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Humane Methods of Slaughter Act: USDA Has Addressed Some Problems but Still Faces Enforcement Challenges

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In 1978, the Congress passed the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act to ensure that cattle, sheep, hogs, and other animals destined for human consumption are handled and slaughtered humanely. Within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is responsible for enforcing the act. Recently, the Congress took additional actions to improve FSIS enforcement. GAO reviewed (1… more
Date: January 30, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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New Markets Tax Credit Program: Progress Made in Implementation, but Further Actions Needed to Monitor Compliance

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Community Renewal Tax Relief Act of 2000 authorized up to $15 billion under the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program to stimulate capital investment in low-income and economically distressed communities. The act mandated that GAO report to Congress on the NMTC program by January 31, 2004, 2007, and 2010. Based on consultation with staff at appropriate congressional committees, this report (1) describes th… more
Date: January 30, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Architect of the Capitol: Status Report on Implementation of Management Review Recommendations

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Office of the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) plays an important role in supporting the effective functioning of Congress and its neighboring institutions. In January 2003, GAO conducted a comprehensive management review of AOC's operations and made 35 recommendations to help AOC establish a strategic management and accountability framework, improve its management infrastructure and internal control, and ad… more
Date: January 30, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Information Technology Management: Governmentwide Strategic Planning, Performance Measurement, and Investment Management Can Be Further Improved

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Over the years, the Congress has promulgated laws and the Office of Management and Budget and GAO have issued policies and guidance, respectively, on (1) information technology (IT) strategic planning/performance measurement (which defines what an organization seeks to accomplish, identifies the strategies it will use to achieve desired results, and then determines how well it is succeeding in reaching results… more
Date: January 12, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Single-Family Housing: Cost, Benefit, and Compliance Issues Raise Questions about HUD's Discount Sales Program

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In 2001, the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Inspector General reported on serious problems in HUD's Discount Sales Program, under which nonprofit organizations purchase HUD-owned properties at a discount, rehabilitate them, and resell them to low- and moderate-income homebuyers. The objectives of the program are to expand affordable housing opportunities, help revitalize neighborhoods, and… more
Date: January 30, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Consumer Protection: Federal and State Agencies Face Challenges in Combating Predatory Lending

Description: A chapter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "While there is no universally accepted definition, the term "predatory lending" is used to characterize a range of practices, including deception, fraud, or manipulation, that a mortgage broker or lender may use to make a loan with terms that are disadvantageous to the borrower. No comprehensive data are available on the extent of these practices, but they appear most likely to occur among subprime mortgages-… more
Date: January 30, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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International Trade: U.S. Customs and Border Protection Faces Challenges in Addressing Illegal Textile Transshipment

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "U.S. policymakers and industry groups are concerned that some foreign textile and apparel imports are entering the United States fraudulently and displacing U.S. textile and apparel industry workers. Congress mandated GAO to assess U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) system for monitoring and enforcing textile transshipment and make recommendations for improvements, as needed. Therefore, GAO reviewed (1… more
Date: January 23, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Performance Budgeting: Observations on the Use of OMB's Program Assessment Rating Tool for the Fiscal Year 2004 Budget

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) is meant to provide a consistent approach to evaluating federal programs during budget formulation. To better understand its potential, congressional requesters asked GAO to examine (1) how PART changed OMB's fiscal year 2004 budget decisionmaking process, (2) PART's relationship to the Government Performance and Results Act of 1… more
Date: January 30, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security Administration: Strategic Workforce Planning Needed to Address Human Capital Challenges Facing the Disability Determination Services

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "SSA oversees and fully funds primarily state-operated DDSs that determine whether applicants are eligible for disability benefits. The disability examiners employed by the DDSs play a key role in determining benefit eligibility. This report examines (1) the challenges the DDSs face today in retaining and recruiting examiners and enhancing their expertise; (2) the extent to which the DDSs engage in workforce pl… more
Date: January 27, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Food Safety: FDA's Imported Seafood Safety Program Shows Some Progress, but Further Improvements Are Needed

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "More than 80 percent of the seafood that Americans consume is imported. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for ensuring that imported seafood is safe and produced under sanitation and safety systems comparable to those of the United States. Since GAO reported in 2001 that FDA's seafood inspection program did not sufficiently protect consumers, additional concerns have arisen about imported s… more
Date: January 30, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Information Security: Further Efforts Needed to Address Serious Weaknesses to USDA

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) performs critical missions that enhance the quality of life for the American people, relying on automated systems and networks to deliver billions of dollars in programs to its customers; process and communicate sensitive payroll, financial, and market data; and maintain personal customer information. Interruptions in USDA's ability to fulfill its missions could have a… more
Date: January 30, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security Numbers: Private Sector Entities Routinely Obtain and Use SSNs, and Laws Limit the Disclosure of This Information

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In 1936, the Social Security Administration (SSA) established the Social Security number (SSN) to track workers' earnings for Social Security benefit purposes. However, the SSN is also used for a myriad of non-Social Security purposes. Today, public and private sector entities view the SSN as a key piece of information that enables them to conduct their business and deliver services. However, given the apparen… more
Date: January 22, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tax Administration: Information on Expenses Claimed by Small Business Sole Proprietorships

