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Inspectors General: Reporting on Independence, Effectiveness, and Expertise

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) required GAO to report on the relative independence, effectiveness, and expertise of the inspectors general (IG) established by the IG Act of 1978, as amended (IG Act), including IGs appointed by the President with Senate confirmation and those appointed by their agency heads in designated federal entities (DFE). GAO was also… more
Date: September 21, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Coins: The Federal Reserve Banks Are Fulfilling Coin Demand, but Optimal Inventory Ranges Are Undefined

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Federal Reserve Banks fulfill the coin demand of the nation's depository institutions--which include commercial banks, savings and loan associations, and credit unions--by ordering new coins from the U.S. Mint and managing coins held in inventory at the Reserve Banks and in coin terminals. Reliably estimating the demand for coins and efficiently managing the inventory of circulated coins is important to… more
Date: March 21, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Overstay Tracking: A Key Component of Homeland Security and a Layered Defense

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Each year, millions of visitors, foreign students, and immigrants come to the United States. Foreign visitors may enter on a legal temporary basis--that is, with an authorized period of admission that expires on a specific date--either (1) with temporary visas (generally for tourism, business, or work) or, in some cases, (2) as tourists or business visitors who are allowed to enter without visas. (The latter i… more
Date: May 21, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Children's Health Insurance: Information on Coverage of Services, Costs to Consumers, and Access to Care in CHIP and Other Sources of Insurance

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In five selected states, GAO determined that the separate State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) plans were generally comparable to the benchmark plans selected by states in 2012 as models for the benefits that will be offered through qualified health plans (QHP) in 2014. The plans were comparable in the services they covered and the services on which they imposed limits, although there was so… more
Date: November 21, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense Management: DOD's Conference Policy Is Generally Consistent with OMB's Requirements

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense's (DOD) September 2012 policy on conferences and its November 2013 update are generally consistent with the requirements established by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in May 2012. The key elements of OMB's May 2012 requirements for agencies are the prohibition of conferences with costs in excess of $500,000 unless the agency head signs a waiver, establishment of a De… more
Date: January 21, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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2020 Census: Bureau Needs to Improve Scheduling Practices to Enhance Ability to Meet Address List Development Deadlines

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Census Bureau (Bureau) is not producing reliable schedules for the two programs most relevant to building the Master Address File (MAF)--the 2020 Research and Testing program and the Geographic Support System Initiative."
Date: November 21, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Small Business Administration: Agency Should Assess Resources Devoted to Contracting and Improve Several Processes in the 8(a) Program

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Small Business Administration (SBA) helps small businesses gain access to federal contracting opportunities and helps socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses, known as 8(a) firms, by providing management and contracting assistance. SBA negotiates agency-specific goals to ensure that the federal government meets the statutory goal of awarding 23 percent of contract dollars to small b… more
Date: November 21, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Driver's License Security: Federal Leadership Needed to Address Remaining Vulnerabilities

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "To verify license applicants' identity, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have procedures that may detect counterfeit documents. For example, all states are now verifying key personal information, such as Social Security numbers (SSN) through online queries to a Social Security Administration (SSA) database, a significant increase from about a decade ago. This effort helps ensure that the ident… more
Date: September 21, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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VA Health Care: Guidance Needed for Determining the Cost to Collect from Veterans and Private Health Insurers

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "During a May 2003 congressional hearing, questions were raised about the accuracy of the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) reported costs for collecting payments from veterans and private health insurers for its Medical Care Collections Fund (MCCF). Congress also had questions about VA's practice of using third-party collections to satisfy veterans' first-party debt. GAO's objectives were to determin… more
Date: July 21, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Flood Insurance: Opportunities Exist to Improve Oversight of the WYO Program

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since 2004, private insurance companies participating in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Write-Your-Own (WYO) program have collected an average of $2.3 billion in premiums annually and, of this amount, have been paid or allowed to retain an average of $1 billion per year. Questions have been raised about FEMA's oversight of the program in light of the debts FEMA has incurred since the 2… more
Date: August 21, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Securities Fraud Liability of Secondary Actors

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This report responds to the mandate in section 929Z of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act directing GAO to study the impact of authorizing a private legal right of action against any person who aids or abets another in violation of the securities laws. The report includes a description of the legal and factual background of such "secondary actor" liability, as well as a summar… more
Date: July 21, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration Benefits: Improvements Needed to Address Backlogs and Ensure Quality of Adjudications

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Long-standing backlogs of immigration benefit applications result in delays for immigrants, their families, and prospective employers who participate in the legal immigration process. In response to a statutory mandate to eliminate the backlog, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) set a goal of September 30, 2006, to eliminate the backlog and adjudicate all applications within 6 months.… more
Date: November 21, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Student Financial Aid: Need Determination Could Be Enhanced through Improvements in Education's Estimate of Applicants' State Tax Payments

