States

The Crime Victims Fund: Federal Support for Victims of Crime (open access)

The Crime Victims Fund: Federal Support for Victims of Crime

Report that provides background and funding information for Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) programs and the Crime Victims Fund (CVF). It describes the process through which CVF funds are allocated and explains how the CVF impacts the annual budget for Department of Justice (DOJ).
Date: August 22, 2012
Creator: Sacco, Lisa N.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA): Policies, Programs, and Funding (open access)

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA): Policies, Programs, and Funding

Report on the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is an agency of the Department of Commerce set up to advise on domestic and international telecommunications and information policies.
Date: October 22, 2012
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Whistleblower Protection: Actions Needed to Improve DOD's Military Whistleblower Reprisal Program (open access)

Whistleblower Protection: Actions Needed to Improve DOD's Military Whistleblower Reprisal Program

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "DODIG has taken multiple steps, in collaboration with the service IGs in some instances, to improve DOD’s ability to process military whistleblower reprisal cases in a timely manner. Timeliness is important to ensure the reliability of evidence and appropriate resolution of reprisal allegations. However, DODIG has generally not met statutory requirements to report on investigations within 180 days, or to provide alternative notification. DODIG has undertaken efforts to improve timeliness by, for example, eliminating a time-consuming phase of its investigative process. However, DOD’s efforts are hampered by unreliable and incomplete data. For instance, GAO found that DODIG has not consistently or accurately recorded key dates to track how long investigations take to complete. Without key timeliness data, DODIG may have difficulty in identifying process areas requiring improvement and evaluating the impact of reforms. Further, the absence of this information limits congressional decision makers’ ability to provide oversight of DOD’s whistleblower reprisal investigative program."
Date: February 22, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Warfighter Support: DOD Needs Strategic Outcome-Related Goals and Visibility over Its Counter-IED Efforts (open access)

Warfighter Support: DOD Needs Strategic Outcome-Related Goals and Visibility over Its Counter-IED Efforts

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "As the responsible DOD agency for leading, advocating, and coordinating all DOD efforts to defeat improvised explosive devices (IED) the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) was directed to develop DOD’s counter-IED strategic plan in February 2006 under DOD Directive 2000.19E. As previously recommended by GAO, JIEDDO has made several attempts to develop such a plan, but its strategic-planning actions have not followed leading strategic-management practices or have since been discontinued. For example, JIEDDO’s 2007 strategic plan did not contain a means of measuring its performance outcomes—a leading strategic-management practice. In addition, JIEDDO’s 2009–2010 strategic plan contained performance measures, but JIEDDO discontinued using these measures because it later determined that the measures were not relevant to the organization’s goals. Although DOD tasked JIEDDO to develop its counter-IED strategic plan, DOD has not translated DOD’s counter-IED general mission objective of eliminating IEDs as a weapon of strategic influence into actionable goals and objectives. JIEDDO issued a new counter-IED strategic plan in January 2012; however, the new plan does not apply to all other counter-IED efforts departmentwide, only to those managed by JIEDDO. Consequently, JIEDDO’s new strategic plan alone …
Date: February 22, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
DOD Financial Management: The Army Faces Significant Challenges in Achieving Audit Readiness for Its Military Pay (open access)

DOD Financial Management: The Army Faces Significant Challenges in Achieving Audit Readiness for Its Military Pay

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Army could not readily identify the population of Army military payroll accounts given its existing procedures and systems. The Army and DFAS-IN did not have an effective, repeatable process for identifying the population of active duty payroll records. For example, it took 3 months and repeated attempts before DFAS-IN could provide a population of service members who received active duty Army military pay in fiscal year 2010. Further, because the Army does not have an integrated military personnel and payroll system, it was necessary to compare the payroll file to active Army personnel records. However, the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), DOD’s central repository for information on DOD-affiliated personnel, did not have an effective process for comparing military pay account files with military personnel files to identify a valid population of military payroll transactions. It took DMDC over 2 months and labor-intensive research to compare and reconcile the total number of fiscal year 2010 active duty payroll accounts to its database of personnel files. DOD’s Financial Improvement and Audit Readiness (FIAR) Guidance states that identifying the population of transactions is a key task essential to …
Date: March 22, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Motor Carrier Safety: New Applicant Reviews Should Expand to Identify Freight Carriers Evading Detection (open access)

Motor Carrier Safety: New Applicant Reviews Should Expand to Identify Freight Carriers Evading Detection

