SEC and CFTC Fines Follow-Up: Collection Programs Are Improving, but Further Steps Are Warranted (open access)

SEC and CFTC Fines Follow-Up: Collection Programs Are Improving, but Further Steps Are Warranted

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Collecting fines ordered for violations of securities and futures laws helps ensure that violators are held accountable for their offenses and may also deter future violations. The requesters asked GAO to evaluate the actions the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have taken to address earlier recommendations for improving their collection programs. The committees also asked GAO to update the fines collection rates from previous reports."
Date: July 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Spent Nuclear Fuel: Options Exist to Further Enhance Security (open access)

Spent Nuclear Fuel: Options Exist to Further Enhance Security

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Spent nuclear fuel, the used fuel periodically removed from nuclear power reactors, is one of the most hazardous materials made by man. Nuclear power companies currently store 50,000 tons of spent fuel at 72 sites in 33 states. That amount will increase through 2010, when the Department of Energy (DOE) expects to open a permanent repository for this fuel at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Concerns have been raised since September 11, 2001, that terrorists might target spent fuel. GAO was asked to (1) review federally sponsored studies that assessed the potential health effects of a terrorist attack or a severe accident on spent fuel, either in transit or in storage, and (2) identify options for DOE to further enhance the security of spent fuel during shipping to Yucca Mountain."
Date: July 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Social Security Reform: Analysis of Reform Models Developed by the President's Commission to Strengthen Social Security (open access)

Social Security Reform: Analysis of Reform Models Developed by the President's Commission to Strengthen Social Security

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Social Security is an important social insurance program affecting virtually every American family. It represents a foundation of the nation's retirement income system and provides millions of Americans with disability insurance and survivors' benefits. Over the long term, as the baby boom generation retires, Social Security's financing shortfall presents a major solvency and sustainability challenge. Numerous reform proposals have been put forward in recent years, and in December 2001 a commission appointed by the President presented three possible reform models. Senator Breaux, Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, asked GAO to use its analytic framework to evaluate the Commission's models. This framework consists of three criteria: (1) the extent to which a proposal achieves sustainable solvency and how it would affect the economy and the federal budget; (2) the balance struck between the twin goals of income adequacy and individual equity; and (3) how readily such changes could be implemented, administered, and explained to the public."
Date: January 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Rebuilding Iraq (open access)

Rebuilding Iraq

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Rebuilding Iraq is a U.S. national security priority. As part of this effort, Congress appropriated $79 billon in emergency supplemental funds for fiscal year 2003 for military operations and Iraq's reconstruction, including humanitarian relief, peacekeeping, and economic and political reform. We have issued reports on similar programs to rebuild countries in the former Yugoslavia, the former Soviet Union, and other locations (see attachment III for a listing of previous GAO reports). Based on this work, we have developed short papers to help congressional decision-makers think about and prioritize the range of issues related to rebuilding Iraq."
Date: May 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Social Security Numbers: Improved SSN Verification and Exchange of States' Driver Records Would Enhance Identity Verification (open access)

Social Security Numbers: Improved SSN Verification and Exchange of States' Driver Records Would Enhance Identity Verification

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Since September 11, 2001, more attention has been focused on the importance of identifying people who use false identity information or documents to obtain a driver license. The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers states a service to verify social security numbers (SSNs) collected during the driver licensing process. This report examines states' use of SSA's verification service, factors that may affect the usefulness of the service, and other tools states use or need to verify identity."
Date: September 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Acquisition Management: Agencies Can Improve Training on New Initiatives (open access)

Acquisition Management: Agencies Can Improve Training on New Initiatives

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The federal government is dramatically changing the way it purchases goods and services by relying more on judgment and initiative versus rigid rules for making purchasing decisions. Congress has enacted a series of reforms to help the government adapt to this environment. GAO was asked to assess strategies agencies are using to ensure that their acquisition workforces are receiving the training needed to operate in a changing business environment. In doing so, GAO looked at the General Services Administration (GSA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Department of Defense (DOD). GAO also looked at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) because it is exempt from federal acquisition laws, giving it greater flexibility and discretion."
Date: January 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Youth Illicit Drug Use Prevention: DARE Long-Term Evaluations and Federal Efforts to Identify Effective Programs (open access)

Youth Illicit Drug Use Prevention: DARE Long-Term Evaluations and Federal Efforts to Identify Effective Programs

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report contains information on (1) the results of evaluations on the long-term effectiveness of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program (DARE) elementary school curriculum in preventing illicit drug use among children and (2) federal efforts to identify programs that are effective in preventing illicit drug use among children."
Date: January 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S Postal Service: Data on Career Employee Diversity (open access)

