Advanced search    Help

Clear all search criteria

Only 2/3! You are seeing results from the Public Collection, not the complete Full Collection. Sign in to search everything (see eligibility).

• Federal Personal Property Disposal: Procedures and Reforms [August 20, 2019]

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  From the Summary: "'Federal personal property' is generally defined as anything the government owns that is not real property. Common examples of personal property include furniture, cars, laptops, scientific equipment, and machinery. Sound management of the government's personal property inventory--which is valued at more than $1 trillion--is necessary to mitigate the risk of waste, fraud, and loss. Federal statutes and regulations require agencies to regularly survey their personal property inventories and dispose of items they no longer need (excess personal property). When an agency identifies excess property, it must first offer it at no charge to other federal agencies. If excess property is not transferred to another federal agency, it is then declared 'surplus' and may be transferred to a State Agency for Surplus Property (SASP) for distribution to state and local governments and nonprofits. Surplus personal property that is not donated may be sold to the public. Unsold surplus property may be abandoned or destroyed (including through recycling)."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Hatch, Garrett Leigh

  2019-08-20
• North Korea: U.S. Relations, Nuclear Diplomacy, and Internal Situation [June 17, 2011]

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "North Korea has been among the most vexing and persistent problems in U.S. foreign policy in the post-Cold War period. The United States has never had formal diplomatic relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (the official name for North Korea). Negotiations over North Korea's nuclear weapons program have consumed the past three U.S. administrations, even as some analysts anticipated a collapse of the isolated authoritarian regime. North Korea has been the recipient of well over $1 billion in U.S. aid and the target of dozens of U.S. sanctions. This report provides background information on the negotiations over North Korea's nuclear weapons program that began in the early 1990s under the Clinton Administration. As U.S. policy toward Pyongyang evolved through the George W. Bush presidency and into the Obama Administration, the negotiations moved from mostly bilateral to the multilateral Six-Party Talks (made up of China, Japan, Russia, North Korea, South Korea, and the United States). Although the negotiations have reached some key agreements that lay out deals for aid and recognition to North Korea in exchange for denuclearization, major problems with implementation have persisted. With talks suspended since 2009, concern about proliferation to other actors has grown. […] Modest attempts at engaging North Korea, including joint operations to recover U.S. servicemen's remains from the Korean War and some discussion about opening a U.S. liaison office in Pyongyang, remain suspended along with the nuclear negotiations."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Hatch, Garrett Leigh

  2011-06-17
• Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act: Background, Overview, and Implementation Issues [October 6, 2006]

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "On September 26, 2006, President Bush signed into law S. 2590, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (P.L. 109-282). According to supporters of the new law, P.L. 109-282 is an attempt to reduce 'wasteful and unnecessary spending' by the federal government, including spending on funds earmarked for special projects. To that end, the legislation requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to establish a publicly available, online database containing information about entities that are awarded federal grants, loans, and contracts. Using the database, supporters assert, a citizen or watchdog group will be able to easily determine how much money was given to which organizations, and for what purposes. The premise of the new law is that by making the details of federal spending available to the public, government officials will be less likely to fund projects that might be perceived as wasteful. Supporters of the legislation also suggest that the new database will give citizens the opportunity to better understand how the government distributes funds and enable the public to become more involved in the discussion of federal spending priorities. […] This report initially discusses the background of S. 2590, noting in particular how it compared to similar legislation in the House of Representatives. It then discusses the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act's provisions, noting what types of assistance are to be part of the new database, the primary sources of the data, and deadlines for implementation. Finally, the report identifies and discusses several issues that have been raised regarding the act that may affect its implementation, and that therefore may prove to be areas for future congressional oversight."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Hatch, Garrett Leigh

  2006-10-06
• Federal Real Property Data: Limitations and Implications for Oversight [November 25, 2015]

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  From the Introduction: "The federal executive branch controls an extensive real property portfolio that includes more than a quarter of a million owned and leased buildings.. These buildings have been acquired over a period of decades to help federal agencies fulfill their unique missions. Agencies hold buildings with a range of uses, including offices, warehouses, barracks, laboratories, and hospitals. The cost of operating and maintaining these diverse properties, which total more than 2.8 billion square feet, exceeded $21 billion in FY2014. Oversight of the federal real property portfolio has been a priority for oversight committees in recent congresses, with committees in both the House and the Senate holding hearings and introducing legislation to improve, in particular, the management of federal buildings. Congressional oversight has focused in large part on four building management issues identified by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which has put real property on its annual 'high-risk list' since 2003. […] This report focuses on the challenges to effective oversight posed by the lack of accurate and reliable real property data, particularly as it relates to the disposal of unneeded buildings and the government's overreliance on costly leases. The balance of this report consists of three sections. The first section analyzes potential weaknesses in the data available to Congress on unutilized and underutilized buildings. The second section examines the nature of the government's reliance on costly leases and discusses which data elements might enhance oversight of leased building space. The final section of the report discusses options for policymakers to consider should they seek to address these data issues."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Hatch, Garrett Leigh

