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Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) Status for Russia and U.S.-Russian Economic Ties
Report that discusses the issues surrounding whether or not the U.S. should grant Russia permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) following its accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Date:
June 15, 2012
Creator:
Cooper, William H.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Aviation Security: Status of TSA's Acquisition of Technology for Screening Passenger Identification and Boarding Passes
Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In summary, TSA has completed its initial testing of the CAT/BPSS technology and has begun operational testing at three airports. We found the projects associated life cycle cost estimate to be reasonably comprehensive and well documented, although we are less confident in its accuracy due to questions about the assumed inflation rate. In addition, we could not evaluate its credibility because the current version does not include an independent cost estimate or an assessment of how changing key assumptions and other factors would affect the estimate. Our past work has identified three key challenges related to TSAs efforts to acquire and deploy technologies to address homeland security needs: (1) developing and meeting technology program requirements, (2) overseeing and conducting testing of new screening technologies, and (3) developing acquisition program baselines to establish initial cost, schedule, and performance parameters."
Date:
June 19, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Text
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Government Is Analyzing Alternatives for Contractor Identification Numbers
Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In recent years, the governments reliance on DUNS numbers has increased significantly. There has been a dramatic increase in the number and types of entities that are required to have DUNS numbers to do business with the government. GSA also has expanded the level of business information services that it acquires from Dun & Bradstreet. These services include data verification and monitoring as well as corporate linkage information to support enhanced reporting capabilities. As GSA has increased its use of the DUNS number and business information services, its costs have increased from about $1 million in 2002 to approximately $19 million per year under the current contract. The current contract for DUNS numbers is a sole-source contract awarded to Dun & Bradstreet in 2010 for a 3-year base period with options for 5 additional yearsthe contract now totals up to $154 million."
Date:
June 12, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Text
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Appraised Values on Tax Returns: Burdens on Taxpayers Could Be Reduced and Selected Practices Improved
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Appraisers most prominent role relative to the three types of tax returns GAO studied is in the valuation of estates. In the most recent years for which GAO had data, appraisers were likely involved in the valuation of property worth from $75 billion to $167 billion reported on estate tax returns in 2009. In contrast, less than $17 billion worth of gifts in 2009 and less than $10 billion in noncash contributions in 2008 likely involved an appraiser. Gift tax returns that likely used appraisers had higher audit rates than gift returns that were unlikely to have appraisers. The use of appraisers was not associated with higher audit rates for estate tax returns and individual returns with noncash contributions."
Date:
June 5, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Mission Iraq: State and DOD Face Challenges in Finalizing Support and Security Capabilities
Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Departments of State (State) and Defense (DOD) planned for a civilian-led presence in Iraq consisting of more than 16,000 personnel at 14 sites in fiscal year 2012. As of May 2012, State and DOD were reassessing the Mission Iraq presence, and State had a plan to reduce the presence to 11,500 personnel at 11 sites by the end of fiscal year 2013. Even with the reductions, Mission Iraq would remain the largest U.S. diplomatic presence in the world. State and DOD allocated an estimated $4 billion for the civilian-led presence for fiscal year 2012, 93 percent of which was for security and support costs. In addition, State requested $1.9 billion in police and military assistance and $471 million in other foreign assistance for fiscal year 2012. State officials said they are lowering their fiscal year 2012 and 2013 budget estimates as a result of reducing the presence."
Date:
June 28, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Text
System:
The UNT Digital Library
DOD Business Systems Modernization: Governance Mechanisms for Implementing Management Controls Need to Be Improved
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) continues to take steps to comply with the provisions of the Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005, as amended, and to satisfy relevant system modernization management guidance. While the department has initiated numerous activities aimed at addressing the act, it has been limited in its ability to demonstrate results. Specifically, the department"
Date:
June 1, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
School Bullying: Legal Protections for Vulnerable Youth Need to Be More Fully Assessed
Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "With regard to the prevalence and effects of bullying, our findings suggest that reported levels of bullying and related effects are significant. Research shows that bullying can have detrimental outcomes for victims, including adverse psychological and behavioral outcomes. According to four nationally representative surveys conducted from 2005 to 2009, an estimated 20 to 28 percent of youth, primarily middle- and high- school-aged youths, reported they had been bullied during the survey periods. However, differences in definitions and questions posed to youth respondents make it difficult to discern trends and affected groups. For example, the surveys did not collect demographic informationby sexual orientation or gender identity. Education and HHS are partially addressing the issue of inconsistent definitions by collaborating with other federal departments and subject matter experts to develop a uniform definition of bullying that can be used for research purposes. However, gaps in knowledge about the extent of bullying of youths in key demographic groups remain."
