A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "From fiscal years 2004 through 2008, new orders received by the eight Army ordnance activities increased from $788 million to $1.5 billion. To the extent that the ordnance activities do not complete work at year end, the ordered and funded work is carried over into the next fiscal year. While past congressional defense committees recognized the need for carryover, the committees have on occasion raised concerns that carryover may be more than needed. GAO was asked to determine (1) whether the reported actual total carryover increased or decreased from fiscal years 2004 through 2008 and, if the carryover increased, the actions the Army is taking to reduce it; (2) the primary reasons for carryover at the eight ordnance activities; and (3) whether carryover amounts exceeded ceilings for fiscal years 2006, 2007, and 2008, and whether the methodology used to calculate the ceiling for the ordnance activities was reasonable. GAO analyzed reported carryover and related data at the eight activities."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the effect of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA) on the Medicare Fee-for-Service Program, focusing on the: (1) payment reforms for providers under the fee-for-service portion of the program; and (2) changes made to skilled nursing facility (SNF) and home health agency (HHA) payment policies."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "From 1987 through 2003, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) received more than $1.5 billion in economic assistance under the original Compact of Free Association with the United States. In 2003, the U.S. government approved an amended compact with the FSM that provides an additional $2.3 billion from 2004 through 2023. The Department of the Interior's Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) is responsible for administering and monitoring this assistance. The amended compact identifies the additional 20 years of grant assistance as intended to assist the FSM in its efforts to promote the economic advancement and budgetary self-reliance of its people. The assistance is provided in the form of annually decreasing grants that prioritize health and education, paired with annually increasing contributions to a trust fund intended as a source of revenue for the country after the grants end in 2023. The amended compact also contains several new funding and accountability provisions intended to strengthen reporting and bilateral interaction. Among these provisions is a requirement for the establishment of a joint economic management committee and a trust fund committee to, respectively, among other duties, review the FSM's progress toward …

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Compact of Free Association between the Republic of Palau and the United States entered into force on October 1, 1994, with the U.S. interest of promoting Palau's self-sufficiency and economic advancement. The compact and its related subsidiary agreements provide for a 15-year term of economic assistance. In fiscal year 2009, the two governments must review the terms of the compact and related agreements and agree on any modifications. The Department of the Interior (DOI) has primary responsibility for oversight of Palau's use of compact funds. GAO was requested to report on (1) the provision of compact and other U.S. assistance to Palau in fiscal years 1995-2009; (2) Palau's and U.S. agencies' efforts to provide accountability over Palau's use of federal funds in 1995-2006; and (3) Palau's prospects for achieving economic self-sufficiency. GAO reviewed Palau's compact annual reports, financial statements and internal control reports for fiscal years 1995-2006, as well as other compact-related documentation. GAO interviewed officials from the U.S. and Palau governments and conducted fieldwork in Palau."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO provided information on the total acquisition costs of the Air Force's B-2A bomber program through completion of the production program, focusing on the: (1) deficiencies in achieving B-2A operational requirements; and (2) status of acquisition costs."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "For decades, the Navy has been striving to improve its ability to detect potential enemy submarines before they can get within effective weapons range of U.S. forces. In 1985, the Navy established the Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System (SURTASS) Low Frequency Active (LFA) sonar program to develop a long-range capability for detecting a new generation of quieter Soviet nuclear and diesel submarines operating principally in the open ocean. However, as the Navy conducted testing of the system in the mid-1990s, some public interest groups and scientists raised concerns that SURTASS/LFA may cause harm to marine mammals. The Navy discontinued operational testing of the system and initiated an environmental impact statement process. The Navy will not begin testing or operating the system until it receives a Letter of Authorization from the National Marine Fisheries Service. A decision on the authorization is expected later in 2002. SURTASS/LFA will increase the Navy's capability to detect submarines in the open ocean, where the system was originally intended to operate. The Navy has considered a number of existing alternatives to SURTASS/LFA and found that the system provides long-range detection capabilities not …

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In January, we issued our Performance and Accountability Series on management challenges and program risks at major agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The report for USDA focused on a number of major management challenges, including enhancing financial management, and continued the high risk designation for Forest Service financial management. For many years, USDA struggled to improve its financial management activities, but inadequate accounting systems and related procedures and controls hampered its ability to get a clean opinion on its financial statements. After eight consecutive disclaimers of opinion, USDA's Office of Inspector General issued an unqualified opinion on USDA's fiscal year 2002 financial statements and reported that significant progress had been made in improving overall financial management. For each of USDA's agencies that prepared separate financial statements for fiscal year 2002, the audit opinions were also positive. Specifically, unqualified audit opinions were issued on the financial statements of the Forest Service, Federal Crop Insurance Corporation/Risk Management Agency, Commodity Credit Corporation, the Rural Development mission area, and the Rural Telephone Bank. While we consider these clean opinions a positive step, some of these could not have been …

