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Coast Guard: Better Logistics Planning Needed to Aid Operational Decisions Related to the Deployment of the National Security Cutter and Its Support Assets

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "As part of its more than $24 billion Deepwater program to replace aging vessels and aircraft with new or upgraded assets, the Coast Guard is preparing the National Security Cutter (NSC) for service. GAO previously reported on Deepwater assets' deployment delays and the Coast Guard's management of the Deepwater program. GAO was legislatively directed to continue its oversight of the Deepwater program. As… more
Date: July 17, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Department of State: Additional Steps Needed to Address Continuing Staffing and Experience Gaps at Hardship Posts

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of State (State) has designated about two-thirds of its 268 overseas posts as hardship posts. Staff working at such posts often encounter harsh conditions, including inadequate medical facilities and high crime. Many of these posts are vital to U.S. foreign policy objectives and need a full complement of staff with the right skills to carry out the department's priorities. As such, State … more
Date: September 17, 2009
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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Financial Markets Regulation: Financial Crisis Highlights Need to Improve Oversight of Leverage at Financial Institutions and across System

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act directed GAO to study the role of leverage in the current financial crisis and federal oversight of leverage. GAO's objectives were to review (1) how leveraging and deleveraging by financial institutions may have contributed to the crisis, (2) regulations adopted by federal financial regulators to limit leverage and how regulators oversee compliance with the regu… more
Date: July 22, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defined Benefit Plans: Proposed Plan Buyouts by Financial Firms Pose Potential Risks and Benefits

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Some U.S. financial and pension consulting firms have recently proposed alternatives to terminating a defined benefit (DB) pension plan and contracting with insurance companies to pay promised benefits. In their proposals, a plan sponsor would typically transfer the assets and liabilities of a hard-frozen DB plan--one in which all participant benefit accruals have ceased--along with additional money, to… more
Date: March 16, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Troubled Asset Relief Program: June 2009 Status of Efforts to Address Transparency and Accountability Issues

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO's fifth report on the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) follows up on prior recommendations. It also reviews (1) activities that had been initiated or completed under TARP as of June 12, 2009; (2) the Department of the Treasury's Office of Financial Stability's (OFS) hiring efforts and use of contractors; and (3) TARP performance indicators. To do this, GAO reviewed signed agreements and other re… more
Date: June 17, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Nuclear Security: Better Oversight Needed to Ensure That Security Improvements at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Are Fully Implemented and Sustained

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In April 2008, the Department of Energy's (DOE) security inspection at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) found significant weaknesses, particularly in LLNL's protective force's ability to assure the protection of weapons-grade (special) nuclear material. LLNL is overseen by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a separately organized agency within DOE, and managed by a contrac… more
Date: March 16, 2009
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 Army and Marine Corps Depots Can Meet Future Maintenance Requirements

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Army and Marine Corps maintenance depots provide critical support to ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and are heavily involved in efforts to reset the force. The Department of Defense (DOD) has an interest in ensuring that the depots remain operationally effective, efficient, and capable of meeting future maintenance requirements. In 2008, in response to direction by the Office of… more
Date: September 17, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Internal Revenue Service: Review of the Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Request

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The financing of the federal government depends largely on the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) ability to administer the tax laws, which includes providing service to taxpayers and enforcing the law so that individuals and businesses pay the taxes they owe. The President's fiscal year 2010 budget request details how IRS intends to allocate its resources to achieve these goals while also continuing its … more
Date: June 3, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Secure Border Initiative: Technology Deployment Delays Persist and the Impact of Border Fencing Has Not Been Assessed

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Securing the nation's borders from illegal entry of aliens and contraband, including terrorists and weapons of mass destruction, continues to be a major challenge. In November 2005, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the launch of the Secure Border Initiative (SBI), a multiyear, multibillion dollar program aimed at securing U.S. borders and reducing illegal immigration. Within DHS, U.S.… more
Date: September 9, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability 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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Combating Illicit Financing: Treasury's Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Could Manage More Effectively to Achieve Its Mission

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 2004, Congress combined preexisting and newly created units to form the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI) within the Department of the Treasury (Treasury). TFI's mission is to integrate intelligence and enforcement functions to (1) safeguard the financial system against illicit use and (2) combat rogue nations, terrorist facilitators, and other national security threats. In the 5 y… more
Date: September 24, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Coast Guard: As Deepwater Systems Integrator, Coast Guard Is Reassessing Costs and Capabilities but Lags in Applying Its Disciplined Acquisition Approach

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Deepwater Program includes efforts to build or modernize ships and aircraft and to procure other capabilities. In 2002, the Coast Guard contracted with Integrated Coast Guard Systems (ICGS) to manage the acquisition as systems integrator. After a series of project failures, the Coast Guard announced in April 2007 that it would take over the lead role, with future work on individual assets bid compet… more
Date: July 14, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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International Aviation: Federal Efforts Help Address Safety Challenges in Africa, but Could Benefit from Reassessment and Better Coordination