U.S Postal Service: Data on Career Employee Diversity

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Over the years, Committees and members of Congress have requested information about employee equal opportunity and diversity issues at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). This report follows up on our past reports concerning diversity issues at the USPS and responds to the request of the Ranking Minority Members of the House Committee on Government Reform and its Subcommittee on Civil Service and Agency Organization for more current information on the representation of minorities and women at the USPS. Our objective was to provide data on the makeup (numbers and percentages) for each equal employment opportunity (EEO) group--white, black, Hispanic, Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI), American Indian and Alaskan Native (AIAN), and Native Hawaiian (Hawaiian)--and gender group of USPS career employees for USPS fiscal years 2000 through 2002. Information contained in this report was obtained from USPS databases, which we deemed sufficiently reliable for the informational purpose of this engagement."
Date: September 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Radioactive Waste: DOE Has Acted to Address Delay in New Facility at Livermore Laboratory, but Challenges Remain (open access)

Radioactive Waste: DOE Has Acted to Address Delay in New Facility at Livermore Laboratory, but Challenges Remain

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Energy's (DOE) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California, generates radioactive and hazardous wastes in the course of its research dealing with nuclear weapons. The laboratory's new Decontamination and Waste Treatment Facility is a $62 million complex that includes buildings designed for both temporarily storing waste and treating it for off-site disposal. Although construction was completed in 2001, the storage building did not begin operating until September 2002, and the treatment buildings remain unused to this day. GAO was asked to identify the cause of the delay in initiating storage and treatment operations at the facility, the effects of the delay in initiating treatment operations, and the steps taken to ensure that the latest estimated date for initiating treatment operations at the facility can be met."
Date: May 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Airport and Airway Trust Fund: Financial Outlook Is Positive, but the Trust Fund's Balance Would Be Affected If Taxes Were Suspended (open access)

Airport and Airway Trust Fund: Financial Outlook Is Positive, but the Trust Fund's Balance Would Be Affected If Taxes Were Suspended

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The multibillion dollar Airport and Airway Trust Fund (Trust Fund) provides most of the funding for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The Trust Fund relies on revenue from 10 taxes, including passenger ticket, fuel, and cargo taxes. Concerns about the financial outlook of the Trust Fund have emerged recently given the downturn in passenger air travel, requests from the airlines to suspend some of the Trust Fund taxes, and the need to reauthorize FAA's major programs in 2003. GAO was asked to determine (1) the projected financial outlook of the Trust Fund and (2) how a 1- year suspension of various taxes accruing to the Trust Fund (i.e., a tax holiday), would affect its financial status. We were asked to assess five potential tax holidays that would have begun on April 1, 2003, and ended on April 1, 2004. GAO used a model developed by FAA that made financial projections for the Trust Fund using expenditure assumptions that were based on (1) the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation's May 2, 2003, and the House Subcommittee on Aviation's May 15, 2003, reauthorization proposals authorizing over …
Date: September 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Reliability of Information on Taxpayers Claiming Many Withholding Allowances or Exemption from Federal Income Tax Withholding (open access)

Reliability of Information on Taxpayers Claiming Many Withholding Allowances or Exemption from Federal Income Tax Withholding

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "When taxpayers claim more withholding allowances than they are entitled to or improperly claim exemption from withholding, either no tax or too little tax is withheld from their wages. As a result, some taxpayers end up owing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) additional taxes, and if the taxes are not paid on time, they become delinquent. This report responds to a Congressional request for information on these taxpayers. Specifically, we provided information on (1) how many taxpayers claimed more than 10 allowances for federal income tax withholding purposes and (2) how many taxpayers claimed exemption from federal income tax withholding and, of those taxpayers, what proportion did not file federal income tax returns and had invalid Social Security numbers."
Date: September 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Capacity Building: Section 4 Program Has Expanded and Evolved (open access)

Capacity Building: Section 4 Program Has Expanded and Evolved

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Congress recognized the importance of building the capacity of community development organizations by passing Section 4 of the HUD Demonstration Act of 1993. The act authorized the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to partner with several national nonprofit organizations that provide funding to these community groups for such things as training, staff salaries, office equipment and supplies, and management information systems. In 2002, HUD provided $31 million for capacitybuilding activities. To help Congress with its oversight of Section 4, we reviewed the evolution and use of Section 4 funding, the importance of Section 4 funding to private sector involvement, and the management controls and measurements that are in place to assess Section 4."
Date: September 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Maritime Administration: Weaknesses Identified in Management of the Title XI Loan Guarantee Program (open access)

Maritime Administration: Weaknesses Identified in Management of the Title XI Loan Guarantee Program

