companies to compete globally while minimizing the risk of items falling into the wrong hands. In so doing, BIS faces the challenge of weighing U.S. national security and economic interests, which at times can be divergent or even competing. In light of the September 2001 terror attacks, GAO was asked to examine BIS's dual-use export control system. In response, GAO is reporting on BIS's (1) evaluations of and changes to the system, (2) screening of export license applications against its watchlist, and (3) actions to correct weaknesses previously identified by GAO."
Date: June 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financial Management: Improvements Under Way but Serious Financial Systems Problems Persist (open access)

Financial Management: Improvements Under Way but Serious Financial Systems Problems Persist

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The ability to produce the financial information needed to efficiently and effectively manage the day-today operations of the federal government and provide accountability to taxpayers continues to be a challenge for most federal agencies. To help address this challenge, the Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996 (FFMIA) requires the Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act agencies to implement and maintain financial management systems that comply substantially with (1) federal financial management systems requirements, (2) federal accounting standards, and (3) the U.S. Government Standard General Ledger at the transaction level. FFMIA also requires GAO to report annually on the implementation of the act."
Date: September 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financial Management: Review of the Financial Statement Audit of the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance for Fiscal Year 2005 and Status of GAO Audit Recommendations (open access)

Financial Management: Review of the Financial Statement Audit of the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance for Fiscal Year 2005 and Status of GAO Audit Recommendations

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance (Commission) was created on December 28, 2000, by the National Moment of Remembrance Act. The Commission's purpose is to sustain the American spirit through acts of remembrance, not only on Memorial Day but also throughout the year, for those who died serving our country. Congress appropriated $1.25 million to the Commission to fund its operations for fiscal years 2002 through 2005. In fiscal year 2005, the Commission received net appropriations of approximately $248,000, along with cash and in-kind donations of approximately $103,000 from individuals and businesses. In addition, it had approximately $244,000 in unexpended appropriations from prior fiscal years. The Commission expended approximately $239,000 of appropriated funds and funded costs of approximately $103,000 with cash and in-kind donations received during the fiscal year. The National Moment of Remembrance Act requires GAO to annually audit the financial transactions of the Commission. However, as reflected in an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memorandum, the Commission is subject to the Accountability of Tax Dollars Act of 2002 which was enacted on November 7, 2002. This act requires the Commission to …
Date: October 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Foreign Assistance: USAID Completed Many Caribbean Disaster Recovery Activities, but Several Challenges Hampered Efforts (open access)

Foreign Assistance: USAID Completed Many Caribbean Disaster Recovery Activities, but Several Challenges Hampered Efforts

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In September 2004, Hurricane Ivan and Tropical Storm Jeanne passed through the Caribbean, taking lives and causing widespread damage in several countries. After initial U.S. emergency relief, in October 2004 Congress appropriated $100 million in supplemental funding, primarily for Grenada, Jamaica, and Haiti, which were significantly affected. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), leader of the U.S. recovery programs, agreed, in consultation with the Office of Management and Budget, to complete the programs by December 31, 2005, giving the agency a 1-year time frame. GAO was asked to (1) review the nature and status of the programs in Grenada, Jamaica, and Haiti as of December 31, 2005; (2) identify factors that affected the programs' progress; and (3) assess USAID's use of guidance and lessons learned from previous similar programs and efforts to draw lessons from the current programs."
Date: May 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Unemployment Insurance: States' Tax Financing Systems Allow Costs to Be Shared among Industries (open access)

Unemployment Insurance: States' Tax Financing Systems Allow Costs to Be Shared among Industries

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 2006, the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program is expected to collect over $37 billion in taxes from employers to pay $34 billion in benefits to unemployed workers. Under state UI programs, employers' tax contributions are experience-rated--that is, they reflect the extent to which they laid off workers who then collected benefits. To examine the equity of this system, we met with officials from five states, reviewed prior studies, and examined state data to determine (1) how states ensure that employers pay UI taxes based on their experience with unemployment, and the aspects of state unemployment insurance systems that limit experience rating; (2) the extent to which employers pay unemployment insurance taxes commensurate with unemployment benefits paid to their former employees; and how this varies by industry; and (3) steps states could take to increase the degree of experience rating. We provided a draft of this report to the Department of Labor (Labor) for its review. Overall, Labor agreed with our findings."
Date: July 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Personal Information: Key Federal Privacy Laws Do Not Require Information Resellers to Safeguard All Sensitive Data (open access)

Personal Information: Key Federal Privacy Laws Do Not Require Information Resellers to Safeguard All Sensitive Data

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The growth of information resellers--companies that collect and resell publicly available and private information on individuals--has raised privacy and security concerns about this industry. These companies collectively maintain large amounts of detailed personal information on nearly all American consumers, and some have experienced security breaches in recent years. GAO was asked to examine (1) financial institutions' use of resellers; (2) federal privacy and security laws applicable to resellers; (3) federal regulators' oversight of resellers; and (4) regulators' oversight of financial institution compliance with privacy and data security laws. To address these objectives, GAO analyzed documents and interviewed representatives from 10 information resellers, 14 financial institutions, 11 regulators, industry and consumer groups, and others."
Date: June 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
World Trade Organization: Limited Progress at Hong Kong Ministerial Clouds Prospects for Doha Agreement (open access)