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The African continent is important to U.S. economic, strategic, and foreign policy interests, and efforts have been made to improve commerce and connectivity to benefit the two regions. However, the continent has the highest aviation accident rate in the world, which has hindered progress. Recognizing the importance of improving aviation safety in Africa, the United States and the international aviation… more
Date: June 16, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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State Children's Health Insurance Program: CMS Should Improve Efforts to Assess whether SCHIP Is Substituting for Private Insurance

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Congress created the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to reduce the number of uninsured children in low-income families that do not qualify for Medicaid. States have flexibility in structuring their SCHIP programs, and their income eligibility limits vary. Concerns have been raised that individuals might substitute SCHIP for private health insurance--known as crowd-out. GAO was asked to… more
Date: February 20, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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NASA: Constellation Program Cost and Schedule Will Remain Uncertain Until a Sound Business Case Is Established

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "NASA's Constellation program is developing the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle and the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle as the agency's first major efforts in a plan to return to the moon and eventually send humans to Mars. GAO has issued a number of reports and testimonies on various aspects of this program, and made several recommendations. GAO was asked to assess NASA's progress in implementing GAO's recomm… more
Date: August 26, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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School Meal Programs: Experiences of the States and Districts That Eliminated Reduced-price Fees

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In fiscal year 2008, about 31 million children participated in the National School Lunch Program and more than 10 million children participated in the School Breakfast Program each school day. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) spent $11.7 billion on the school meal programs in that year. The majority of school meals are provided for free or at a reduced price t… more
Date: July 17, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Job Corps: Better Targeted Career Training and Improved Preenrollment Information Could Enhance Female Residential Student Recruitment and Retention

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Established in 1964, Job Corps is the nation's largest residential, educational, and career training program for economically disadvantaged youths. Administered by the Department of Labor (Labor), Job Corps received about $1.6 billion in program year 2007 and served about 60,000 students. Some have expressed concern that Job Corps centers are not meeting planned enrollment goals, particularly for women.… more
Date: June 2, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Aviation Security: Federal Air Marshal Service Has Taken Actions to Fulfill Its Core Mission and Address Workforce Issues, but Additional Actions Are Needed to Improve Workforce Survey

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "By deploying armed air marshals onboard selected flights, the Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS), a component of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), plays a key role in helping to protect approximately 29,000 domestic and international flights operated daily by U.S. air carriers. GAO was asked to examine (1) FAMS's operational approach or "concept of operations" for covering flights, (2) t… more
Date: January 14, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Information Security: Securities and Exchange Commission Needs to Consistently Implement Effective Controls

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In carrying out its mission to ensure that securities markets are fair, orderly, and efficiently maintained, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) relies extensively on computerized systems. Effective information security controls are essential to ensure that SEC's financial and sensitive information is protected from inadvertent or deliberate misuse, disclosure, or destruction. As part of its au… more
Date: March 16, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Higher Education: Issues Related to Law School Cost and Access

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In order to participate in federal student financial aid programs, law schools must be accredited by an agency recognized by the Department of Education (Education). Accreditation is intended to ensure that schools provide basic levels of quality in their educational programs, and Education recognizes those accrediting agencies that it concludes can reliably determine the quality of education provided b… more
Date: October 26, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation: More Strategic Approach Needed for Processing Complex Plans Prone to Delays and Overpayments

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "As the insurer of over 29,000 private sector defined benefit plans, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) may be required to assume responsibility for the plans of a growing number of companies filing bankruptcy due to the recession. Concerns about PBGC's benefit determination process, reductions in benefits due to guarantee limits, and workers' retirement security overall led the chairmen and… more
Date: August 17, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tax Administration: IRS Has Implemented Initiatives to Prevent, Detect, and Resolve Identity Theft-Related Problems, but Needs to Assess Their Effectiveness

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Identity thieves may use a taxpayer's name and social security number to fraudulently claim a refund or gain employment. This creates tax problems for the innocent taxpayer when the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) discovers a duplicate refund claim or unreported wage income. IRS is revising its strategy for preventing, detecting, and resolving identity theft-related tax problems. GAO was asked to (1) des… more
Date: September 8, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Overseas Private Investment Corporation: Background and Legislative Issues

Description: The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) was established in 1969 and began operations in 1971 as a development agency to promote and assist U.S. business investment in developing nations. Today, OPIC is a U.S. government agency that provides project financing, investment insurance, and other services for U.S. businesses in over 150 developing nations and emerging economies. To date, OPIC has funded, guaranteed, or insured over $180 billion in investments.
Date: December 1, 2009
Creator: Ilias, Shayerah
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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