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Management Report: Improvements Are Needed in IRS's Internal Controls and Compliance with Laws and Regulations

Description: Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The purpose of this report is to present internal control and compliance issues identified during our audit of IRS's financial statements as of, and for the fiscal year ending, September 30, 2009, for which we do not already have any recommendations outstanding. Although not all of these issues were discussed in our report on the results of our fiscal year 2009 financial statement audit, they all warrant… more
Date: June 28, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Location-Based Preferences in Federal and Federally Funded Contracting: An Overview of the Law

Description: This report discusses constitutional and other legal issues related to the creation and implementation of location-based preferences in federal contracting, as well as summarizes key authorities requiring or allowing federal agencies to "favor" contractors located in specific places. The report does not address federal preferences for domestic products or provisions of federal law that could, depending upon their implementation, effectively prefer local contractors, such as project labor agreem… more
Date: October 1, 2010
Creator: Luckey, John R. & Manuel, Kate M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: Performance Management Processes

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Commerce's U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) grants patents that protect innovations ranging from new treatments for diseases to new wireless technology applications. Over the last several years, increases in both the volume and complexity of patent applications have lengthened the time between when an application is submitted and when a final decision is made--referred to as pa… more
Date: September 24, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Department of Energy: Further Actions Are Needed to Improve DOE's Ability to Evaluate and Implement the Loan Guarantee Program

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since the Department of Energy's (DOE) loan guarantee program (LGP) for innovative energy projects was established in Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, its scope has expanded both in the types of projects it can support and in the amount of loan guarantee authority available. DOE currently has loan guarantee authority estimated at about $77 billion and is seeking additional authority. As of A… more
Date: July 12, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense Acquisitions: DOD Needs to Reassess Joint Cruise Missile Costs before Starting New Production Phase

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Over the past two and a half decades, the Department of Defense (DOD) has invested heavily to acquire a cruise missile capable of attacking ground targets stealthily, reliably, and affordably. After abandoning an earlier, more expensive missile and a joint service effort, the Air Force began producing the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) in 2001. After that, the program (1) encountered many… more
Date: October 13, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Forest Service: Information on Appeals, Objections, and Litigation Involving Fuel Reduction Activities, Fiscal Years 2006 through 2008

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Increases in the number and intensity of wildland fires have led the Department of Agriculture's Forest Service to place greater emphasis on thinning forests and rangelands to reduce the buildup of potentially hazardous vegetation that can fuel wildland fires. The public generally has an opportunity to challenge agency hazardous fuel reduction decisions with which it disagrees. Depending on the type of … more
Date: March 4, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Southwest Border: More Timely Border Patrol Access and Training Could Improve Security Operations and Natural Resource Protection on Federal Lands

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Over the last 5 years, Border Patrol has nearly doubled the number of its agents on patrol, constructed hundreds of miles of border fence, and installed surveillance equipment on and near lands managed by the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture along the southwestern border. In so doing, the agency has had to comply with federal land management laws, and some have expressed concern that these la… more
Date: October 19, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Government Auditing Standards: 2010 Exposure Draft

Description: Guidance issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This letter describes the process used by GAO for revising GAGAS, summarizes the proposed major changes, discusses proposed effective dates, and provides instructions for submitting comments on the proposed standards."
Date: August 1, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Management Report: Improvements Are Needed in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting for the Troubled Asset Relief Program

Description: Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA) requires that we annually audit the financial statements of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) which is implemented by the Office of Financial Stability (OFS). On December 9, 2009, we issued our audit report including (1) an unqualified opinion on OFS's financial statements for TARP as of and for the period ended September 30, 2009, and (2) an… more
Date: June 30, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Critical Infrastructure Protection: Key Private and Public Cyber Expectations Need to Be Consistently Addressed

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Pervasive and sustained computer-based attacks pose a potentially devastating impact to systems and operations and the critical infrastructures they support. Addressing these threats depends on effective partnerships between the government and private sector owners and operators of critical infrastructure. Federal policy, including the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) National Infrastructure Prot… more
Date: July 15, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Private Pensions: Changes Needed to Better Protect Multiemployer Pension Benefits

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Thirty years ago Congress enacted protections to ensure that participants in multiemployer pension plans received their promised benefits. These defined benefit plans are created by collective bargaining agreements covering more than one employer. Today, these plans provide pension coverage to over 10.4 million participants in approximately 1,500 multiemployer plans insured by the Pension Benefit Guaran… more
Date: October 18, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Information Security: Opportunities Exist for the Federal Housing Finance Agency to Improve Controls

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) relies extensively on computerized systems to carry out its mission to provide effective supervision, regulation, and housing mission oversight of the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), and the federal home loan banks. Effective information security controls are essential to ensure that F… more
Date: April 30, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Littoral Combat Ship: Actions Needed to Improve Operating Cost Estimates and Mitigate Risks in Implementing New Concepts