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Meeting the requirements of tax rules can be especially burdensome to small business sole proprietorships that independently own their businesses. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) data show that, compared to other taxpayer groups, sole proprietorships have more problems complying with their tax obligations. Simplifying how sole proprietorships account for and report expenses may ease their burden and increase co… more
Date: January 23, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Human Capital: Selected Agencies' Experiences and Lessons Learned in Designing Training and Development Programs

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Effective training and development programs are an integral part of a learning environment, helping improve federal workforce performance in achieving agency results. Therefore, in this report GAO was asked to identify examples of selected federal agencies' experiences and some of the key lessons they have learned in designing their training and development programs. This work focused on ways that these agenci… more
Date: January 30, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Nonproliferation: Improvements Needed to Better Control Technology Exports for Cruise Missiles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) pose a growing threat to U.S. national security interests as accurate, inexpensive delivery systems for conventional, chemical, and biological weapons. GAO assessed (1) the tools the U.S. and foreign governments use to address proliferation risks posed by the sale of these items and (2) efforts to verify the end use of exported cruise missiles, UAVs, and relat… more
Date: January 23, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Law Enforcement: Information on Timeliness of Criminal Fingerprint Submissions to the FBI

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "By positively confirming identifications and linking relevant records of arrests and prosecutions, fingerprint analysis provides a basis for making fundamental criminal justice decisions regarding detention, charging, bail, and sentencing. In 1999, the FBI implemented the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS)--a computerized system for storing, comparing, and exchanging fingerprint dat… more
Date: January 27, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Supports For Low-Income Families: States Serve a Broad Range of Families through a Complex and Changing System

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Over the last decade, the Congress has made significant changes in numerous federal programs that support low-income families, including changes that have shifted program emphases from providing cash assistance to providing services that promote employment and economic independence. As a result of some of the federal policy changes, the support system is more decentralized than before. This heightens the impor… more
Date: January 26, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Budget Issues: Agency Implementation of Capital Planning Principles Is Mixed

Description: A chapter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In fiscal year 2002, the federal government spent nearly $100 billion on capital investments intended to yield long-term benefits for its own operations. Interested in ensuring that good investment decisions are made, the Chairman and Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on Government Efficiency and Financial Management, House Committee on Government Reform, asked GAO to evaluate agency experiences with the … more
Date: January 16, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Commuter Rail: Information and Guidance Could Help Facilitate Commuter and Freight Rail Access Negotiations

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Commuter and freight rail services have the potential to play increasingly important roles in the nation's economy and transportation system as demand for these services increases. Because the cost of building new infrastructure can be costprohibitive, commuter rail agencies typically seek to use existing infrastructure--which is primarily owned by private freight railroads. Consequently, commuter rail agencie… more
Date: January 9, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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2010 Census: Cost and Design Issues Need to Be Addressed Soon

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The key to a successful census is meticulous planning as it helps ensure greater cost-effectiveness. However, the 2000 and previous censuses have been marked by poor planning, which unnecessarily raised the costs and risks of those efforts. GAO was asked to (1) review the U.S. Census Bureau's (Bureau) current plans for 2010 and whether they might address shortcomings of the 2000 Census, (2) analyze the Bureau'… more
Date: January 15, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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D.C. Family Court: Progress Has Been Made in Implementing Its Transition

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The D.C. Family Court Act (P.L. 107-114) mandated that GAO examine the performance of the D.C. Family Court. GAO addressed the following objectives: (1) What procedures were used to make judicial appointments to the Family Court and what effect did qualification requirements have on appointment timeframes? (2) How timely was the Family Court in meeting established timeframes for transferring and resolving abus… more
Date: January 6, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Human Capital: Implementing Pay for Performance at Selected Personnel Demonstration Projects

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "There is a growing understanding that the federal government needs to fundamentally rethink its current approach to pay and to better link pay to individual and organizational performance. Federal agencies have been experimenting with pay for performance through the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) personnel demonstration projects. GAO identified the approaches that selected personnel demonstration proje… more
Date: January 23, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Depot Maintenance: Army Needs Plan to Implement Depot Maintenance Report's Recommendations

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Each year, the U.S. Army spends about $3 billion on depot-level maintenance and repair work for weapons systems and other equipment. However, because its data gathering and reporting processes have been limited, the Army historically has been unable to fully identify how much depotlevel maintenance takes place outside its five public depots. As a result, it has not been able to determine with precision how wel… more
Date: January 8, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Export Controls: Post-Shipment Verification Provides Limited Assurance That Dual-Use Items Are Being Properly Used

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The United States controls certain dual-use technologies that could be used to enhance the military capabilities of countries of concern. The Department of Commerce (Commerce) conducts post-shipment verification (PSV) checks to ensure that these technologies arrive at their intended destination and are used for the purposes stated in the export license. GAO was asked to (1) assess the number of dual-use export… more
Date: January 12, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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