General Accounting Office Reports & Testimony back issues from Sunday, January 1:
Public Utility Holding Company Act: Opportunities to Strengthen SEC's Administration of the Act.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-617 July 8, 2005 The Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 (PUHCA), which is administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), subjects public utility holding companies to federal regulation. Some recent events have raised concerns about SEC's ...
Homeland Security: DHS' Efforts to Enhance First Responders' All-Hazards Capabilities Continue to Evolve.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-652 July 11, 2005 The events of September 11, 2001, have resulted in a greater focus on the role of first responders in carrying out the nation's emergency management efforts. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the primary federal entity responsible for ensuring ...
Foreign Assistance: USAID's Cash Transfer Program in Egypt Supports Economic Reform Activities, but Various Factors Have Limited Its Influence.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-731 July 11, 2005 Since 1992, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has focused the Cash Transfer Program in Egypt on supporting economic reform activities to move Egypt toward a more liberal and market-oriented economy. USAID has provided funds to Egypt's ...
Tax Administration: IRS Needs Better Strategic Planning and Evaluation of Taxpayer Assistance Training.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-782 July 11, 2005 Millions of taxpayers ask IRS questions about tax law each year. While the accuracy of IRS's answers has improved in some cases, it is still not always what taxpayers or Congress expect. Concerns about accuracy have raised questions about the adequacy of ...
Health Centers: Competition for Grants and Efforts to Measure Performance Have Increased.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-645 July 13, 2005 Health centers in the federal Consolidated Health Centers program provide comprehensive primary health care services at one or more delivery sites, without regard to patients' ability to pay. In fiscal year 2002, the Health Resources and Services ...
Tax Compliance: Better Compliance Data and Long-term Goals Would Support a More Strategic IRS Approach to Reducing the Tax Gap.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-753 July 18, 2005 According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), a gap arises each year between what taxpayers pay accurately and on time in taxes and what they should pay under the law. The tax gap is composed of underreporting of tax liabilities on tax returns, ...
U.S. Postal Service: Guidance on Suspicious Mail Needs Further Refinement.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-716 July 19, 2005 In October 2003, an envelope marked "Caution: Ricin Poison" was discovered at an airmail facility in Greenville, South Carolina. Ricin is a poison that, in certain forms, can cause death. The U.S. Postal Service has emphasized to its employees to be on ...
Securing U.S. Nuclear Materials: DOE Needs to Take Action to Safely Consolidate Plutonium.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-665 July 20, 2005 Plutonium is very hazardous to human health and the environment and requires extensive security because of its potential use in a nuclear weapon. The Department of Energy (DOE) stores about 50 metric tons of plutonium that is no longer needed by the ...
Financial Management: State and Federal Governments Are Not Taking Action to Collect Unpaid Debt through Reciprocal Agreements.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-697R July 26, 2005 The Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (DCIA) allows the federal government to collect state debts from federal payments to contractors. However, before a state can participate in this program, DCIA requires that the state enter into a reciprocal ...
Intermodal Transportation: Potential Strategies Would Redefine Federal Role in Developing Airport Intermodal Capabilities.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-727 July 26, 2005 With the number of airplane passengers using U.S. airports expected to grow to almost 1 billion by the year 2015, ground access to U.S. airports has become an important factor in the development of our nation's transportation networks. Increases in the ...
Survey of Large- and Medium-Hub Airports on Existing and Planned Bus and Rail Connections.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-738SP July 26, 2005 This document presents the results of GAO's survey of airport directors. The purpose of the survey was to determine the extent to which intermodal services and facilities have been developed at major U.S. airports. We developed the Web-based ...
Great Lakes Initiative: EPA Needs to Better Ensure the Complete and Consistent Implementation of Water Quality Standards.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-829 July 27, 2005 The virtual elimination of toxic pollutants in the Great Lakes is a goal shared by the United States and Canada. While some progress has been made, pollution levels remain unacceptably high. The Great Lakes Initiative (GLI) requires stringent water ...