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Title XI of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, as amended, is intended to help promote growth and modernization of the U.S. merchant marine and U.S. shipyards by enabling owners of eligible vessels and shipyards to obtain financing at attractive terms. The program has guaranteed more than $5.6 billion in ship construction and shipyard modernization costs since 1993, but has experienced several large-scale defaults over the past few years. One borrower, American Classic Voyages, defaulted on five loan guarantees in amounts totaling $330 million, the largest of which was for the construction of Project America cruise ships. Because of concerns about the scale of recent defaults, GAO was asked to (1) determine whether MARAD complied with key program requirements, (2) describe how MARAD's practices for managing financial risk compare to those of selected private-sector maritime lenders, and (3) assess MARAD's implementation of credit reform. We are currently considering a number of recommendations to reform the Title XI program. Because of the fundamental flaws we have identified, we question whether MARAD should approve new loan guarantees without first addressing these program weaknesses."
Date: May 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Social Security: Analysis of Issues and Selected Reform Proposals (open access)

Social Security: Analysis of Issues and Selected Reform Proposals

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Social Security not only represents the foundation of our retirement income system; it also provides millions of Americans with disability insurance and survivors' benefits. As a result, Social Security provides benefits that are critical to the current and future well-being of tens of millions of Americans. However, the system faces both solvency and sustainability challenges in the longer term. In their 2002 report, the Trustees emphasized that while the program's near-term financial condition has improved slightly, Social Security faces a substantial financial challenge in the not-too-distant future that needs to be addressed soon. In essence, the program's long-term outlook remains unchanged. Without reform, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are unsustainable, and the long-term impact of these entitlement programs on the federal budget and the economy will be dramatic. Over the past few years, a wide array of proposals has been put forth to restore Social Security's long-term solvency, and a commission established by the President has presented three models for modifying the current program. The Commission's final report called for a period of discussion lasting at least a year before legislative action is taken to strengthen and restore …
Date: January 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Human Capital: Insights for U.S. Agencies from Other Countries' Succession Planning and Management Initiatives (open access)

Human Capital: Insights for U.S. Agencies from Other Countries' Succession Planning and Management Initiatives

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Leading public organizations here and abroad recognize that a more strategic approach to human capital management is essential for change initiatives that are intended to transform their cultures. To that end, organizations are looking for ways to identify and develop the leaders, managers, and workforce necessary to face the array of challenges that will confront government in the 21st century. GAO conducted this study to identify how agencies in four countries--Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom--are adopting a more strategic approach to managing the succession of senior executives and other public sector employees with critical skills. These agencies' experiences may provide insights to executive branch agencies as they undertake their own succession planning and management initiatives. GAO identified the examples described in this report through discussions with officials from central human capital agencies, national audit offices, and agencies in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, and a screening survey sent to senior human capital officials at selected agencies."
Date: September 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Welfare Reform: Information on Changing Labor Market and State Fiscal Conditions (open access)

Welfare Reform: Information on Changing Labor Market and State Fiscal Conditions

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "With the enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), the Congress made sweeping changes to federal policy for needy families. PRWORA ended the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program and created the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant to states. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) oversees the TANF block grant program, which provides grants to states totaling up to $16.5 billion each year and requires states to maintain a historical level of state spending on welfare reform programs. Under TANF, states have greater flexibility and face greater uncertainty than they did under AFDC. States have greater flexibility to design, finance, and implement programs for low-income families, including determining who is to be served and what services to provide. TANF also emphasizes the transitional nature of assistance and the importance of employment for welfare recipients. Because the amount of the TANF block grant is fixed, as caseloads decline--as they did in all states through the late 1990s--states have had additional resources that they have used to expand their programs, achieve some budgetary savings, and …
Date: July 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Acquisitions: Improvements Needed in Space Systems Acquisition Management Policy (open access)

Defense Acquisitions: Improvements Needed in Space Systems Acquisition Management Policy

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense is spending nearly $18 billion annually to develop, acquire, and operate satellites and other space-related systems. The majority of satellite programs that GAO has reviewed over the past 2 decades experienced increased costs and delayed schedules. DOD has recently implemented a new acquisition management policy, which sets the stage for decision making on individual space programs. GAO was asked to assess the new policy."
Date: September 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Wildland Fire Management: Additional Actions Required to Better Identify and Priorities Lands Needing Fuels Reduction (open access)

Wildland Fire Management: Additional Actions Required to Better Identify and Priorities Lands Needing Fuels Reduction

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The density of the nation's forests, along with drought and other weather conditions, has fueled wildland fires that have required billions of dollars to suppress and has forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes. The Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Forest Service and the Department of the Interior (Interior) are collaborating on a long-term effort to reduce the risk these fires pose. GAO was asked, among other things, to (1) assess the agencies' efforts to determine which federal lands require fuels reduction treatments, (2) determine how lands are prioritized for treatment, and (3) assess how progress is measured and reported."
Date: August 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Capitol Visitor Center: Current Status of Schedule and Estimated Cost (open access)