Date:
June 8, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Text
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Federal Real Property: National Strategy and Better Data Needed to Improve Management of Excess and Underutilized Property
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Real Property Council (FRPC) has not followed sound data collection practices in designing and maintaining the Federal Real Property Profile (FRPP) database, raising concern that the database is not a useful tool for describing the nature, use, and extent of excess and underutilized federal real property. For example, FRPC has not ensured that key data elementsincluding buildings' utilization, condition, annual operating costs, mission dependency, and valueare defined and reported consistently and accurately. GAO identified inconsistencies and inaccuracies at 23 of the 26 locations visited related to these data elements (see the fig. for an example). As a result, FRPC cannot ensure that FRPP data are sufficiently reliable to support sound management and decision making about excess and underutilized property."
Date:
June 20, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Transportation-Disadvantaged Populations: Federal Coordination Efforts Could Be Further Strengthened
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Eighty federal programs are authorized to fund transportation services for the transportation disadvantaged, but transportation is not the primary mission of most of the programs GAO identified. Of these, the Department of Transportation administers 7 programs that support public transportation. The remaining 73 programs are administered by 7 other federal agencies and provide a variety of human services, such as job training, education, or medical care, which incorporate transportation as an eligible expense in support of program goals. Total federal spending on transportation services for the transportation disadvantaged remains unknown because, in many cases, federal departments do not separately track spending for these services. However, total funding for the 28 programs that do track or estimate transportation spending, including obligations and expenditures, was at least $11.8 billion in fiscal year 2010."
Date:
June 20, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
DOD Financial Management: Improvements Needed in Prompt Payment Monitoring and Reporting
Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "We found that while DOD has a process in place for monitoring and reporting on late-payment penalties, this process has significant flaws and omissions that result in incomplete and inaccurate data, thereby limiting the effectiveness of the process. Specifically, DODs performance measure, or metric, for late-payment penalties did not include about $54 billion of commercial payments subject to the Prompt Payment Act, and DOD did not assess the data for accuracy or completeness. In addition, at the time of our review, DOD was not monitoring or reporting on discounts lost across the department because, DOD officials stated, the metric had consistently met its goal. The deficiencies we found in DODs process for monitoring and reporting on late-payment penalties and discounts lost significantly increase the risk to the accuracy and completeness of reported data, thus preventing DOD officials and congressional oversight committees from obtaining the reliable and comprehensive data they need for assessing the extent of any issues concerning late-payment penalties and discounts lost across DOD. According to DOD officials and reports, a major contributor to late-payment penalties incurred and discounts lost was the late receipt of documents necessary …
Date:
June 26, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Text
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Medicare: Progress Made to Deter Fraud, but More Could Be Done
Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)the agency that administers Medicarehas made progress in implementing several key strategies GAO identified in prior work as helpful in protecting Medicare from fraud; however, important actions that could help CMS and its program integrity contractors combat fraud remain incomplete."
