GAO Releases This Week

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This week they investigated a variety of issues, such as bankruptcy, the Endangered Species Act, and modernizing the financial regulatory system. If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports

• Bankruptcy: Judiciary Should Take Further Steps to Make Bankruptcy Data More Accessible. GAO-09-28, December 18.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-28
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0928high.pdf
  
• Federal User Fees: Additional Analyses and Timely Reviews Could Improve Immigration and Naturalization User Fee Design and USCIS Operations. GAO-09-180, January 23.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-180
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09180high.pdf
• High-Risk Series: An Update. GAO-09-271, January 2009
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-271
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09271high.pdf
• Immigration Application Fees: Costing Methodology Improvements Would Provide More Reliable Basis for Setting Fees. GAO-09-70, January 23.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-70
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0970high.pdf
• VA Health Care: Long-Term Care Strategic Planning and Budgeting Need Improvement. GAO-09-145, January 23.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-145
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09145high.pdf

Correspondence

• Endangered Species Act: Many GAO Recommendations Have Been Implemented, but Some Issues Remain Unresolved. GAO-09-225R, December 19.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-225R
• Natural Hazard Mitigation and Insurance: The United States and Selected Countries Have Similar Natural Hazard Mitigation Policies but Different Insurance Approaches. GAO-09-188R, December 22.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-188R

Testimonies

• Financial Regulation: A Framework for Crafting and Assessing Proposals to Modernize the Outdated U.S. Financial Regulatory System, by Gene L. Dodaro, acting comptroller general, before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. GAO-09-314T, January 21.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-314T
• Real Property: Infrastructure Investment Presents Opportunities to Address Long-standing Real Property Backlogs and Reduce Energy Consumption, by Terrell G. Dorn, director, physical infrastructure, before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. GAO-09-324T, January 22.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-324T