World Trade Organization: Limited Progress at Hong Kong Ministerial Clouds Prospects for Doha Agreement

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "U.S. officials often call the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Doha Development Agenda or "Round" of global trade talks, launched in Doha, Qatar, in November 2001, a "once in a generation opportunity" to expand trade. President Bush has identified their success as his administration's top trade priority. Due to various U.S. notification and consultation requirements, concluding the negotiations in 2006 is essential for a Doha agreement to qualify for congressional consideration under U.S. Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which expires July 1, 2007. A ministerial meeting among the WTO's 149 members was held on December 13-18, 2005, in Hong Kong, China, to make decisions needed to advance the talks. Given the importance of the WTO Doha Round to the United States, GAO was asked to provide an update on the status of the negotiations. In this report, the latest in a series on the negotiations, we (1) provide the status of the Doha negotiations on the eve of the Hong Kong ministerial, (2) review the outcome of the Hong Kong ministerial, and (3) discuss the prospects for concluding the Doha Round before TPA expires in July 2007."
Date: April 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Aviation Security: Further Study of Safety and Effectiveness and Better Management Controls Needed If Air Carriers Resume Interest in Deploying Less-than-Lethal Weapons (open access)

Aviation Security: Further Study of Safety and Effectiveness and Better Management Controls Needed If Air Carriers Resume Interest in Deploying Less-than-Lethal Weapons

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has authority to approve air carrier requests to deploy less-than-lethal weapons, including electric stun devices, onboard commercial aircraft to thwart an attack. Since the terrorist attacks of 2001, one air carrier received approval to deploy electric stun devices. To address concerns regarding reports of injuries after the use of these devices and to ensure that the impacts of these devices onboard aircraft have been fully evaluated, this report answers the following: (1) What analyses has the federal government conducted to assess the safety and effectiveness of these devices onboard commercial aircraft? (2) What controls does TSA have in place to help ensure uniform and timely review of air carrier requests to deploy these devices onboard commercial aircraft?"
Date: May 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financial Management: Implications of Significant Recent and Potential Changes for the Actuarial Soundness of the Department of Defense Survivor Benefit Plan Program (open access)

Financial Management: Implications of Significant Recent and Potential Changes for the Actuarial Soundness of the Department of Defense Survivor Benefit Plan Program

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This report responds to a legislative mandate to report on the effects of certain program changes on the actuarial soundness of the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) program, which is part of the Department of Defense's (DOD) Military Retirement Fund (Fund). The primary purpose of the SBP is to provide benefits to the surviving dependents of deceased members or retirees of the armed forces. In certain cases, individuals other than dependents can be designated recipients of survivor benefits. The Fund accumulates financing resources in order to fund, on an actuarially sound basis, the liabilities of the military retirement and SBP programs. The SBP was created by legislation enacted on September 21, 1972, and has been modified various times by subsequent legislation. The fiscal year 2006 National Defense Authorization Act requires that we report to Congress on (1) the effect of recent significant SBP program changes on the actuarial soundness of the program, (2) the effect of these significant SBP program changes by the various categories of participants and in total on (a) DOD normal cost payments for the program and (b) Department of the Treasury (Treasury) payments to amortize …
Date: July 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Electronic Warfare: Option of Upgrading Additional EA-6Bs Could Reduce Risk in Development of EA-18G (open access)

Electronic Warfare: Option of Upgrading Additional EA-6Bs Could Reduce Risk in Development of EA-18G

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The EA-6B has conducted airborne electronic attack for all services since 1996. In 2002, the Department of Defense (DOD) completed an analysis of alternatives for the EA-6B that concluded the inventory would be insufficient to meet the DOD's needs beyond 2009. Since then, the services have embarked on separate acquisition efforts to develop airborne electronic attack assets. In 2003, the Navy started development of the EA-18G aircraft to replace the EA-6B. This report was done under the Comptroller General's authority and assesses if (1) DOD's 2002 conclusion that the EA-6B inventory would be insufficient beyond 2009 remains valid for assessing the Navy's future needs, and (2) the acquisition approach used to develop the EA-18G is knowledge-based and might mitigate future risks."
Date: April 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Human Capital: Aligning Senior Executives' Performance with Organizational Results Is an Important Step Toward Governmentwide Transformation (open access)

Human Capital: Aligning Senior Executives' Performance with Organizational Results Is an Important Step Toward Governmentwide Transformation