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "FMCSA does not determine the total number of chameleon carriers within the motor carrier industry. Such a determination would require FMCSA to investigate each of the tens of thousands of new applicants that register annually and then complete a legal process for some of these suspected chameleon carriers, an effort for which FMCSA does not have sufficient resources. Rather, FMCSA’s attempt to identify chameleon carriers among new applicants, referred to as the vetting program, is limited to bus companies (passenger carriers) and movers (household goods carriers). These two relatively small groups, representing only 2 percent of all new applicants in 2010, were selected because they present consumer protection and relatively high safety risks. Through the vetting program, FMCSA conducts electronic matching of applicant registration data against data on existing carriers and investigates each application from these two small groups, but does not determine whether all other new applicants, including freight carriers, may be attempting to assume a new identity. Federal internal control standards direct agencies to assess the risks they face to determine the most effective allocation of federal resources, including how best to distribute resources …
Date: March 22, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Children's Health Insurance: Opportunities Exist for Improved Access to Affordable Insurance (open access)

Children's Health Insurance: Opportunities Exist for Improved Access to Affordable Insurance

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO estimates that under the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), about three-quarters of approximately 7 million children who were uninsured in January 2009 would be eligible for Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or the new premium tax credit. The remaining children had family incomes too high to be eligible, were noncitizens, or would be ineligible for the premium tax credit because they would be considered to have access to affordable employer-sponsored insurance per the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) proposed affordability standard, in which IRS interpreted PPACA as defining affordability for an employee’s eligible family members based on the cost of an employee-only plan. Some commenters raised concerns that IRS’s interpretation was inconsistent with PPACA’s goal of increasing access to affordable health insurance as it does not consider the higher cost of family insurance and could result in some children remaining uninsured. Under PPACA, CHIP is not funded beyond 2015, and states may opt to reduce CHIP eligibility or eliminate programs in fiscal year 2020. Without CHIP, more children could become uninsured. In May 2012, IRS finalized its rule but deferred …
Date: June 22, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Workers: Results of Studies on Federal Pay Varied Due to Differing Methodologies (open access)

Federal Workers: Results of Studies on Federal Pay Varied Due to Differing Methodologies

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Annual pay adjustments for the General Schedule (GS), the pay system covering the majority of federal workers, are either determined through the process specified in the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act of 1990 (FEPCA) or set based on percent increases authorized directly by Congress. GS employees receive an across-the-board increase (ranging from 0 to 3.8 percent since FEPCA was implemented) that has usually been made in accordance with a FEPCA formula linking increases to national private sector salary growth. This increase is the same for each employee. GS employees also receive a locality increase that varies based on their location; there were 34 pay localities in 2012. While FEPCA specifies a process designed to reduce federal-nonfederal pay gaps in each locality, in practice locality increases have usually been far less than the recommended amount, which has been over 15 percent in recent years. For 2012, when there was a freeze on annual pay adjustments, the FEPCA process had recommended a 1.1 percent across-the-board increase and an average 18.5 percent locality increase."
Date: June 22, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defined Contribution Plans: Approaches in Other Countries Offer Beneficial Strategies in Several Areas (open access)

Defined Contribution Plans: Approaches in Other Countries Offer Beneficial Strategies in Several Areas

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In overseeing DC plans and service providers, regulatory agencies in the countries GAO reviewed use risk-based approaches to target practices deemed most likely to harm participants and to develop preventative measures. While the role of service providers varies, DC plans and service providers in the 4 countries GAO reviewed are overseen by multiple agencies—primarily a pensions regulator and a securities regulator. In each of these countries, the pensions regulator is the agency that regularly collects data on service provider fees, as well as other plan features, which are used to inform their oversight activities. In particular, in several of these countries, the pensions regulator uses these data as part of a risk-based approach to identify service provider practices that may harm participants, instead of relying only on a compliance-based approach. For example, in Chile, pensions agency officials evaluate key features of the DC system, such as the service providers’ management of the individual accounts and the composition and role of the board of directors of the service provider. In both Chile and Australia, agency officials said using a risk-based approach enables the pensions regulator to take …
Date: March 22, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nuclear Regulatory Commission: Oversight and Status of Implementing a Risk-Informed Approach to Fire Safety (open access)

Nuclear Regulatory Commission: Oversight and Status of Implementing a Risk-Informed Approach to Fire Safety

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), together with plant operators, has made progress in resolving three fire safety issues raised in GAO's 2008 report by implementing GAO's recommendations or taking other actions. NRC implemented the recommendation on multiple spurious operations (malfunctions caused by fire that could cause safety-related equipment to malfunction) by issuing new guidance or requiring additional modifications at the 36 plants with 57 reactors operating under deterministic regulations. NRC did not implement the recommendations to address the effectiveness of fire wraps or the extended use of interim compensatory measures plants use instead of repairing or replacing damaged safety equipment; however, NRC did take some actions, including (1) evaluating and reporting on corrective actions plants used to mitigate safety concerns associated with fire wraps and (2) developing metrics to gauge the progress of NRC's staff in resolve underlying issues related to the extended use of compensatory measures."
Date: October 22, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
DOD Financial Management: The Army Faces Significant Challenges in Achieving Audit Readiness for Its Military Pay (open access)

