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 aviation security, military depot maintenance, and Navy shipbuilding. If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports

• Aviation Security: TSA Has Completed Key Activities Associated with Implementing Secure Flight, but Additional Actions Are Needed to Mitigate Risks. GAO-09-292, May 13.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-292
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09292high.pdf
• Best Practices: High Levels of Knowledge at Key Points Differentiate Commercial Shipbuilding from Navy Shipbuilding. GAO-09-322, May 13.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-322
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09322high.pdf
• Depot Maintenance: Actions Needed to Identify and Establish Core Capability at Military Depots. GAO-09-83, May 14.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-83
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0983high.pdf
• Federal Rulemaking: Improvements Needed to Monitoring and Evaluation of Rules Development as Well as to the Transparency of OMB Regulatory Reviews. GAO-09-205, April 20.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-205
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09205high.pdf
  
• Financial Audit: Congressional Award Foundation's Fiscal Years 2008 and 2007 Financial Statements. GAO-09-652, May 15.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-652
• IRS Management: IRS Practices Contribute to Its Resilience, but It Would Benefit from Additional Emergency Planning Efforts. GAO-09-418, April 9.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-418
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09418high.pdf
• Military Housing Privatization: DOD Faces New Challenges Due to Significant Growth at Some Installations and Recent Turmoil in the Financial Markets. GAO-09-352, May 15.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-352
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09352high.pdf
• Motor Carrier Safety: Commercial Vehicle Registration Program Has Kept Unsafe Carriers from Operating, but Effectiveness Is Difficult to Measure. GAO-09-495, May 12.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-495
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09495high.pdf
  

Testimony

• Strategic Petroleum Reserve: Issues Regarding the Inclusion of Refined Petroleum Products as Part of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, by Franklin Rusco, director, natural resources and environment, before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. GAO-09-695T, May 12.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-695T
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09695thigh.pdf

Reissued Product

• Medicare: Improvements Needed to Address Improper Payments in Home Health. GAO-09-185, February 27. [Product revised to correct references throughout the report related to the percentage growth in the number of home health agencies that billed Medicare and to more clearly describe the report's methodology.]
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-185
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09185high.pdf