Ultimate Effects of McCarran-Ferguson Federal Antitrust Exemption on Insurer Activity are Unclear.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-816R July 28, 2005 This letter transmits our briefing slides describing the potential effects of the federal antitrust exemption included in the McCarran-Ferguson Act (McCarran) on insurer activities. On May 26, 2005, we briefed Congressional staff on the results of our ...
Student Aid And Postsecondary Tax Preferences: Limited Research Exists on Effectiveness of Tools to Assist Students and Families through Title IV Student Aid and Tax Preferences.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-684 July 29, 2005 Federal assistance helps students and families pay for postsecondary education through several policy tools--grant and loan programs authorized by title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and more recently enacted tax preferences. In fiscal year ...
College Textbooks: Enhanced Offerings Appear to Drive Recent Price Increases.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-806 July 29, 2005 The federal government strives to make postsecondary education accessible and affordable, primarily by providing financial aid to students and their families. Given that nearly half of undergraduates receive federal financial aid, Congress is interested ...
Federal Procurement: Additional Data Reporting Could Improve the Suspension and Debarment Process.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-479 July 29, 2005 Federal government purchases of contracted goods and services have grown to more than $300 billion annually. To protect the government's interests, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) provides that agencies can suspend or debar contractors for ...
Alaska Native Villages: Recent Federal Assistance Exceeded $3 Billion, with Most Provided to Regional Nonprofits.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-719 August 2, 2005 This report responds to section 112, Division B, of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2004, which directs GAO to review federal programs benefiting rural communities in Alaska. After discussions with congressional staff, GAO agreed to examine ...
Small Business Participation in the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Project.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-860R August 4, 2005 Alaska currently holds 35 trillion cubic feet of proven recoverable natural gas resources, about 19 percent of total U.S. reserves. Efforts to construct a pipeline to transport this natural gas from Alaska's North Slope to the lower 48 states have been ...
Military Transformation: Actions Needed by DOD to More Clearly Identify New Triad Spending and Develop a Long-term Investment Approach.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-962R August 4, 2005 In response to a Congressional request, we issued a report in June 2005 on the Department of Defense's (DOD) progress in determining and allocating resources needed to implement the New Triad today and in the future. In that report, we made ...
Aviation Safety: Oversight of Foreign Code-Share Safety Program Should Be Strengthened.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-930 August 5, 2005 U.S. airlines are increasingly relying on code-share partnerships with foreign carriers to provide additional sources of revenue. Code-sharing is a marketing arrangement in which an airline places its designator code on a flight operated by another ...
VA Health Care: Key Challenges to Aligning Capital Assets and Enhancing Veterans' Care.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-429 August 5, 2005 The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operates one of the nation's largest health care systems. In 1999, GAO reported on VA's aged, obsolete capital assets, noting that better management of these assets could significantly reduce VA's operating costs ....
School Meal Programs: Competitive Foods Are Widely Available and Generate Substantial Revenues for Schools.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-563 August 8, 2005 Recent increases in child obesity have sparked concerns about competitive foods--foods sold to students at school that are not part of federally reimbursable school meals. The nutritional value of these foods is largely unregulated, and students can ...
Social Security Administration: Additional Actions Needed in Ongoing Efforts to Improve 800-Number Service.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-735 August 8, 2005 The Social Security Administration (SSA) at some point touches the life of nearly every American. Each day thousands of people contact SSA to file claims, update records, and request information from its 1,300 field offices, website, and national ...
Foreign Assistance: Middle East Partnership Initiative Offers Tools for Supporting Reform, but Project Monitoring Needs Improvement.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-711 August 8, 2005 In December 2002, the U.S. Department of State (State) established the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) to promote democracy in the Middle East and North Africa. MEPI provides assistance for political, economic, and educational reform and ...
Globalization: Numerous Federal Activities Complement U.S. Business's Global Corporate Social Responsibility Efforts.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-744 August 8, 2005 The trend toward globalization has intensified the debate about the proper role of business and government in global "corporate social responsibility" (CSR),which involves business efforts to address the social and environmental concerns associated with ...