DOD Financial Management: The Army Faces Significant Challenges in Achieving Audit Readiness for Its Military Pay

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "We found that the Army could not readily identify a complete population of Army payroll accounts for fiscal year 2010, given existing procedures and systems. The Army and DFAS-IN did not have an effective, repeatable process for identifying the population of active duty payroll accounts. In addition, the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), DOD’s central source for personnel information, did not have an effective process for comparing military pay account files to military personnel files to identify a valid population of military payroll transactions. For example, it took 3 months and repeated attempts before DFAS-IN could provide a population of service members who received active duty Army military pay in fiscal year 2010. Similarly, it took DMDC over 2 months to compare the total number of fiscal year 2010 active duty payroll accounts to its database of personnel files. "Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government" requires all transactions and other significant events to be clearly documented and the documentation readily available for examination. DOD’s "Financial Improvement and Audit Readiness (FIAR) Guidance" sets out key tasks essential to achieving audit readiness, including defining and identifying the population …
Date: March 22, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
National Preparedness: Countermeasures for Thermal Burns (open access)

National Preparedness: Countermeasures for Thermal Burns

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The SNS contains supportive care items for thermal burns, such as bandages, pain medications, intravenous fluids, and topical antimicrobial cream needed for the immediate treatment of burn injuries to reduce the risk of infection and stabilize injured individuals. HHS officials told us that the goal of the SNS is to supplement state and local supplies used for immediate care in the initial response—identified as within 72 hours of sustaining injury. CDC compiled supplies needed for the immediate treatment of burn injuries into kits in 2002 and 2003, based on information provided at that time by burn experts about needed items. Because most medical countermeasures for thermal burns can be found in local hospitals, countermeasures in the SNS would be used to supplement local supplies and inventories, with kits deployed within 24 to 48 hours of notification. The SNS does not contain other countermeasures that may be available for both the immediate care and the longer-term treatment of burn injuries. However, HHS is currently considering whether to acquire some additional countermeasures, including those for longer-term treatment of burn injuries."
Date: February 22, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Pipeline Safety: Collecting Data and Sharing Information on Federally Unregulated Gathering Pipelines Could Help Enhance Safety (open access)

Pipeline Safety: Collecting Data and Sharing Information on Federally Unregulated Gathering Pipelines Could Help Enhance Safety

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "While the safety risks of onshore gathering pipelines that are not regulated by PHMSA are generally considered to be lower than for other types of pipelines, PHMSA does not collect comprehensive data to identify the safety risks of unregulated gathering pipelines. In response to a GAO survey, state pipeline safety agencies cited construction quality, maintenance practices, unknown or uncertain locations, and limited or no information on pipeline integrity as among the highest risks for federally unregulated pipelines. Without data on these risk factors, pipeline safety officials are unable to assess and manage safety risks associated with these pipelines. Furthermore, changes in pipeline operational environments cited in response to GAO’s survey and by industry officials could also increase safety risks for federally unregulated gathering pipelines. Specifically, land-use changes are resulting in development encroaching on existing pipelines and the increased extraction of oil and natural gas from shale deposits is resulting in the development of new gathering pipelines, some of which are larger in diameter and operate at higher pressure than older pipelines. PHMSA is considering collecting data on federally unregulated gathering pipelines, but the agency’s plans are …
Date: March 22, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Prescription Drug Data: HHS Has Issued Health Privacy and Security Regulations but Needs to Improve Guidance and Oversight (open access)

Prescription Drug Data: HHS Has Issued Health Privacy and Security Regulations but Needs to Improve Guidance and Oversight

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "While the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has established a framework for protecting the privacy and security of Medicare beneficiariesÂ’ prescription drug use information when used for purposes other than direct clinical care through its issuance of regulations, outreach, and enforcement activities, it has not issued all required guidance or fully implemented required oversight capabilities. HHS has issued regulations including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules to safeguard protected health information from unauthorized use and disclosure. Through its Office for Civil Rights (OCR), HHS has undertaken a variety of outreach and educational efforts to inform members of the public and covered entities about the uses of protected health information. Specifically, OCR has made available on its website guidance and other materials informing the public about the uses to which their personal information may be put and the protections afforded to that information by federal laws. It has also made available guidance to covered entities and their business associates that is intended to promote compliance with the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules."
Date: June 22, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Emergency Communications: Various Challenges Likely to Slow Implementation of a Public Safety Broadband Network (open access)