Date:
June 8, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Text
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Veterans' Health Care Budget: Transparency and Reliability of Some Estimates Supporting President's Request Could Be Improved
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Presidents fiscal year 2013 budget request for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care services was $165 million more than the earlier advance appropriations request for the same year. This request reflected a $2 billion increase for initiatives and a $2.1 billion decrease for ongoing health care services, for a net decrease of $110 million in expected obligations. This decrease partially offset a decline in anticipated resources available to VA of $275 million, resulting in the net increase in the Presidents request of $165 million. Two of the three factors that accounted for most of these changes were not transparent. First, VA used a new reporting approach for initiatives that combined both funding for initiatives and for certain ongoing health care services in its initiatives estimate. Previously, VA had reported only funding it identified for initiatives during that year. This new reporting approach resulted in an increase in VAs initiatives estimate and a commensurate decrease in VAs ongoing services estimate. VA officials told GAO that this change was made to be more transparent about the total funding needed for initiatives. However, because VA did …
Date:
June 11, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
IRS 2013 Budget: Continuing to Improve Information on Program Costs and Results Could Aid in Resource Decision Making
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The results of our work show:"
Date:
June 8, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Modernizing SSA Disability Programs: Progress Made, but Key Efforts Warrant More Management Focus
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Social Security Administration (SSA) has taken steps that hold promise for improving the process for updating its medical criteria, but continues to face challenges ensuring timely updates. SSA now uses a two-tiered system for ongoing revisions to its medical listings. First, it completes a comprehensive review of all medical conditions listed within each of 14 body systems, making needed revisions. For subsequent updates for a body system, the agency uses a targeted approach, selecting for review and revision only those medical conditions most in need of change. To date, SSA has completed comprehensive revisions for 8 of the 14 body systems and now is reviewing conditions under them to determine where targeted revisions are appropriate. However, some of these targeted revisions have experienced delays. Moreover, SSA has yet to complete comprehensive revisions for six body systems that have been ongoing for 19 to 33 years. SSA officials attributed delays to a lack of staff and expertise, along with the complexity and unpredictability of the regulatory process."
Date:
June 19, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Marine Corps Depot Maintenance: Budgeting and Management of Carryover Could Be Improved
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAOs analysis of Marine Corps depot maintenance activity group (DMAG) reports showed that from fiscal years 2004 through 2011, reported actual carryover exceeded the allowable amounts in the most recent 6 years of the 8- year period, ranging from $59 million in fiscal year 2007 to $7 million in fiscal year 2011. GAOs analysis also showed that the amounts of carryover exceeding the allowable amounts have declined in each of the past 4 years. These reductions could be attributed to DMAG actions, including implementing production efficiencies that reduced the time required to repair weapon systems."
Date:
June 19, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Recovery Act: Housing Programs Met Spending Milestones, but Asset Management Information Needs Evaluation
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Almost all public housing authorities (PHA) met their spending deadlines for the Public Housing Capital Fund formula and competitive grant programs. As mandated, all but one PHA spent 100 percent of their formula grants by March 17, 2012. According to Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) officials, PHAs with competitive grants were on track to meet their September 2012 spending deadlines. PHAs we interviewed cited various challenges to meeting the grant deadlines, such as the tight time frames and many attributed their ability to meet deadlines to good planning within their organizations and help from HUD. According to analyses of HUD data, about 3,100 PHAs planned to undertake improvements with their formula grants that affected about 495,000 housing units. Many used their grants to make improvements that enhanced energy efficiency, such as installing energy-efficient windows and appliances. GAO determined that HUDs monitoring strategy for these programs incorporated key internal controls, such as developing and implementing measures that allowed HUD staff to compare actual with planned results. At specific sites that GAO visited, PHAs were able to demonstrate work was under way or had been completed."
Date:
June 18, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
National Mediation Board Mandates in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012
Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins ""
Date:
June 27, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Text
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Geostationary Weather Satellites: Design Progress Made, but Schedule Uncertainty Needs to be Addressed
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R series (GOES-R) program has made progress by completing its early design milestones and is nearing the end of the design phase for its spacecraft, instrument, and ground system components. While the program continues to make progress, recent technical problems with the instruments and spacecraft, as well as a significant modification to the ground projects development plan, have delayed the completion of key reviews and led to increased complexity for the development of GOES-R. The technical and programmatic challenges experienced by the flight and ground projects have led to a 19-month delay in completing the programs preliminary design review. Nevertheless, program officials report that its planned launch date of October 2015 for the first satellite has not changed. While the program reports that approximately $1.2 billion is currently in reserve to manage future delays and cost growth, significant portions of development remain for major components. As a result, the program may not be able to ensure that it has adequate resources to cover ongoing challenges as well as unexpected problems for the remaining development of all four satellites."
