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Child Care: Overview of Relevant Employment Laws and Cases of Sex Offenders at Child Care Facilities

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Very little is known about sexual abuse among children that are regularly cared for by more than 1.3 million child care providers every week in the United States. In this context, GAO was asked to (1) provide an overview of federal and state laws related to the employment of sex offenders at child care facilities and (2) examine cases where individuals who were convicted of serious sexual offenses were … more
Date: August 19, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tax Whistleblowers: Incomplete Data Hinders IRS's Ability to Manage Claim Processing Time and Enhance External Communication

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 expanded the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) whistleblower program, increasing rewards for submitting information on others' tax underpayments to up to 30 percent of collected proceeds. The expanded program targets tax underpayments over $2 million and could reduce the gap between taxes owed and taxes paid. IRS's Whistleblower Office has received over 1,300 su… more
Date: August 10, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Public Transportation: Requirements for Smaller Capital Projects Generally Seen as Less Burdensome

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Capital Investment Grant program funds, among other things, projects for fixed-guideway systems--often called New Starts projects. In 2005, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act-A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) established a category of lower-cost projects--Small Starts--which expands project eligibility and offers streamlined requ… more
Date: August 2, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Veterans Health Care: Monitoring Is Needed to Determine the Accuracy of Veteran Copayment Charges

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In fiscal year 2010, the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Veterans Health Administration (VHA) billed veterans millions of medical copayment charges totaling more than $1 billon. Witnesses at a 2009 Subcommittee on Health, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, hearing raised concerns about inappropriate copayment charges, including some associated with veterans' service-connected conditions. As a re… more
Date: August 29, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Forest Service Business Services: Further Actions Needed to Re-examine Centralization Approach and to Better Document Associated Costs

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In the early 2000s, the Forest Service, within the Department of Agriculture, centralized the operations of three major business services: (1) budget and finance, (2) human resources management, and (3) information technology. The agency's goals in centralizing these services, which were previously delivered by staff in field units throughout the country, were to streamline and improve operations and re… more
Date: August 25, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Medicare Physician Feedback Program: CMS Faces Challenges with Methodology and Distribution of Physician Reports

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) directed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a program to give physicians confidential feedback on the resources used to provide care to Medicare beneficiaries. In response, HHS's Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has established and implemented the Physician Feedback Program by distributing fe… more
Date: August 12, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Small Business Innovation Research: SBA Should Work with Agencies to Improve the Data Available for Program Evaluation

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Federal agencies with a budget of at least $100 million for research and development (R&D) conducted by others must participate in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. SBIR has four purposes: meet federal R&D needs; stimulate technological innovation; increase commercialization (e.g., sales) of innovations based on federal R&D; and encourage participation in innovation by small busines… more
Date: August 15, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Prescription Drug Control: DEA Has Enhanced Efforts to Combat Diversion, but Could Better Assess and Report Program Results

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Diversion Control Program is responsible for enforcing the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and ensuring the availability of prescription drugs such as pain relievers and stimulants while preventing their diversion for abuse. The CSA requires entities handling controlled substances--such as manufacturers, pharmacies, and physicians, among others-- to register w… more
Date: August 26, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Environmental Litigation: Cases against EPA and Associated Costs over Time

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) faces numerous legal challenges as it implements the nation's environmental laws. Several statutes, such as the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, allow citizens to file suit against EPA to challenge certain agency actions. Where EPA is named as a defendant, the Department of Justice provides EPA's legal defense. If successful, plaintiffs may be paid for certain at… more
Date: August 1, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense Logistics: Actions Needed to Improve the Marine Corps' Equipment Reset Strategies and the Reporting of Total Reset Costs

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. Marine Corps received approximately $16 billion in appropriated funds between fiscal years 2006 and 2010 for reset of aviation and ground equipment that has been degraded, damaged, and destroyed during oversees contingency operations. Reset encompasses activities for repairing, upgrading, or replacing equipment used in contingency operations. The Marine Corps continues to request funding to res… more
Date: August 4, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Iraq and Afghanistan: Actions Needed to Enhance the Ability of Army Brigades to Support the Advising Mission

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Developing capable Iraqi and Afghan security forces is a key component of the U.S. military effort in Iraq and Afghanistan and, in 2009, the Army began augmenting brigade combat teams (BCT) with advisor personnel to advise the host nation security forces in these countries. House Armed Services Committee report 111-491 directed GAO to report on the Army's plans to augment BCTs to perform advising missio… more
Date: August 2, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Climate Monitoring: NOAA Can Improve Management of the U.S. Historical Climatology Network

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) maintains a network of weather-monitoring stations known as the U.S. Historical Climatology Network (USHCN), which monitors the nation's climate and analyzes long-term surface temperature trends. Recent reports have shown that some stations in the USHCN are not sited in accordance with NOAA's standards, which state that temperature instruments s… more
Date: August 31, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Suspension and Debarment: Some Agency Programs Need Greater Attention, and Governmentwide Oversight Could Be Improved