  2015-11-25
• Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board: New Independent Agency Status [August 27, 2012]

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "Recommended by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission), the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) was initially established as an agency within the Executive Office of the President (EOP) in 2004. Critics, however, maintained that the board appeared to be a presidential appendage, devoid of the capability to exercise independent judgment and assessment or to provide impartial findings and recommendations. This viewpoint gained acceptance in the 110th Congress when the PCLOB was reconstituted as an independent agency within the executive branch by the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act (IR9/11CA), signed into law on August 6, 2007. On January 5, 2011, President Obama nominated two people to serve on the board, and on December 16, 2011, he nominated three others. On August 2, 2012, the Senate confirmed four nominees to the PCLOB, although the proposed chair of the board has not yet been confirmed. This report will be updated as events warrant."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Hatch, Garrett Leigh

  2012-08-27
• Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board: New Independent Agency Status [November 14, 2011]

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "Recommended by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission), the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) was initially established as an agency within the Executive Office of the President (EOP) in 2004. Critics, however, maintained that the board appeared to be a presidential appendage, devoid of the capability to exercise independent judgment and assessment or to provide impartial findings and recommendations. This viewpoint gained acceptance in the 110th Congress when the PCLOB was reconstituted as an independent agency within the executive branch by the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act (IR9/11CA), signed into law on August 6, 2007. On January 5, 2011, President Obama nominated two people to serve on the board, but the Senate has not confirmed either. This report will be updated as events warrant."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Hatch, Garrett Leigh

  2011-11-14
• FY2011 Appropriations: A Side-by-Side Comparison of Key Proposals and Enacted Legislation [September 12, 2011]

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "FY2011 funding levels were not enacted in the 111th Congress. Thus, the debate over FY2011 appropriations continued into the 112th Congress and FY2011 spending proposals became a key focal point in the budget debates between the now-Republican-controlled House of Representatives and the Obama Administration. This report was originally intended to facilitate comparison of three key spending proposals for FY2011--the Administration's budget request, H.R. 1, and S.Amdt. 149 to H.R. 1--to FY2010 enacted funding levels. It has been updated to include the enacted FY2011 appropriations in P.L. 112-10. The report begins with a brief analysis of how each proposal could be expected to impact the federal budget deficit. The bulk of the report consists of a funding table that details the recommended discretionary appropriations in these proposals, by subcommittee and bill title, and compares the enacted FY2010 and enacted FY2011 appropriations. More detailed analysis of individual appropriations measures can be found at CRS.gov. This is the final update of this report."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Lawson, Marian Leonardo; Hatch, Garrett Leigh

  2011-09-12
• Financial Services and General Government (FSGG): FY2011 Appropriations [June 14, 2011]

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "The Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) appropriations bill includes funding for the Department of the Treasury, the Executive Office of the President, the judiciary, the District of Columbia, and 26 independent agencies. Among the independent agencies funded by the bill are the Small Business Administration, the Office of Personnel Management, and the United States Postal Service. The FSGG FY2010 appropriations were provided through P.L. 111-117, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010. P.L. 111-117 provided $46.265 billion for FSGG agencies in FY2010. In addition, P.L. 111-80 provided an additional $169 million for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission--which is under the jurisdiction of the FSGG Subcommittee in the Senate but not in the House--for a total of $46.434 billion for FSGG agencies in FY2010. […] On April 15, 2011, President Obama signed H.R. 1473, the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2011, into law (P.L. 112-10). The bill provides FSGG agencies with $44.745 billion for FY2011, a decrease of $1.69 billion from FY2010 enacted levels and $3.47 billion less that the President's FY2011 request. FY2011 enacted figures may be revised when further details become available."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Hatch, Garrett Leigh

  2011-06-14
• Financial Services and General Government (FSGG): FY2011 Appropriations [July 11, 2011]