Date:
June 26, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Foreclosure Mitigation: Agencies Could Improve Effectiveness of Federal Efforts with Additional Data Collection and Analysis
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In an effort to help the millions of homeowners struggling to keep their homes, a range of federal programs have offered relief in the form of loan modifications and refinancing into loans with lower interest rates, among other things. Under Treasurys Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), initiated in early 2009, servicers have modified almost 1 million loans between 2009 and 2011. During the same period, servicers modified nearly 1 million additional loans under programs administered by the Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Veterans Affairs (VA), Federal Housing Administration (FHA), and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the enterprises). Servicers have also modified about 2.1 million loans under nonfederal loan modification programs resulting in a total of about 4 million modifications between 2009 and 2011. However, a large number of borrowers have sought assistance, but were unable to receive a modification. For example, approximately 2.8 million borrowers had their HAMP loan modification application denied or their trial loan modification canceled. Further, the volume of federal modifications has declined since 2010. Recent efforts have expanded refinancing programs. However, low participation rates in FHAs program raise questions about the need …
Date:
June 28, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Indian Health Service: Action Needed to Ensure Equitable Allocation of Resources for the Contract Health Service Program
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins ""
Date:
June 15, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Joint Strike Fighter: DOD Actions Needed to Further Enhance Restructuring and Address Affordability Risks
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Joint Strike Fighter restructuring continued throughout 2011 and into 2012, adding to cost and schedule. The new program baseline projects total acquisition costs of $395.7 billion, an increase of $117.2 billion (42 percent) from the prior 2007 baseline. Full rate production is now planned for 2019, a delay of 6 years from the 2007 baseline. Unit costs per aircraft have doubled since start of development in 2001. Critical dates for delivering warfighter requirements remain unsettled because of program uncertainties. While the total number of aircraft DOD plans to buy has not changed, it has for 3 straight years reduced near-term procurement quantities, deferring aircraft and costs to future years. Since 2002, the total quantity through 2017 has been reduced by three-fourths, from 1,591 to 365. Affordability is a key challengeannual acquisition funding needs average about $12.5 billion through 2037 and life-cycle operating and support costs are estimated at $1.1 trillion. DOD has not thoroughly analyzed program impacts should funding expectations be unmet."
Date:
June 14, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Managing for Results: A Guide for Using the GPRA Modernization Act to Help Inform Congressional Decision Making
Guidance issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins ""
Date:
June 15, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Text
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Intelligence Community Personnel: Strategic Approach and Training Requirements Needed to Guide Joint Duty Program
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "All of the Intelligence Community (IC) elements except for one are participating in the Joint Duty Program and the IC elements generally view the program as beneficial. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Defense Security Service, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, and 15 other IC components have identified an office or individual responsible for facilitating the program. However, the U.S. Coast Guard (Coast Guard), which ordinarily operates under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), does not participate in the program, even though the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 and IC guidance stipulate that the Joint Duty Program applies to the defined IC, which includes the Coast Guards civilian personnel in its National Intelligence Element. Coast Guard officials stated it delayed its participation in the program because it first plans to conduct a workforce study that will determine how the Coast Guard will participate, but it has not identified a timeframe for the studys completion, and the position assigned to conduct the study is currently vacant. As a result, personnel in other IC elements may …
Date:
June 20, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Supplemental Security Income: Better Management Oversight Needed for Children's Benefits
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The number of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) child applicants and recipients with mental impairments has increased substantially for more than a decade, even though the Social Security Administration (SSA) denied, on average, 54 percent of such claims from fiscal years 2000 to 2011. Factors such as the rising number of children in poverty and increasing diagnosis of certain mental impairments have likely contributed to this growth. In fiscal year 2011, the most prevalent primary mental impairments among children found medically eligible were (1) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, (2) speech and language delay, and (3) autism, with autism claims growing most rapidly since fiscal year 2000. State disability determination services (DDS) examiners also consider the impact of additional, or secondary, impairments when making a decision, and when present, these impairments were used to support 55 percent of those cases GAO reviewed that were allowed in fiscal year 2010. However, SSA has not consistently collected those impairment data, limiting its understanding of how all impairments may affect decisions."
Date:
June 26, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library