Defense Logistics: DOD Has Begun to Improve Supply Distribution Operations, but Further Actions Are Needed to Sustain These Efforts.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-775 August 11, 2005 Problems in the supply distribution system dating back to the Persian Gulf War have impeded the ability of the Department of Defense (DOD) to provide effective and timely logistics support to the warfighter. DOD has taken actions to improve the ...
Air Pollution: Estimated Emissions from Two New Mexicali Power Plants Are Low, but Health Impacts Are Unknown.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-823 August 12, 2005 Power plants emit pollutants that have been linked to various negative health effects. In 2003, two new power plants, owned by Sempra Energy and Intergen, began operations 3 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border near Imperial County, California. The ...
Management Report: Opportunities for Improvements in SEC's Internal Controls and Accounting Procedures.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-693R August 12, 2005 In May 2005, we issued our report expressing an opinion on the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) fiscal year 2004 financial statements and an opinion on SEC's internal control as of September 30, 2004. We also reported on the results of our ...
Physician Services: Concierge Care Characteristics and Considerations for Medicare.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-929 August 12, 2005 Concierge care is an approach to medical practice in which physicians charge their patients a membership fee in return for enhanced services or amenities. The recent emergence of concierge care has prompted federal concern about how the approach might ...
Border Security: Opportunities to Increase Coordination of Air and Marine Assets.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-543 August 12, 2005 Three agencies of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have primary responsibility for securing the nation's borders--the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Together, they ...
Defense Management: Munitions Requirements and Combatant Commander's Needs Still Require Linkage.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-765R August 12, 2005 In October 2002 we reported that inadequate linkage existed between near-term munitions needs of the combatant commanders and the purchases made by the military services. The Department of Defense (DOD) concurred with our recommendations and took ...
Risk Retention Groups: Common Regulatory Standards and Greater Member Protections Are Needed.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-536 August 15, 2005 Congress authorized the creation of risk retention groups (RRG) to increase the availability and affordability of commercial liability insurance. An RRG is a group of similar businesses that creates its own insurance company to self-insure its risks ....
Prescription Drugs: Price Trends for Frequently Used Brand and Generic Drugs from 2000 through 2004.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-779 August 15, 2005 Prescription drug spending has been the fastest growing segment of national health expenditures. As the federal government assumes greater financial responsibility for prescription drug expenditures with the introduction of Medicare part D, federal ...
Federal Employees Health Benefits Program: Competition and Other Factors Linked to Wide Variation in Health Care Prices.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-856 August 15, 2005 Congress is concerned about the health care spending burden facing the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), the largest private health insurance program in the country. Health care spending per person varies geographically, and the ...
Data Mining: Agencies Have Taken Key Steps to Protect Privacy in Selected Efforts, but Significant Compliance Issues Remain.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-866 August 15, 2005 Data mining--a technique for extracting knowledge from large volumes of data--is being used increasingly by the government and by the private sector. Many federal data mining efforts involve the use of personal information, which can originate from ...
TANF: State Approaches to Screening for Domestic Violence Could Benefit from HHS Guidance.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-701 August 16, 2005 The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program introduced specific work requirements and benefit time limits. However, the Family Violence Option (FVO) requires states that adopt the FVO to screen TANF clients for domestic violence and ...
Environmental Liabilities: EPA Should Do More to Ensure That Liable Parties Meet Their Cleanup Obligations.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-658 August 17, 2005 The burden of cleaning up Superfund and other hazardous waste sites is increasingly shifting to taxpayers, particularly since businesses handling hazardous substances are no longer taxed under Superfund and the backlog of sites needing cleanup is ...
Mutual Fund Industry: SEC's Revised Examination Approach Offers Potential Benefits, but Significant Oversight Challenges Remain.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-415 August 17, 2005 As the frontline regulator of mutual funds, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) plays a key role in protecting the nearly half of all U.S. households owning mutual funds, valued around $8 trillion in 2005. Mutual fund abuses raised questions ...
Medicare Contracting Reform: CMS's Plan Has Gaps and Its Anticipated Savings Are Uncertain.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-873 August 17, 2005 The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) significantly reformed contracting for the administration of claims for Part A, Medicare's hospital insurance, and Part B, which covers outpatient services such as ...