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The government's senior executives need to lead the way in transforming their agencies' cultures. Credible performance management systems--those that align individual, team, and unit performance with organizational results--can help manage and direct this process. In past work, GAO found that the performance management systems for senior executives fell short in this regard. In November 2003, recognizing that reforms were needed, Congress authorized a new performance-based pay system that ended the practice of giving annual pay adjustments to senior executives. Instead, agencies are to consider such factors as individual results and contributions to agency performance. If the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) certifies an agency's new performance system and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) concurs, the agency has the flexibility to raise the pay of its highest performing senior executives above certain pay caps. This testimony addresses (1) the performance management system's regulatory structure, (2) OPM's certification process and agencies' views of it, and (3) OPM's role in monitoring the system, and the number of agencies that have been certified to date. This statement is based on GAO's issued work, which included interviews with senior OPM officials, …
Date: September 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nuclear Weapons: Views on Proposals to Transform the Nuclear Weapons Complex (open access)

Nuclear Weapons: Views on Proposals to Transform the Nuclear Weapons Complex

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Over the past several years, a serious effort has begun to comprehensively reevaluate how the United States maintains its nuclear deterrent and what the nation's approach should be for transforming its aging nuclear weapons complex. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a separately organized agency within the Department of Energy, is responsible for overseeing this weapons complex, which comprises three nuclear weapons design laboratories, four production plants, and the Nevada Test Site. At the direction of the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board's (SEAB) Nuclear Weapons Complex Infrastructure Task Force issued a report in October 2005 that provided a systematic review of the requirements for the weapons complex for the next 25 years and offered its vision for an agile and responsive weapons complex. GAO was asked to discuss (1) the current actions NNSA is taking to address the SEAB task force's recommendations and (2) the critical steps that will be needed to achieve and sustain a meaningful, cost-effective transformation of the weapons complex."
Date: April 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Ryan White CARE Act: AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, Perinatal HIV Transmission, and Partner Notification (open access)

Ryan White CARE Act: AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, Perinatal HIV Transmission, and Partner Notification

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Despite progress in HIV/AIDS drug treatments and the reduction of AIDS mortality in the United States, challenges remain concerning the availability of these drugs for individuals with HIV/AIDS and the prevention of new cases. The CARE Act authorizes grants to the states and certain territories specifically for AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAP) to purchase and provide HIV/AIDS drugs to eligible individuals. In its report issued today, Ryan White CARE Act: Improved Oversight Needed to Ensure AIDS Drug Assistance Programs Obtain Best Prices for Drugs (GAO-06-646), GAO examines the program design of ADAPs in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, their funding sources, and drug purchasing. GAO also reports on state approaches to reducing perinatal HIV transmissions and identifying and notifying partners of HIV-infected individuals."
Date: April 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nuclear Nonproliferation: IAEA Safeguards and Other Measures to Halt the Spread of Nuclear Weapons and Material (open access)

Nuclear Nonproliferation: IAEA Safeguards and Other Measures to Halt the Spread of Nuclear Weapons and Material

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) safeguards system has been a cornerstone of U.S. efforts to prevent nuclear weapons proliferation since the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was adopted in 1970. Safeguards allow IAEA to verify countries' compliance with the NPT. Since the discovery in 1991 of a clandestine nuclear weapons program in Iraq, IAEA has strengthened its safeguards system. In addition to IAEA's strengthened safeguards program, there are other U.S. and international efforts that have helped stem the spread of nuclear materials and technology that could be used for nuclear weapons programs. This testimony is based on GAO's report on IAEA safeguards issued in October 2005 (Nuclear Nonproliferation: IAEA Has Strengthened Its Safeguards and Nuclear Security Programs, but Weaknesses Need to Be Addressed, GAO-06-93 [Washington, D.C.: Oct. 7, 2005]). This testimony is also based on previous GAO work related to the Nuclear Suppliers Group--a group of more than 40 countries that have pledged to limit trade in nuclear materials, equipment, and technology to only countries that are engaged in peaceful nuclear activities--and U.S. assistance to Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union …
Date: September 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Health Savings Accounts: Early Enrollee Experiences with Accounts and Eligible Health Plans (open access)

Health Savings Accounts: Early Enrollee Experiences with Accounts and Eligible Health Plans

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Health savings accounts (HSA) and the high-deductible health insurance plans that are eligible to be coupled with them are a new type of consumer-directed health plan attracting interest among employers and consumers. HSA-eligible plans constitute a small but growing share of the private insurance market, and the novel structure of the plans has raised questions about how they could affect enrollees' health care purchasing decisions and costs. This statement is based on GAO's August 2006 report entitled "Consumer-Directed Health Plans: Early Enrollee Experiences with Health Savings Accounts and Eligible Health Plans" (GAO-06-798). In this report, GAO reviewed (1) the financial features of HSA-eligible plans in comparison with those of traditional plans, such as preferred provider organizations (PPO); (2) the characteristics of HSA-eligible plan enrollees in comparison with those of traditional plan enrollees or others; (3) HSA funding and use; and (4) enrollees' experiences with HSA-eligible plans."
Date: September 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library