Capitol Visitor Center: Current Status of Schedule and Estimated Cost

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO has been providing ongoing assistance to the Capitol Preservation Commission and the Senate and House Appropriations Committees in their monitoring and oversight of the Capitol Visitor Center construction project. Given the current decisions facing the Congress, this testimony covers (1) management of the project, (2) the estimated cost for the project, (3) the status of the project's schedule, and (4) actions that Congress and the AOC should consider taking to address funding gaps and other current project issues and risks."
Date: July 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Health Care: TRICARE Claims Processing Has Improved but Inefficiencies Remain (open access)

Defense Health Care: TRICARE Claims Processing Has Improved but Inefficiencies Remain

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Testifying before Congress in 2002, military beneficiary groups and civilian managed care support contractors described problems with the processing of TRICARE claims for civilian-provided care. These problems included slow payments and procedures that made claims processing inefficient. The Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act of 2003 required GAO to review improvements to TRICARE claims processing and continuing impediments to claims processing efficiency. Specifically, GAO describes (1) efforts to improve claims processing and changes in processing timeliness and (2) Department of Defense (DOD) procedures and data that continue to affect claims processing efficiency. To identify improvements to claims processing and impediments to processing efficiency, GAO analyzed 1999 and 2002 claims data for changes in processing timeliness. GAO also interviewed and analyzed claims processing documentation from DOD officials, managed care support contractors, and claims processors."
Date: October 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Social Security Administration: Actions Taken to Strengthen Procedures for Issuing Social Security Numbers to Noncitizens, but Some Weaknesses Remain (open access)

Social Security Administration: Actions Taken to Strengthen Procedures for Issuing Social Security Numbers to Noncitizens, but Some Weaknesses Remain

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In 2002, the Social Security Administration (SSA) issued nearly 6 million new Social Security numbers (SSNs), of which 1.3 million were issued to noncitizens. Despite its narrowly intended purpose, the SSN has in practice become the national identifier. SSNs are key pieces of information in creating false identities, underscoring the importance of issuing SSNs only to those eligible for them and of protecting those already assigned to individuals. The flow of noncitizens into the United States and the accompanying number of SSNs issued to them over the last several years add to the importance of having sound practices to avoid issuing SSNs to those who do not qualify for them. Congress asked GAO to describe and assess SSA's key initiatives to ensure the appropriate issuance of SSNs to noncitizens and identify vulnerabilities to error or fraud SSA has not yet addressed."
Date: October 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Infrastructure: Basing Uncertainties Necessitate Reevaluation of U.S. Construction Plans in South Korea (open access)

Defense Infrastructure: Basing Uncertainties Necessitate Reevaluation of U.S. Construction Plans in South Korea

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S.-South Korean Land Partnership Plan (LPP), signed in March 2002, was designed to consolidate U.S. installations, improve combat readiness, enhance public safety, and strengthen the U.S.-South Korean alliance by addressing some of the causes of periodic tension associated with the U.S. presence in South Korea. The Senate report on military construction appropriations for fiscal year 2003 directed GAO to review the LPP. GAO adjusted its review to also address the effect of ongoing reassessments of U.S. overseas presence upon the LPP and other infrastructure needs. In this report, GAO assessed (1) the scope of the LPP, (2) the implications on the LPP and other construction projects of proposals to change basing in South Korea, and (3) implementation challenges associated with the LPP that could affect future U.S. military construction projects in South Korea."
Date: July 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Health Care: Army Needs to Assess the Health Status of All Early-Deploying Reservists (open access)

Defense Health Care: Army Needs to Assess the Health Status of All Early-Deploying Reservists

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "During the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War, health problems prevented the deployment of a significant number of Army reservists. To help correct this problem the Congress passed legislation that required reservists to undergo periodic physical and dental examinations. The National Defense Authorization Act for 2002 directed GAO to review the value and advisability of providing examinations. GAO also examined whether the Army is collecting and maintaining information on reservist health. GAO obtained expert opinion on the value of periodic examinations and visited seven Army reserve units to obtain information on the number of examinations that have been conducted."
Date: April 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Energy Markets: Additional Actions Would Help Ensure That FERC's Oversight and Enforcement Capability Is Comprehensive and Systematic (open access)

Energy Markets: Additional Actions Would Help Ensure That FERC's Oversight and Enforcement Capability Is Comprehensive and Systematic

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In June 2002, GAO reported that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) had not yet adequately revised its regulatory and oversight approach for the natural gas and electricity industries' transition from regulated monopolies to competitive markets. GAO also concluded that FERC faced significant human capital challenges to transform its workforce to meet such changes. In responding to the report, FERC said that the new Office of Market Oversight and Investigations (OMOI) it was creating and human capital improvements under way would address these concerns. GAO was asked to report on FERC's progress in (1) establishing an oversight and enforcement capability for competitive energy markets and (2) improving agency-wide human capital management."
Date: August 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library