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The Federal Role in Technology Development

Description: The federal government has traditionally played a role in fostering technological progress. This has involved both direct federal research and development (R&D) funding and indirect measures that create incentives for increased private sector investments in innovation. However, this mix of initiatives was challenged since the 104th Congress. While support for all on-going efforts continues, some programs have been funded at reduced levels. However, since FY2001, appropriations appear to have re… more
Date: July 30, 2002
Creator: Schacht, Wendy H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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National Forests: Information on the Process and Data Used to revise the Chugach Forest Plan

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Chugach National Forest in Alaska is the second largest of the 155 forests in the National Forest System and stretches across an immensely varied and scenic area. The Forest Service revised the Chugach National Forest Plan in accordance with planning regulations that require the Forest Service to solicit and respond to public concerns in (1) identifying issues to be considered in revising the plans, (2) de… more
Date: July 26, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Medicaid and SCHIP: Recent HHS Approvals of Demonstration Waiver Projects Raise Concerns

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "States provide health care coverage to about 40 million uninsured, low-income adults and children under two federal-state programs--Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). To receive federal funding, states must meet statutory requirements, including providing certain levels of benefits to specified populations. Under section 1115 of the Social Security Act, the Secretary of Health … more
Date: July 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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SEC Operations: Implications of Alternative Funding Structures

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO studied the implications of converting the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to a self-funded entity. Congress has created a range of self-funding structures, or other sources of funding, other than appropriations for the Department of the Treasury's general fund. The variations among these agencies depend on how and when Congress makes the fees available to an agency and how much flexibility Congre… more
Date: July 16, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Space Station: Actions Under Way to Manage Cost, but Significant Challenges Remain

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) revealed that the cost to complete assembly of the international space station has risen from $25 billion to $30 billion. Much of that cost growth is due to inadequate definition of requirements, changes in program content, schedule delays, and poor program oversight. Weaknesses in the program's cost-estimating process call into question the credibility … more
Date: July 17, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Workforce Investment Act: States and Localities Increasingly Coordinate Services for TANF Clients, but Better Information Needed on Effective Approaches

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The 1998 Workforce Investment Act (WIA) required states to provide most federally funded employment-related services through one-stop centers. Two years earlier, welfare reform legislation created the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant which provided flexibility to states to focus on helping needy adults with children find and maintain employment. Nearly all states reported some coordin… more
Date: July 3, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Fruits and Vegetables: Enhanced Federal Efforts to Increase Consumption Could Yield Health Benefits for Americans

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Fruits and vegetables are a critical source of nutrients and other substances that help protect against chronic diseases. Yet fewer than one in four Americans consumes the 5 to 9 daily servings of fruits and vegetables recommended by the federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Fruit and vegetable consumption by the general public as a whole has increased by about half a serving under key federal nutritional … more
Date: July 25, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Political Organizations: Data Disclosure and IRS's Oversight of Organizations Should Be Improved

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Tax-exempt organizations seeking to influence political elections--called Section 527 organizations--are estimated to spend millions of dollars annually in federal elections. These organizations use unregulated "soft money" for issue advocacy, such as sponsoring an advertisement that supports or opposes a candidate's position on an issue. Although all states require these groups to publicly release data on the… more
Date: July 17, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Veterans' Benefits: VBA's Efforts to Implement the Veterans Claims Assistance Act Need Further Monitoring

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000 was passed in response to concerns expressed by veterans, veterans service organizations, and Congress over a 1999 decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims that held that the VA did not have a duty to assist veterans in developing their claims unless they were "well-grounded." The Veterans' Benefits Administration (VBA) has taken a number of steps, in… more
Date: July 1, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Canceled DOD Appropriations: Improvements Made but More Corrective Actions Are Needed

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Congress changed the law governing the use of appropriation accounts in 1990 because it found that the Department of Defense (DOD) may have spent hundreds of millions of dollars for purposes that Congress had not approved. The 1990 law provided that, 5 years after the expiration of the period of availability of a fixed-term appropriation, the appropriation account be closed and all remaining balances canceled.… more
Date: July 31, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Medicare Home Health Agencies: Weaknesses in Federal and State Oversight Mask Potential Quality Issues

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The 6,900 Home Health Agencies (HHAs) that serve Medicare beneficiaries must meet federal requirements, known as conditions of participation (COP), to ensure that they have the appropriate staff, are following the plan of care specified by a physician, maintain medical records to document the care provided, and periodically reassess each patient's condition. Although nationwide surveys done at HHAs since 1998 … more
Date: July 19, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Gun Control: Potential Effects of Next-Day Destruction of NICS Background Check Records