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In its 2003 performance and accountability report on the Department of Education, GAO identified challenges in, among other areas, student financial aid programs and financial management. The information GAO presents in this testimony is intended to assist Congress in assessing Education's progress in addressing and overcoming these challenges. GAO is not making new recommendations in this testimony, but past reports have made specific recommendations aimed at addressing some of these major management challenges."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Energy's (DOE) nuclear safety enforcement program, focusing on: (1) the enforceable nuclear safety rules DOE has issued; (2) which DOE facilities and contractors are covered by these rules; (3) DOE's enforcement of the nuclear safety rules; and (4) whether there is a continued need for exempting certain contractors from paying penalties for violating nuclear safety rules."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Janet Rehnquist became the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in August 2001. GAO was asked to conduct a review of the Inspector General's organization and assess her leadership, independence, and judgment in carrying out the mission of the Office of Inspector General (OIG). GAO examined indicators of the OIG's productivity and compared them to the organization's past performance. GAO also determined whether employee morale has been sustained by surveying all OIG employees and comparing the results to those obtained through an identical survey administered in 2002. On March 4, 2003, the Inspector General resigned her office effective June 1, 2003. However, in this report we refer to Ms. Rehnquist as the Inspector General."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Digital Television (DTV) Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005, requires all full-power television station in the United States to cease analog broadcasting by February 17, 2009. Low-power stations are not required to cease analog transmissions and most will continue broadcasting in analog. Federal law also requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to subsidize consumers' purchases of digital-to-analog converter boxes. After the transition, households with analog sets that rely on over-the-air broadcasts must take action or they will lose television service, but some households might not be aware of this potential disruption. This testimony provides information on (1) technical and coordination issues facing full-power broadcast stations as they transition to digital, (2) issues pertaining to low-power broadcasting and how they affect consumers, and (3) the extent to which American households are aware of the DTV transition and likely to utilize the converter box subsidy program. GAO interviewed officials with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and NTIA and met with a wide variety of industry participants and other stakeholders. GAO conducted a Web-based survey of broadcasters to determine their status in transitioning to digital and issues …

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Reports of ineligible persons registering to vote raised concerns about state processes for verifying voter registration lists. States base voter eligibility generally on the voter's age, U.S. citizenship, mental competence, and felon status. Although states run elections, Congress has authority to affect the administration of elections. The Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) sets a deadline for states to have a statewide voter registration list and list verification procedures. For this report, GAO selected seven states (AZ, CA, MI, NY, TX, VA, and WI) to represent a range of characteristics relevant to voter registrations, such as whether a statewide voter list existed prior to HAVA. This report discusses how these states verify voter registration eligibility; the challenges they face in maintaining accurate voter lists; the progress toward implementing HAVA registration requirements; and identifies federal data sources that might be used to help verify voter registration eligibility."

A statement of record issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 1996, the former U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, now within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Social Security Administration (SSA) began operating a voluntary pilot program, recently named the E-Verify program, to provide participating employers with a means for electronically verifying employees' work eligibility. Legislation has been introduced in Congress to require all employers to electronically verify the work authorization status of their employees. In this statement GAO provides observations on the E-Verify system's capacity and costs, options for reducing delays and improving efficiency in the verification process, ability to detect fraudulent documents and identity theft, and vulnerability to employer fraud and misuse. This statement is based on GAO's products issued from August 2005 through June 2007 and updated information obtained from DHS and SSA in April 2008. We analyzed data on employer use, E-Verify guidance, and other reports on the employment verification process, as well as legislative proposals and regulations."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP), the Department of Defense (DOD) has charged the Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) with cleaning up 4,700 formerly used defense sites (FUDS) and active sites that were under its jurisdiction when they were initially contaminated. The 661-acre Spring Valley site in Washington, D.C is one such site. Like many other FUDS, the U.S. Army used the Spring Valley site during World War I for research and testing of chemical agents, equipment, and munitions. Most of the site is now privately owned and includes private residences, a hospital, and several commercial properties. The primary threats at the site are buried munitions, elevated arsenic in site soils, and laboratory waste; perchlorate was also found onsite. This testimony discusses GAO's past work relating to remediation efforts at FUDS and military munitions sites to provide context for issues at Spring Valley. Specifically, it addresses: (1) the impact that shortcomings in information and guidance can have on decision-making; (2) the impact that incomplete data can have on cost estimates and schedules; (3) how funding for a particular site may be influenced by overall program goals; …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "A 1981 U.S. District Court decision found that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had discriminated against African American special agents in a number of personnel practices. Over the years, the plaintiffs and DEA had agreed to remedies in many of these areas. However, minority representatives continued to raise issues in three areas--hiring, promotion, and discipline. GAO was asked to examine DEA's current processes for hiring, promoting, and disciplining special agents, and provide information about racial, ethnicity, and gender differences in these three areas."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the audit reports covering the financial statements of the 82nd Airborne Division Association, Incorporated, for fiscal years 2003 and 2002. GAO found no reportable instances of noncompliance. The audit reports included the auditors' opinions that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the audit report covering the financial statements of the American War Mothers for fiscal year 2003. GAO found no reportable instances of noncompliance. The audit reports included the auditors' opinions that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the audit reports covering the financial statements of the Catholic War Veterans of the United States of America, Incorporated, for fiscal year 2003. GAO found no reportable instances of noncompliance. The audit reports included the auditors' opinion that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the audit reports covering the financial statements of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society of the United States of America, for fiscal year 2003. GAO found no reportable instances of noncompliance. The audit reports included the auditors' opinions that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the audit reports covering the financial statements of the Fleet Reserve Association for fiscal years 2003 and 2002. GAO found no reportable instances of noncompliance. The audit reports included the auditors' opinion that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the audit reports covering the financial statements of the Former Members of Congress, Incorporated, for fiscal year 2003. GAO found no reportable instances of noncompliance. The audit reports included the auditors' opinion that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the audit reports covering the financial statements of the Future Farmers of America for Fiscal Years 2003 and 2002. GAO found no reportable instances of noncompliance. The audit reports included the auditors' opinions that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the audit reports covering the financial statements of the General Federation of Women's Clubs for Fiscal Year 2003. GAO found no reportable instances of noncompliance. The audit reports included the auditors' opinions that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the audit reports covering the financial statements of the Italian American War Veterans of the United States, for fiscal year 2001. GAO found no reportable instances of noncompliance. The audit reports included the auditors' opinions that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly on a modified cash basis of accounting."