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "The Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) appropriations bill includes funding for the Department of the Treasury, the Executive Office of the President, the judiciary, the District of Columbia, and 26 independent agencies. Among the independent agencies funded by the bill are the Small Business Administration, the Office of Personnel Management, and the United States Postal Service. The FSGG FY2010 appropriations were provided through P.L. 111-117, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010. P.L. 111-117 provided $46.265 billion for FSGG agencies in FY2010. In addition, P.L. 111-80 provided an additional $169 million for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission--which is under the jurisdiction of the FSGG Subcommittee in the Senate but not in the House--for a total of $46.434 billion for FSGG agencies in FY2010. On February 1, 2010, President Obama issued his FY2011 FSGG budget request for $48.219 billion, an increase of $1.785 billion over FY2010 appropriations. On July 29, 2010, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved S. 3677, which would provide FSGG agencies with $48.296 billion for FY2011, an increase of $1.861 billion above FY2010 appropriations. On February 19, 2011, the House passed H.R. 1, which would provide FSGG agencies with $43.298 billion for FY2011, $3.136 billion below FY2010 enacted appropriations. On April 15, 2011, President Obama signed H.R. 1473, the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2011, into law (P.L. 112-10). The bill provides FSGG agencies with $44.745 billion for FY2011, a decrease of $1.69 billion from FY2010 enacted levels and $3.47 billion less that the President's FY2011 request. FY2011 enacted figures may be revised when further details become available."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Hatch, Garrett Leigh

  2011-07-11
• Disposal of Unneeded Federal Buildings: Legislative Proposals in the 112th Congress [August 6, 2012]

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "Federal executive branch agencies hold an extensive real property portfolio that includes approximately 399,000 buildings. These assets have been acquired over a period of decades to help agencies fulfill their diverse missions. Agencies hold buildings with a range of uses, including offices, health clinics, warehouses, and laboratories. As agencies' missions change over time, so, too, do their real property needs, thereby rendering some assets less useful or unneeded altogether. Healthcare provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), for example, has shifted in recent decades from predominately hospital-based inpatient care to a greater reliance on clinics and outpatient care, with a resulting change in space needs. Similarly, the Department of Defense (DOD) reduced its force structure by 36% after the Cold War ended, and has engaged in several rounds of base realignments and installation closures. Real property disposition is the process by which federal agencies identify and then transfer, donate, or sell real property they no longer need. Disposition is an important asset management function because the costs of maintaining unneeded properties can be substantial, consuming financial resources that might be applied to pressing real property needs, such as repairing existing facilities, or towards other pressing policy issues, such as reducing the national debt."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Hatch, Garrett Leigh

  2012-08-06
• Financial Services and General Government: FY2012 Appropriations [September 19, 2011]

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "The Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) appropriations bill includes funding for the Department of the Treasury, the Executive Office of the President (EOP), the judiciary, the District of Columbia, and more than two dozen independent agencies. Among those independent agencies are the General Services Administration (GSA), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the United States Postal Service (USPS). The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is funded in the House through the Agriculture appropriations bill and in the Senate through the FSGG bill. CFTC funding is included in all FSGG funding tables in this report. […] On April 14, 2011, the House and the Senate passed H.R. 1473, the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2011, which the President signed into law (P.L. 112- 10) the following day. The act provides $44.69 billion for FSGG agencies, including $203 million for the CFTC, for FY2011, a decrease of $1.74 billion below FY2010 enacted amounts. On July 7, 2011, the House Appropriations Committee reported H.R. 2434, the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2012. H.R. 2434 would provide $42.97 billion for agencies funded through the House FSGG Appropriations Subcommittee. In addition, the CFTC would receive $172 million through the FY2012 agriculture appropriations bill, H.R. 2112. Total FY2012 funding provided by the House would be $43.14 billion, about $5.58 billion below the President's FY2012 request and $1.55 billion less than FY2011 enacted amounts."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Hatch, Garrett Leigh

  2011-09-19
• Financial Services and General Government: FY2013 Appropriations [September 14, 2012]

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "The Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill provides funding for the Department of the Treasury, the Executive Office of the President (EOP), the judiciary, the District of Columbia, and more than two dozen independent agencies. Among those independent agencies are the General Services Administration (GSA), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the United States Postal Service (USPS). The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is funded in the House through the Agriculture appropriations bill and in the Senate through the FSGG bill. CFTC funding is included in all FSGG funding tables in this report."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Hatch, Garrett Leigh