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) would be affected if data on the sale of firearms by licensed dealers were destroyed within 24 hours after the transfers were allowed to proceed. Under the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, licensed dealers are not to transfer firearms to an individual until a NICS search determines that the transfer will … more
Date: July 10, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Missile Defense: Knowledge-Based Decision Making Needed to Reduce Risks in Developing Airborne Laser

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Air Force launched an acquisition program to develop and produce a revolutionary laser weapon system, known as the Airborne Laser, in 1996. Being developed for installation in a modified Boeing 747 aircraft, it is intended to destroy enemy ballistic missiles almost immediately after their launch. The Air Force originally estimated development costs at $2.5 billion and projected fielding of the system in 20… more
Date: July 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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HUD Human Capital Management: Comprehensive Strategic Workforce Planning Needed

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Looming retirements during the next 5 years at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have brought the need for workforce planning to the forefront. HUD has done some workforce planning and has determined how many staff it needs to meet its current workload, but it does not have a comprehensive strategic workforce plan to guide its recruiting, hiring, and other key human capital efforts. Workfor… more
Date: July 24, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Best Practices: Capturing Design and Manufacturing Knowledge Early Improves Acquisition Outcomes

Description: A chapter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report examines how best practices offer improvements to the way the Department of Defense (DOD) develops new weapons systems, primarily the design and manufacturing aspects of the acquisition process. Knowledge about a product's design and producibility facilitates informed decisions about whether to significantly increase investments and reduces the risk of costly design changes later in the program. L… more
Date: July 15, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense Inventory: Improved Industrial Base Assessments for Army War Reserve Spares Could Save Money

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Army's approach to assessing wartime spare parts industrial base capability does not use current data from industry. Instead, the Army uses historical parts procurement data because its prior efforts to collect current data from industry were not successful due to poor response rates. GAO identified a program in the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) that has several attributes reflecting sound management prac… more
Date: July 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Multifamily Housing: Improvements Needed in HUD's Oversight of Lenders That Underwrite FHA-Insured Loans

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Each year, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insures billions of dollars in multifamily housing mortgage loans to help construct, rehabilitate, purchase, and refinance apartments and health care facilities. However, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) lacks assurances that the lenders approved for the Multifamily Accelerated Processing (MAP) program always meet all of HUD's qualificati… more
Date: July 19, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Welfare Reform: With TANF Flexibility, States Vary in How They Implement Work Requirements and Time Limits

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Congress created the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant to replace the previous welfare program and help welfare recipients transition into employment. To this end, states are required to enforce work requirements, and face financial penalties if a minimum percentage of adults receiving cash assistance do not participate in work or work-related activities each year. This federal partici… more
Date: July 5, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Acquisition Workforce: Agencies Need to Better Define and Track the Training of Their Employees

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO's continuing reviews of the acquisition workforce, focusing on the Department of Defense (DOD); the Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force; the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Energy, and Health and Human Services; the General Services Administration; and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, indicate that some of the government's largest procurement operations are not run efficiently.… more
Date: July 29, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Columbia River Basin Salmon and Steelhead: Federal Agencies' Recovery Responsibilities, Expenditures and Actions

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Before 1850, an estimated 16 million salmon and steelhead returned to the Columbia River Basin annually to spawn. Over the past 25 years, the number of salmon and steelhead returning to the Columbia River Basin has averaged only 660,000 per year although annual population levels have varied widely. Factors such as over-harvesting, construction and operation of dams, degradation of spawning habitat, increased h… more
Date: July 26, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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International Trade: Federal Action Needed to Help Small Businesses Address Foreign Patent Challenges

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Small and start-up businesses are principal sources of innovation and are vital to U.S. economic growth. Statistics show that small business created more than 5.5 million new jobs in the United States during the 1990s. In the current global economy, protecting innovations in the United States and abroad is an important component of small businesses' ability to develop overseas markets. The cost of obtaining, m… more
Date: July 17, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Welfare Reform: Outcomes for TANF Recipients with Impairments

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 created the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grants to states, which emphasizes work and responsibility over dependence on government benefits. GAO found that impairments are common among TANF recipients and their children, with 44 percent of TANF recipients reporting that they or their children had impairments, com… more
Date: July 8, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Mortgage Financing: Changes in the Performance of FHA-Insured Loans

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans made in recent years have experienced somewhat higher foreclosure rates than loans made in earlier years. However, recent loans are performing much better than loans made in the 1980s. Although economic factors such as house price appreciation are key determinants of mortgage foreclosure, changes in underwriting requirements, as well as changes in the conventional mor… more
Date: July 10, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Contract Management: Interagency Contract Program Fees Need More Oversight

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Federal interagency contract service programs are being used in a wide variety of situations, from those in which a single agency provides limited contracting assistance to an approach in which the provider agency's contracting officer handles all aspects of the procurement. This increased use of interagency contracts is a result of reforms and legislation passed in the 1990s, allowing agencies to streamline t… more
Date: July 25, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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