Emergency Communications: Various Challenges Likely to Slow Implementation of a Public Safety Broadband Network

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins ""
Date: February 22, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Air Pollution: EPA Needs Better Information on New Source Review Permits (open access)

Air Pollution: EPA Needs Better Information on New Source Review Permits

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not maintain complete information on New Source Review (NSR) permits issued to fossil fuel electricity generating units. State and local permitting agencies track the NSR permits they issue, but EPA does not maintain complete or centralized information on permits, despite a 2006 recommendation by the National Research Council that it do so. EPA maintains several databases that compile data on draft and issued NSR permits, but these sources are incomplete and thus cannot be used to identify all of the NSR permits that have been issued nationwide. In addition, EPA has the opportunity to review and comment on every draft NSR permit issued by state and local permitting agencies, but it does not compile data on whether the permitting agencies address EPAÂ’s comments in final permits. The absence of more complete information on NSR permitting makes it difficult to know which units have obtained NSR permits or to assess how state and local permitting agencies vary from EPA in their interpretations of NSR requirements."
Date: June 22, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Department of Homeland Security: Preliminary Observations on DHS's Efforts to Improve Employee Morale (open access)

Department of Homeland Security: Preliminary Observations on DHS's Efforts to Improve Employee Morale

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Over time, federal surveys have consistently found that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees are less satisfied with their jobs than the government-wide average. In the 2004 Office of Personnel Management’s federal employee survey—a tool that measures employees’ perceptions of whether and to what extent conditions characterizing successful organizations are present in their agency—56 percent of DHS employees responded that they were satisfied with their jobs, compared to 68 percent government-wide. In subsequent years, the disparity continued—ranging from a difference of 8 percentage points in 2006 to a 4 percentage point difference in 2008, 2010, and 2011. In 2011, DHS’s percentage of positive responses was lower than the averages for the rest of the federal government. For example, slightly less than half of the DHS employees surveyed reported positive responses to the statement “My talents are used well in the workplace,” nearly 12 percentage points less than the rest of the federal government average. In two areas, DHS’s percentage of positive responses was nearly the same or higher than the rest of the federal government average. For example, DHS’s percentage of positive responses to the statement “Considering everything, …
Date: March 22, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Texas Health Professions Council Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2013-2017 (open access)

Texas Health Professions Council Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2013-2017

Agency strategic plan for the Texas Health Professions Council describing the organization's planned services, activities, and other goals during fiscal years 2013 through 2017.
Date: June 22, 2012
Creator: Texas. Health Professions Council.
Object Type: Book
System: The Portal to Texas History
Railroad Commission of Texas Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2013-2017 (open access)

Railroad Commission of Texas Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2013-2017

Agency strategic plan for the Railroad Commission of Texas describing the organization's planned services, activities, and other goals during fiscal years 2013 through 2017.
Date: June 22, 2012
Creator: Railroad Commission of Texas
Object Type: Book
System: The Portal to Texas History
Texas Commission on the Arts Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2013-2017 (open access)

Texas Commission on the Arts Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2013-2017

Agency strategic plan for the Texas Commission on the Arts describing the organization's planned services, activities, and other goals during fiscal years 2013 through 2017.
Date: June 22, 2012
Creator: Texas Commission on the Arts
Object Type: Book
System: The Portal to Texas History
Texas Adjutant General's Department Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2013-2017 (open access)

Texas Adjutant General's Department Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2013-2017

Agency strategic plan for the Texas Adjutant General's Department describing the organization's planned services, activities, and other goals during fiscal years 2013 through 2017.
Date: June 22, 2012
Creator: Texas. Adjutant General's Department.
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Texas Juvenile Justice Department Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2013-2017 (open access)

Texas Juvenile Justice Department Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2013-2017

Agency strategic plan for the Texas Juvenile Justice Department describing the organization's planned services, activities, and other goals during fiscal years 2013 through 2017.
Date: June 22, 2012
Creator: Texas Juvenile Justice Department
Object Type: Book
System: The Portal to Texas History
Texas Animal Health Commission Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2013-2017 (open access)

Texas Animal Health Commission Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2013-2017

Agency strategic plan for the Texas Animal Health Commission describing the organization's planned services, activities, and other goals during fiscal years 2013 through 2017.
Date: June 22, 2012
Creator: Texas Animal Health Commission
Object Type: Book
System: The Portal to Texas History
Texas Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2013-2017 (open access)

Texas Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2013-2017

Agency strategic plan for the Texas Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending describing the organization's planned services, activities, and other goals during fiscal years 2013 through 2017.
Date: June 22, 2012
Creator: Texas. Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending.
Object Type: Book
System: The Portal to Texas History