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 2003, the Department of Education (Education) proposed an update to the state and other tax allowance, a part of the federal need analysis for student financial aid. Most federal aid as well as some state and institutional aid is awarded based on the student's cost of attendance less the student's and/or family's ability to pay these costs--known as the expected family contribution (EFC). The allowan… more
Date: January 21, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Reserve System: Opportunities Exist to Strengthen Policies and Processes for Managing Emergency Assistance

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act directed GAO to conduct a one-time audit of the emergency loan programs and other assistance authorized by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve Board) during the recent financial crisis. This report examines the emergency actions taken by the Federal Reserve Board from December 1, 2007, through July 21, 2010. … more
Date: July 21, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Information Technology: Critical Factors Underlying Successful Major Acquisitions

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Planned federal information technology (IT) spending has now risen to at least $81 billion for fiscal year 2012. As GAO has previously reported, although a variety of best practices exists to guide their successful acquisition, federal IT projects too frequently incur cost overruns and schedule slippages while contributing little to mission-related outcomes. Recognizing these problems, the Office of Man… more
Date: October 21, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Consumer Product Safety Commission: A More Active Role in Voluntary Standards Development Should Be Considered

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Although the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) enforces compliance with mandatory federal safety standards, it is also required by law to rely on voluntary safety standards when it determines that the standard adequately addresses the product hazard and is likely to have substantial compliance. Voluntary standards—developed by industry, consumer, and government participants through a consensus p… more
Date: May 21, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Fair Housing: Opportunities to Improve HUD's Oversight and Management of the Enforcement Process

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Discrimination in housing on the basis of race, sex, family status, and other grounds is illegal in the United States. Each year, the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) and related agencies carry out enforcement activities for several thousand complaints of housing discrimination. The timeliness and effectiveness of the enforcement process have bee… more
Date: April 21, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense Management: DOD Needs to Improve Program Management, Policy, and Testing to Enhance Ability to Field Operationally Useful Non-lethal Weapons

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Nonlethal weapons (NLW) provide an alternative when lethal force is undesirable. The Department of Defense (DOD) defines NLW as those that are explicitly designed and primarily employed to incapacitate personnel or materiel, while minimizing fatalities, permanent injury to personnel, and undesired damage to property and the environment. DOD created the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program in 1996 to have ce… more
Date: April 21, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Military Operations: Fiscal Year 2004 Costs for the Global War on Terrorism Will Exceed Supplemental, Requiring DOD to Shift Funds from Other Uses

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "To support the Global War on Terrorism in fiscal year 2004, the Congress appropriated $65 billion to the Department of Defense (DOD) in an emergency supplemental appropriations act. To assist the Congress in its oversight role, GAO reviewed (1) the adequacy of current funding for fiscal year 2004 war-related activities and (2) actions DOD is undertaking to cover anticipated shortfalls, if any. Based on … more
Date: July 21, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Real Property: Most Public Benefit Conveyances Used as Intended, but Opportunities Exist to Enhance Federal Oversight

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Under the public benefit conveyance (PBC) program, state or local governments and certain nonprofits can obtain surplus real property for public uses. The General Services Administration (GSA) has responsibility for the program but has delegated authority to the Department of Defense (DOD) for properties disposed of as part of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process. Several "sponsoring agencies… more
Date: June 21, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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VA Health Care: Laundry Service Operations and Costs

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Department of Veteran Affairs' (VA) laundry support services, focusing on: (1) the type and volume of laundry service VA provides; (2) how VA provides laundry services; (3) the cost VA incurs; and (4) the revenue VA generates from selling laundry services."
Date: December 21, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Business Modernization: NASA's Challenges in Managing Its Integrated Financial Management Program

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) spends 90 percent--$13 billion--of its budget on contractors. Yet since 1990, GAO has designated NASA's contract management as a high-risk area--in part because the agency failed to implement a financial management system to provide information needed to make key program decisions. In April 2000, NASA initiated its most recent effort to implement an effe… more
Date: November 21, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense Acquisitions: Timely and Accurate Estimates of Costs and Requirements Are Needed to Define Optimal Future Strategic Airlift Mix

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense's (DOD) C-5 Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft play key roles in transporting weapons and other cargo. Since September 2001, these aircraft have delivered over 2.4 million tons of cargo to staging and operating bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet determining the number and mix to meet current and future airlift requirements has become increasingly challenging given distinc… more
Date: November 21, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Chief Information Officers: Responsibilities, Reporting Relationships, Tenure, and Challenges

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Although the federal government has invested substantially in information technology (IT), its success in managing information resources has varied. Agencies have taken steps to implement modern strategies, systems, and management policies and practices, but they still face significant information and technology management challenges. Recognizing the key role of the chief information officer (CIO) in he… more
Date: July 21, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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