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Navy plans to spend about $28 billion to buy 55 Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) and at least 64 interchangeable mission packages to perform one of three missions--mine countermeasures, antisubmarine warfare, and surface warfare--in waters close to shore. The Navy has been developing two different LCS seaframes and plans to select one for production in 2010. Due to the small 78-person crew size--40 core … more
Date: February 2, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Food and Drug Administration: Improved Monitoring and Development of Performance Measures Needed to Strengthen Oversight of Criminal and Misconduct Investigations

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for protecting public health by regulating products such as prescription drugs and vaccines and has the authority to investigate alleged criminal activity related to FDA-regulated products, for example on the sale of counterfeit drugs. Within FDA, the Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI) investigates individuals and companies external to FDA. FDA … more
Date: January 29, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Disaster Assistance: Federal Assistance for Permanent Housing Primarily Benefited Homeowners; Opportunities Exist to Better Target Rental Housing Needs

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In response to the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes, Congress provided about $130 billion in disaster recovery assistance, including assistance for permanent housing. Congress has expressed an interest in how this assistance has been allocated to homeowners and rental property owners, particularly for state-administered programs. GAO's objectives were to review (1) how federal disaster-related assistance for … more
Date: January 14, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Runaway and Homeless Youth Grants: Improvements Needed in the Grant Award Process

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awards grants to provide shelter and services to runaway and homeless youth through the Basic Center, Transitional Living and Street Outreach Programs. In response to a mandate for a review of the grant award process for these programs in the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008 (Pub. L. No. 110-378), GAO examined (1) grant announcements and applicati… more
Date: May 10, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Food and Drug Administration: Opportunities Exist to Better Address Management Challenges

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO was asked to review the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) strategic planning and management. Leading practices in this area include developing strategies to address management challenges and results-oriented performance measures, aligning activities and resources to strategic goals, and enhancing the use of performance information. In this report, GAO examined the extent to which (1) FDA's Strate… more
Date: February 19, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Military Personnel: Observations on the Use and Effects of the National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Act of 2008

Description: Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In section 3 of the National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Act of 2008 (Pub. L. No 110-438 (2008)), Congress mandated that we provide information on the use and the effects of the provisions of law amended (and as amended) by the act. Specifically, the act amended the existing bankruptcy code to exempt qualifying members of the National Guard and Reserve Components from the means test process when the… more
Date: September 30, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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2010 Census: Data Collection Operations Were Generally Completed as Planned, but Long-standing Challenges Suggest Need for Fundamental Reforms

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Although the U.S. Census Bureau (Bureau) generally completed the field data collection phase of the 2010 Census consistent with its operational plans, at $13 billion, 2010 was the costliest census in the nation's history. Moving forward, it will be important to both refine existing operations as well as to reexamine the fundamental approach to the census to better address long-standing issues such as se… more
Date: December 14, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Depot Maintenance: Improved Strategic Planning Needed to Ensure That Navy Depots Can Meet Future Maintenance Requirements

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Navy's depots provide critical maintenance support to operations around the world. The Department of Defense's (DOD) increased reliance on the private sector for depot maintenance support coupled with downsizing led to a deterioration of depots' capabilities and cost increases. In 2007, the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) directed each service to submit a depot maintenance strategic plan an… more
Date: June 11, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Food Safety System: A Primer

Description: The combined efforts of the food industry and the regulatory agencies often are credited with making the U.S. food supply among the safest in the world. Nonetheless, many food-related health issues persist. At issue is whether the current U.S. regulatory system has the resources and structural organization to protect consumers from these dangers. Also at issue is whether the federal food safety laws themselves, first enacted in the early 1900s, have kept pace with the significant changes that h… more
Date: September 22, 2010
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Export Controls: Observations on Selected Countries' Systems and Proposed Treaties

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. government annually controls billions of dollars worth of U.S. arms and dual-use items exported to its allies and partners through a system of laws, regulations, and processes. Weaknesses in this system led GAO in 2007 to include export controls as part of a high-risk area and called for a reexamination, including evaluating alternative approaches. Increasing international collaboration on defe… more
Date: May 27, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense Acquisition: Use of Lead System Integrators (LSIs) -- Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress

Description: Some in Congress have expressed concern about the government's use of private-sector lead system integrators (LSIs) for executing large, complex, defense-related acquisition programs. LSIs are large, prime contractors hired to manage such programs. Supporters of the LSI concept argue that it is needed to execute such complex acquisition efforts, and can promote better technical oversight and innovation. This report discusses both the praise for and criticisms of the LSI concept, as well as rela… more
Date: October 8, 2010
Creator: Grasso, Valerie Bailey
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Oil and Gas Bonds: Bonding Requirements and BLM Expenditures to Reclaim Orphaned Wells

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 directs the Department of the Interior (Interior) to manage lands for multiple uses while also taking any action to prevent "unnecessary or undue degradation" of the land. To do this, Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM), among other things, requires oil and gas operators to reclaim the land they disturb and post a bond to help ensure they do so. … more
Date: January 27, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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