  2012-09-14
• Financial Services and General Government: A Summary of the President's FY2013 Budget Request [April 10, 2012]

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "The Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) appropriations bill includes funding for the Department of the Treasury, the Executive Office of the President (EOP), the judiciary, the District of Columbia, and more than two dozen independent agencies. Among those independent agencies are the General Services Administration (GSA), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the United States Postal Service (USPS). The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is funded in the House through the Agriculture appropriations bill and in the Senate through the Financial Services and General Government bill. CFTC funding is included in all FSGG funding tables in this report. For FY2013 [Fiscal Year 2013], the President has requested $45.83 billion for agencies funded through FSGG appropriations, an increase of $1.41 billion above amounts enacted for FY2012."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Hatch, Garrett Leigh

  2012-04-10
• Bush Administration Policy Regarding Congressionally Originated Earmarks: An Overview [September 4, 2008]

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  "In January 2008, the President announced he would veto future appropriations bills that did not cut the number and funding of Administration-identified earmarks by half, relative to FY2008. The President also issued Executive Order (E.O.) 13457, which directed that agencies 'should not' fund non-statutory earmarks, except under some conditions. These are the latest in a series of developments that began in January 2007, when the President proposed that Congress should (1) cut the number and funding of congressionally originated earmarks by at least half for FY2008 appropriations, relative to FY2005, and (2) place them only in statutory text, not report language. In January 2007, the Administration issued its own definition of earmark, whose language (and perhaps meaning) evolved over time in Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memoranda. A final definition appears to have been established in E.O. 13457, but its meaning probably is informed by the evolution and contents of previously articulated definitions. Later, OMB established an 'Earmarks' website, containing a database of Administration-identified earmarks, to track congressional action. Potential related issues for Congress involve, generally, roles and responsibilities for Congress, the President, agencies, and the public in the U.S. political system; defining, identifying, and overseeing earmarks; the executive order; the 'Earmarks' website and database; and potential representational consequences. This report emphasizes analysis of E.O. 13457. For a legal analysis of E.O. 13457, see CRS [Congressional Research Service] Report RL34373, 'Earmarks Executive Order: Legal Issues', by Thomas J. Nicola and T.J. Halstead."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Brass, Clinton T.; Hatch, Garrett Leigh; Petersen, R. Eric

  2008-09-04
• Select Mail Delivery Provisions in the Postal Service Reform Act of 2021 (H.R. 3076) [June 2, 2021]

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  From the Document: "On May 11, 2021, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee [hyperlink] Chair Carolyn Maloney introduced H.R. 3076, the Postal Service Reform Act (PSRA). H.R. 3076 proposes a series of large- and small-scale changes to the organization and operations of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) in order to 'put the USPS on the path towards fiscal sustainability and efficiency [hyperlink].' On May 13, 2021, the committee by voice vote ordered H.R. 3076 to be reported. This Insight provides a summary of the operational reforms proposed in Sections 202, 206, and 208 of the bill."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Hatch, Garrett Leigh

  2021-06-02
• Misuse of Government Purchase Cards [July 30, 2008]

  Show summary     Open resource [pdf]     (open full abstract)

  From the Summary: "Since the mid-1990s, the use of government purchase cards has expanded at a rapid rate. Spurred by legislative and regulatory reforms designed to increase the use of purchase cards for small acquisitions, the dollar volume of government purchase card transactions grew from $527 million in FY1993, to $18.7 billion in FY2007. While the use of purchase cards has been credited with reducing administrative costs, audits of agency purchase card programs have found varying degrees of waste, fraud, and abuse. One of the most common risk factors cited by auditors is a weak internal control environment: many agencies have failed to implement adequate safeguards against card misuse, even as their purchase card programs grew. […] Drawing on GAO [Government Accountability Office] recommendations, the bill would require agencies, other than the Department of Defense (DOD), to implement a specific set of internal controls, establish penalties for employees who misuse agency purchase cards, and conduct periodic risk assessments and audits of agency purchase card programs. DOD would be required to expand its use of technology to prevent and identify fraudulent purchases, conduct periodic risk assessments and audits, and develop more specific rules regarding card deactivation of former DOD employees. This report begins by providing background on agency purchase card programs. It then discusses identified weaknesses in agency purchase card controls that have contributed to card misuse, and examines legislation introduced in the 110th Congress that would address these weaknesses. The report will be updated as events warrant."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Hatch, Garrett Leigh

  2008-07-30