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The federal government spent more than $535 billion on contracted goods and services in fiscal year 2010. One tool for ensuring that agencies are only awarding contracts to responsible sources is the use of suspensions and debarments--actions taken by agencies to exclude firms or individuals from receiving federal contracts or assistance based on various types of misconduct. This report analyzed (1) the… more
Date: August 31, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Acquisition Planning: Opportunities to Build Strong Foundations for Better Services Contracts

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Civilian agencies obligated over $135 billion in fiscal year 2010 for services --80 percent of total civilian spending on contracts. Services acquisitions have suffered from inadequate planning, which can put budget, schedule, and quality at risk. GAO was asked to examine how civilian agencies conduct acquisition planning for services contracts and assessed (1) the extent to which agencies have develope… more
Date: August 9, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Information Security: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Has Made Progress, but Further Actions Are Needed to Protect Financial Data

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has a demanding responsibility enforcing banking laws, regulating financial institutions, and protecting depositors. Because of the importance of FDIC's work, effective information security controls are essential to ensure that the corporation's systems and information are adequately protected from inadvertent misuse, fraudulent use, or improper disclosur… more
Date: August 12, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Environmental Health: Action Needed to Sustain Agencies' Collaboration on Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Drinking water in some metropolitan areas contains concentrations of pharmaceuticals, raising concerns about their potential impact on human health. The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate contaminants, including pharmaceuticals, in public drinking water systems if they may adversely affect human health among other criteria. Pharmaceuticals may… more
Date: August 8, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Homeland Security: Actions Needed to Improve Response to Potential Terrorist Attacks and Natural Disasters Affecting Food and Agriculture

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The President issued Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) -9 in 2004 to establish a national policy to defend the food and agriculture systems against terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies. HSPD-9 assigns various emergency response and recovery responsibilities to the Departments of Agriculture (USDA), Health and Human Services (HHS), Homeland Security (DHS), and others. I… more
Date: August 19, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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A U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Plan

Description: Report assessing the carbon cycle and providing guidance for U.S. researchers. It includes background on the history and context of the carbon cycle and previous science plan as well as chapters describing relevant fundamental science questions, science plan goals, the plan elements, interdisciplinary and international collaboration and cooperation, implementation and funding of the plan, and references with supplementary appendix information.
Date: August 2011
Creator: Michalak, Anna M.; Jackson, Robert B.; Marland, Gregg & Sabine, Christopher L.
Partner: UNT Libraries
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A Balanced Budget Constitutional Amendment: Background and Congressional Options

Description: This report provides an overview of the issues and options that have been raised during prior consideration of proposals for an amendment to the constitution regarding the balancing of the U.S. government.
Date: August 3, 2011
Creator: Saturno, James V. & Lynch, Megan Suzanne
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and Its Role in U.S. Trade Policy

Description: This report looks at the background of Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) in the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which was created by Congress. It then discusses how the 112th Congress is considering legislative action to extend the TAA - including two issues: how necessary or appropriate the extension is, and whether or not three proposed bills should be voted upon separately.
Date: August 11, 2011
Creator: Hornbeck, J. F. & Rover, Laine Elise
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Standard & Poor's Downgrade of U.S. Government Long-Term Debt

Description: This report discusses the lowering of the U.S. government debt credit rating by Standard & Poor's (S&P) on August 5, 2011. It discusses the reasons behind the lowered credit rating and implications for the U.S. economy, other debt markets, and banking regulations.
Date: August 9, 2011
Creator: Jickling, Mark
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The National Guard State Partnership Program: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress

Description: This report traces the origin and development of the State Partnership Program (SPP), which is a Department of Defense (DOD) security cooperation program run by the National Guard; summarizes its unique aspects; and outlines its statutory basis, funding mechanisms, organization, and activities. It details recent legislative and executive branch actions. It also explores issues that may merit congressional attention and provides options for policymakers who may be interested in modifying the pro… more
Date: August 15, 2011
Creator: Kapp, Lawrence & Serafino, Nina M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Army Corps Fiscal Challenges: Frequently Asked Questions

Description: This report looks at issues in funding all of the Army Corps requests for the fiscal year. The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for much of the federal water resources infrastructure in the United States. The Corps is faced with more demands for building and maintaining its projects than available federal funding allows. At issue for Congress is deciding how to tackle Corps fiscal challenges during a tight fiscal climate and under earmark moratoriums.
Date: August 18, 2011
Creator: Carter, Nicole T. & Stern, Charles V.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Primer on Major Disasters and Emergencies

Description: This report covers the role of the government in disaster management. While the disaster response and recovery process is fundamentally a relationship between the federal government and the requesting state government, there are roles for congressional offices to play in providing information to the federal/state response and recovery teams in their respective states and districts. Congressional offices also serve as a valuable source of accurate and timely information to their constituents.
Date: August 31, 2011
Creator: McCarthy, Francis X. & Brown, Jared T.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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