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United Nations: Lessons Learned from Oil for Food Program Indicate the Need to Strengthen UN Internal Controls and Oversight Activities

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 1996, the United Nations (UN) Security Council and Iraq began the Oil for Food program to address Iraq's humanitarian situation after sanctions were imposed in 1990. More than $67 billion in oil revenue was obtained through the program, with $31 billion in humanitarian assistance delivered to Iraq. The 2005 Defense Authorization Act mandated that GAO review the Oil for Food program. GAO reviewed how … more
Date: April 25, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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DOE Contracting: Improved Program Management Could Help Achieve Small Business Goal

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Federal policy requires that small businesses receive the maximum practicable opportunity for providing goods and services to federal agencies through prime contracts--direct contracts between the government and a contractor. The Department of Energy (DOE) buys more than $20 billion in goods and services annually. GAO was asked to (1) discuss DOE's key efforts to increase small business prime contractin… more
Date: April 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Global Health: Spending Requirement Presents Challenges for Allocating Prevention Funding under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003 authorizes the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and promotes the ABC model (Abstain, Be faithful, or use Condoms). It recommends that 20 percent of funds appropriated pursuant to the act be spent on prevention and requires that, starting in fiscal year 2006, 33 percent of prevention funds appropriated pursuant… more
Date: April 4, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Ryan White CARE Act: Improved Oversight Needed to Ensure AIDS Drug Assistance Programs Obtain Best Prices for Drugs

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The CARE Act authorized grants to the states and certain territories for AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAP) to purchase and provide HIV/AIDS drugs to eligible individuals. An ADAP's coverage--who and what is covered--is determined by each ADAP's eligibility and other program criteria, and ADAPs may establish waiting lists for eligible individuals. ADAPs may purchase their drugs through the 340B federa… more
Date: April 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Title Insurance: Preliminary Views and Issues for Further Study

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Title insurance is a required element of almost all real estate purchases and is not an insignificant cost for consumers. However, consumers generally do not have the knowledge needed to "shop around" for title insurance and usually rely on professionals involved in real estate--such as lenders, real estate agents, and attorneys--for advice in selecting a title insurer. Recent state and federal investig… more
Date: April 24, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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OCC Preemption Rules: OCC Should Further Clarify the Applicability of State Consumer Protection Laws to National Banks

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In January 2004, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)--the federal supervisor of federally chartered or "national" banks--issued two final rules referred to jointly as the preemption rules. The "bank activities" rule addressed the applicability of state laws to national banking activities, while the "visitorial powers" rule set forth OCC's view of its authority to inspect, examine, superv… more
Date: April 28, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Improper Payments: Federal and State Coordination Needed to Report National Improper Payment Estimates on Federal Programs

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Over the past several years, GAO has reported that federal agencies are not well positioned to meet requirements of the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 (IPIA). For fiscal year 2005, estimated improper payments exceeded $38 billion but did not include some of the highest risk programs, such as Medicaid with outlays exceeding $181 billion for fiscal year 2005. Overall, state-administered program… more
Date: April 14, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Chemical and Biological Defense: DOD Needs Consistent Policies and Clear Processes to Address the Survivability of Weapon Systems Against Chemical and Biological Threats

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The possibility that an adversary may use chemical or biological weapons against U.S. forces makes it important for a weapon system to be able to survive such attacks. In the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005, Congress mandated that the Department of Defense submit a plan to address weapon system chemical and biological survivability by February 28, 2005. This plan was to include d… more
Date: April 28, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Credit Cards: Customized Minimum Payment Disclosures Would Provide More Information to Consumers, but Impact Could Vary

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 requires that credit card issuers (issuers) include in all cardholder billing statements a generic warning, or "disclosure," about the potential financial consequences of consistently making only the minimum payment due on a credit card. However, some have urged that consumers should instead receive "customized" disclosures in their bil… more
Date: April 21, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Workplace Safety and Health: OSHA Could Improve Federal Agencies' Safety Programs with a More Strategic Approach to Its Oversight

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Federal workers' compensation costs exceeded $1.5 billion in 2004, with approximately 148,000 new claims filed that year. Because of concerns for the safety of federal workers, as well as the costs associated with unsafe workplaces, GAO described the characteristics of federal agencies' safety programs and the implementation challenges they face, and assessed how well the Occupational Safety and Health … more
Date: April 21, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Bank Secrecy Act: Opportunities Exist for FinCEN and the Banking Regulators to Further Strengthen the Framework for Consistent BSA Oversight

Description: A chapter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. government's framework for preventing, detecting, and prosecuting money laundering has been expanding through additional pieces of legislation since the passage of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) in 1970. In recent years, noncompliance with BSA requirements has raised concerns in Congress about the ability of federal banking regulators to oversee compliance at depository institutions and ensure tha… more
Date: April 28, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Invasive Forest Pests: Lessons Learned from Three Recent Infestations May Aid in Managing Future Efforts