Questions for the Record Related to DOD's Personnel Security Clearance Program.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-988R August 19, 2005 On June 28, 2005, GAO testified before Congress at a hearing on "Access Delayed: Fixing the Security Clearance Process." This letter responds to a Congressional request that GAO provide answers to Senator Frank R. Lautenberg's questions for the ...
Welfare Reform: HHS Should Exercise Oversight to Help Ensure TANF Work Participation Is Measured Consistently across States.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-821 August 19, 2005 The debate over reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant has focused on work requirements and brought attention to the measure of TANF work participation. The measure is used to assess states' performance and ...
Amtrak: Improved Management and Controls over Food and Beverage Service Needed.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-867 August 24, 2005 Food and beverages have been served on board National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) trains since Amtrak was created. Amtrak's 11 commissaries, located around the country, are responsible for receiving, warehousing and stocking food, ...
Climate Change: Federal Reports on Climate Change Funding Should Be Clearer and More Complete.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-461 August 25, 2005 The Congress has required the administration to report annually on federal spending on climate change. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reports funding in four categories: technology (to reduce greenhouse gas emissions), science (to better ...
Defense Management: Assessment Should Be Done to Clarify Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office Personnel and Funding Needs.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-756R August 25, 2005 In response to congressional concerns about the Department of Defense's (DOD) performance in accounting for missing personnel, DOD established the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Office in July 1993. This office is now called the Defense ...
NASA Travel: Passenger Aircraft Services Annually Cost Taxpayers Millions More Than Commercial Airlines.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-818 August 26, 2005 Since its creation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has operated passenger aircraft services. These operations have been questioned in several prior audit reports. GAO was asked to perform a series of audits of NASA's controls ...
Tax Policy: Summary of Estimates of the Costs of the Federal Tax System.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-878 August 26, 2005 In 2005, Americans will pay about $2.1 trillion in combined federal taxes, including income, payroll, and excise taxes, or about 16.8 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, the amount of taxes paid does not reflect the total cost to ...
Information Security: Progress Made, but Federal Aviation Administration Needs to Improve Controls over Air Traffic Control Systems.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-712 August 26, 2005 The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) performs critical functions that contribute to ensuring safe, orderly, and efficient air travel in the national airspace system. To that end, it operates and relies extensively on an array of interconnected ...
Registered Apprenticeship Programs: Labor Can Better Use Data to Target Oversight.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-886 August 29, 2005 Between 2002 and 2012 nearly 850,000 jobs will open in the construction industry; experts predict that there will not be enough skilled workers to fill them. This has heightened concerns about program outcomes and program quality in the nation's ...
Nuclear Nonproliferation: Better Management Controls Needed for Some DOE Projects in Russia and Other Countries.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-828 August 29, 2005 The National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2004 mandated that we assess the management of threat reduction and nonproliferation programs that the Departments of Defense and Energy each administer. The objective of this report is to assess how the ...
Real Estate Brokerage: Factors That May Affect Price Competition.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-947 August 31, 2005 Consumers paid an estimated $61 billion in residential real estate brokerage fees in 2004. Because commission rates have remained relatively uniform--regardless of market conditions, home prices, or the effort required to sell a home--some economists ...
SEC and CFTC Penalties: Continued Progress Made in Collection Efforts, but Greater SEC Management Attention Is Needed.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-670 August 31, 2005 The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) impose penalties, disgorgements, and restitution on proven and alleged violators of the securities and futures laws, respectively. GAO has issued a number of ...
Indian Health Service: Health Care Services Are Not Always Available to Native Americans.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-789 August 31, 2005 The Indian Health Service (IHS), located within the Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for arranging health care services for Native Americans (American Indians and Alaska Natives). IHS services include primary care (medical, ...
Immigration Enforcement: Weaknesses Hinder Employment Verification and Worksite Enforcement Efforts.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-813 August 31, 2005 The opportunity for employment is one of the most important magnets attracting illegal immigrants to the United States. Immigration experts state that strategies to deter illegal immigration require both a reliable employment eligibility verification ...