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Invasive forest pests have seriously harmed our environment and imposed significant costs upon our economy. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the lead agency for responding to forest pests. This report evaluates the federal response to three invasive forest pests--the Asian longhorned beetle, the emerald ash borer, and the pathogen Phytophthora ramorum (P. ramorum). Specifically, GAO describe… more
Date: April 21, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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United Nations: Procurement Internal Controls Are Weak

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "For more than a decade, experts have called on the United Nations (UN) Secretariat to correct serious deficiencies in its procurement process. Recent evidence of corruption and mismanagement in procurement suggests that millions of dollars contributed to the UN by the United States and other member states are at risk of fraud, waste and abuse. During the last decade, UN procurement has more than tripled… more
Date: April 25, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Mortgage Financing: HUD Could Realize Additional Benefits from Its Mortgage Scorecard

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Along with private mortgage providers, the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has been impacted by technological advances that began in the mid-1990s and that have significantly affected the way the mortgage industry works. As a result, in 2004, FHA implemented Technology Open to Approved Lenders (TOTAL) Scorecard--an automated tool that evaluates th… more
Date: April 13, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Personal Information: Agency and Reseller Adherence to Key Privacy Principles

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Federal agencies collect and use personal information for various purposes, both directly from individuals and from other sources, including information resellers--companies that amass and sell data from many sources. In light of concerns raised by recent security breaches involving resellers, GAO was asked to determine how the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and State and the Social Security… more
Date: April 4, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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United Nations: Funding Arrangement Impede Independence of Internal Auditors

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "With contributions to United Nations (UN) organizations totaling more than $1.6 billion in 2006-2007, the United States has advocated strong UN oversight. In 1994, the United States provided support to establish the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS). The findings of the Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC) into the Oil for Food Program have renewed concerns about UN oversight, and the 2005 Wor… more
Date: April 25, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Hurricane Katrina: Comprehensive Policies and Procedures Are Needed to Ensure Appropriate Use of and Accountability for International Assistance

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In response to Hurricane Katrina, countries and organizations donated to the United States government cash and in-kind donations, including foreign military assistance. The National Response Plan establishes that the Department of State (DOS) is the coordinator of all offers of international assistance. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is re… more
Date: April 6, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Small Business Innovation Research: Information on Awards Made by NIH and DoD in Fiscal Years 2001 through 2004

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is a three phase program that increases the use of small businesses to meet federal research needs and encourages commercialization of this research. Venture capital is one source of funding to help commercialize SBIR projects. To receive an award firms must meet ownership and other criteria and awards may exceed dollar guidelines. In 2002, the Small… more
Date: April 14, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Disability Benefits: Benefit Amounts for Military Personnel and Civilian Public Safety Officers Vary by Program Provisions and Individual Circumstances

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Military personnel, as well as civilian public safety officers (PSO), risk their lives and face the prospect of incurring disabilities as they protect and defend the general public on a daily basis. To help assess the appropriateness of disability benefits available to military personnel, Congress mandated that GAO study the disability benefits available to federal, state, and local government employees… more
Date: April 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Financial Management Systems: Lack of Disciplined Process Puts Effective Implementation of Treasury's Governmentwide Financial Report System at Risk

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "For the past 9 years, since the first audit of the consolidated financial statements of the U.S. government (CFS), one of the major impediments to our ability to render an opinion on the CFS is that the federal government has not had adequate system, controls, and procedures to properly prepare the CFS. To address some of the internal control weaknesses identified in our audit report, Treasury began dev… more
Date: April 21, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Contract Security Guards: Army's Guard Program Requires Greater Oversight and Reassessment of Acquisition Approach

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, increased security requirements and a significant number of active duty and reserve personnel sent overseas to support the war on terror left the Department of Defense (DOD) with fewer military personnel to rely on to protect domestic installations. To correct this shortage, Congress is temporarily allowing DOD to use contract security guards to ful… more
Date: April 3, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Military Housing: Management Issues Require Attention as the Privatization Program Matures

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) intends to privatize about 87 percent of the military-owned housing in the United States by 2010. As of December 2005, it had awarded 52 projects to privatize over 112,000 family housing units and had plans to award 57 more projects to privatize over 76,000 more units over the next 4 years. The program, begun in 1996, has become DOD's primary means to improve family housi… more
Date: April 28, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Foreign Assistance: USAID Has Begun Tsunami Reconstruction in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, but Key Projects May Exceed Initial Cost and Schedule Estimates

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In December 2004, an earthquake off the coast of Indonesia caused a tsunami that left more than 230,000 people killed or missing and presumed dead and an estimated $10 billion in damage in 12 countries. In May 2005, Congress appropriated $908 million for relief and reconstruction. U.S. emergency relief efforts budgeted at $327 million were nearly completed in December 2005. The U.S. Agency for Internati… more
Date: April 14, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Climate Change: EPA and DOE Should Do More to Encourage Progress Under Two Voluntary Programs

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "To reduce greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change, two voluntary programs encourage participants to set emissions reduction goals. The Climate Leaders Program, managed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), focuses on firms. The Climate VISION (Voluntary Innovative Sector Initiatives: Opportunities Now) Program, managed by the Department of Energy (DOE) along with other agencies, focuse… more
Date: April 25, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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