Framework for Assessing the Acquisition Function At Federal Agencies.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-218G September 1, 2005 Federal agencies are relying increasingly on contractors to perform their missions. With hundreds of billions of tax dollars spent each year on goods and services, it is essential that federal acquisition be handled in an efficient, effective, and ...
A Glossary of Terms Used in the Federal Budget Process.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-734SP September 1, 2005 This fifth edition of A Glossary of Terms Used in the Federal Budget Process replaces the 1993 Exposure Draft. It fulfills part of GAO's responsibility to publish standard terms, definitions, and classifications for the government's fiscal, budget, ...
Understanding the Tax Reform Debate: Background, Criteria, and Questions.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-1009SP September 1, 2005 Taxes are necessary because they fund the services provided by government. In 2005, Americans will pay about $2.1 trillion in combined federal taxes, including income, payroll, and excise taxes, or about 16.8 percent of gross domestic product ....
Managerial Cost Accounting Practices: Leadership and Internal Controls Are Key to Successful Implementation.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-1013R September 2, 2005 Authoritative bodies have promulgated laws, accounting standards, information system requirements, and related guidance to emphasize the need for cost information and cost management in the federal government. In particular, the (1) Chief Financial ...
Medicaid: Transfers of Assets by Elderly Individuals to Obtain Long-Term Care Coverage.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-968 September 2, 2005 In fiscal year 2004, the Medicaid program financed about $93 billion for long-term care services. To qualify for Medicaid, individuals' assets (income and resources) must be below certain limits. Because long-term care services can be costly, those ...
Mortgage Financing: FHA's $7 Billion Reestimate Reflects Higher Claims and Changing Loan and Performance Estimates.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-875 September 2, 2005 The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), through its Federal Housing Administration (FHA), provides insurance for private lenders against losses on home mortgages. FHA's largest insurance program is the Mutual Mortgage Insurance ...
Environmental Information: Status of Federal Data Programs That Support Ecological Indicators.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-376 September 2, 2005 The federal government supports numerous data programs that assemble and analyze quantitative measures of the nation's environmental conditions and trends (known as indicators). A substantial number of these data programs are housed in several ...
Security Assistance: Efforts to Secure Colombia's Cano Limon-Covenas Oil Pipeline Have Reduced Attacks, but Challenges Remain.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-971 September 6, 2005 Oil is one of Colombia's principal exports. The Cano Limon-Covenas oil pipeline transports almost 20 percent of Colombia's oil production. The pipeline originates in the Department of Arauca in northeast Colombia. It carries oil nearly 500 miles to ...
Drug Control: Air Bridge Denial Program in Colombia Has Implemented New Safeguards, but Its Effect on Drug Trafficking Is Not Clear.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-970 September 6, 2005 In the 1990s, the United States operated a program in Colombia and Peru called Air Bridge Denial (ABD). The ABD program targeted drug traffickers that transport illicit drugs through the air by forcing down suspicious aircraft, using lethal force if ...
Defense Logistics: Better Management and Oversight of Prepositioning Programs Needed to Reduce Risk and Improve Future Programs.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-427 September 6, 2005 The importance of prepositioned stocks to the U.S. military was highlighted during recent operations in Iraq, as much of the equipment and supplies stored at land sites in the region and aboard prepositioning ships were used to support operations ....
Defense Acquisitions: Actions Needed to Ensure Adequate Funding for Operation and Sustainment of the Ballistic Missile Defense System.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-817 September 6, 2005 In 2002, the Department of Defense (DOD) implemented a new acquisition model to develop a Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) that included all major missile defense acquisitions, some of which were being developed by the military services. The ...
Defense Health Care: DOD has Established a Chiropractic Benefit for Active Duty Personnel.
Jan 01, 2006 ... GAO-05-890R September 6, 2005 The Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (NDAA 2001) directed the Department of Defense (DOD) to develop and implement a plan to make a chiropractic benefit available to all active duty personnel in the U.S. armed ...