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).
-
2020 Census: Bureau Needs to Take Additional Actions to Address Key Risks to a Successful Enumeration, Statement of Robert Goldenkoff, Director, Strategic Issues, and Nick Marinos, Director, Information Technology and Cybersecurity, Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Committee on Oversight and Reform, House of Representatives
From the Highlights: "The Bureau is responsible for conducting a complete and accurate decennial census of the U.S. population. The decennial census is mandated by the Constitution and provides vital data for the nation. A complete count of the nation's population is an enormous undertaking as the Bureau seeks to control the cost of the census, implement operational innovations, and use new and modified IT [information technology] systems. In recent years, GAO [Government Accountability Office] has identified challenges that raise serious concerns about the Bureau's ability to conduct a cost-effective count. For these reasons, GAO added the 2020 Census to its High-Risk list in February 2017. GAO was asked to testify about the reasons the 2020 Census remains on the High-Risk List and the steps the Bureau needs to take to mitigate risks to a successful census. To do so, GAO summarized its prior work regarding the Bureau's planning efforts for the 2020 Census. GAO also included preliminary observations from its ongoing work examining the IT systems readiness and cybersecurity for the 2020 Census. This information is related to, among other things, the Bureau's progress in developing and testing key systems and the status of cybersecurity risks."
United States. Government Accountability Office
Goldenkoff, Robert; Marinos, Nick
2019-07-24
-
Veterans Health Care: Opportunities Remain to Improve Appointment Scheduling Within VA and Through Community Care, Statement of Debra A. Draper, Director, Health Care, Testimony Before the Committee on Veteran' Affairs, House of Representatives
From the Highlights: "The majority of veterans utilizing VA [Department of Veterans Affairs] health care services receive care in VA-operated medical facilities, including 172 VA medical centers and more than 1,000 outpatient facilities. For nearly 20 years, GAO [Government Accountability Office] has reported on the challenges VA medical facilities have faced providing health care services in a timely manner. When veterans face wait times at VA medical facilities, they may be able to receive services from VA's community care programs, which VA estimates will be 19 percent of its $86.5 billion in health care obligations in fiscal year 2020. This testimony focuses on GAO's large body of work on veterans' access to care and the status of VA's efforts to address GAO's recommendations, including those from GAO's June 2018 report on VA's community care programs and from GAO's December 2012 report on VA's scheduling of timely medical appointments that VA has provided information on through July 2019. It also includes preliminary observations on related ongoing work."
United States. Government Accountability Office
Draper, Debra A.
2019-07-24
-
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: S. 1052, Rare Earth Element Advanced Coal Technologies Act
From the Document: "S. 1052 would authorize the appropriation of $23 million annually over the 2020-2027 period for the Department of Energy (DOE) to develop advanced technologies to extract rare earth elements and minerals from coal and coal byproducts. In 2019, DOE allocated $18 million for such activities. The bill also would direct DOE to submit a report to the Congress on the development of such technologies. Based on historical spending patterns for similar activities, and assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that implementing S. 1052 would cost $66 million over the 2019-2024 period and $165 million over the 2019-2029 period."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2019-07-24
-
Congressional Budget Office Preliminary Cost Estimate: H.R. 3409, Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2019
From the Document: "H.R. 3409 would authorize appropriations for the ongoing activities of the Coast Guard. Direct spending costs result primarily from section 212 (Research Projects; Transactions Other Than Contracts and Grants), which would allow the Coast Guard to spend funds recovered without further appropriation, and section 426 (Liability Limits), which would allow the Coast Guard to lower the liability limits for deepwater ports for the costs of oil spill removal and damages."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2019-07-24
-
FEMA Must Take Additional Steps to Demonstrate the Importance of Fraud Prevention and Awareness in FEMA Disaster Assistance Programs
From the Highlights: "FEMA's disaster assistance programs are highly susceptible to fraud, waste, and abuse, which poses significant risk to taxpayer dollars. Our objective was to determine the extent to which FEMA has instituted effective mechanisms to demonstrate the importance of fraud prevention in its disaster assistance programs."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2019-07-24
-
Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Program: Background and Issues for Congress [Updated July 24, 2019]
From the Introduction: "This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the Aegis ballistic missile defense (BMD) program, which is carried out by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the Navy, and gives Navy Aegis cruisers and destroyers a capability for conducting BMD operations. The issue for Congress is whether to approve, reject, or modify Department of Defense (DOD) acquisition strategies and proposed funding levels for the Aegis BMD program. Congress's decisions on the Aegis BMD program could significantly affect U.S. BMD capabilities and funding requirements, and the BMD-related industrial base."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2019-07-24
-
Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress [Updated July 24, 2019]
From the Introduction: "This report provides background information and potential oversight issues for Congress on the 'Gerald R. Ford' (CVN-78) class aircraft carrier program. The Navy's proposed FY2019 budget requests a total of $2,347 million (i.e., about $2.3 billion) in procurement funding for the CVN-78 program. Congress's decisions on the CVN-78 program could substantially."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2019-07-24
-
Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress [July 24, 2019]
From the Introduction: "This report presents background information and issues for Congress concerning the Navy's force structure and shipbuilding plans. The current and planned size and composition of the Navy, the rate of Navy ship procurement, and the prospective affordability of the Navy's shipbuilding plans have been oversight matters for the congressional defense committees for many years. [...] The issue for Congress is whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy's proposed FY2020 shipbuilding program and the Navy's longer-term shipbuilding plans. Decisions that Congress makes on this issue can substantially affect Navy capabilities and funding requirements, and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2019-07-24
-
Proposed U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) Trade Agreement [Updated July 24, 2019]
From the Overview: "On November 30, 2018, President Trump and the leaders of Canada and Mexico signed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Concluded on September 30, 2018, USMCA would revise and modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Pursuant to trade promotion authority (TPA), the Administration notified Congress of its intention to enter into an agreement with Mexico, and with Canada if it was willing to join. On September 30, 2018, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced that the three countries had reached an agreement on a USMCA trade deal that would revise, modernize, and replace NAFTA upon ratification. On May 30, 2019, the Administration submitted a draft Statement of Administrative Action (SAA) to implement the proposed USMCA and a copy of the legal text, in accordance with TPA procedures. This product provides preliminary comparative analysis between the two agreements."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Fergusson, Ian F.; Villarreal, M. Angeles
2019-07-24
-
Strategic Petroleum Reserve: Mandated Sales and Reform [Updated July 24, 2019]
From the Introduction: "The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), administered by the Department of Energy (DOE), has been a part of U.S. oil security policy for over 40 years. Originally intended as a reserve to replace oil that might be withdrawn from the world market to forward political purposes and objectives, its rationale has evolved with the changing world oil market and the role of the United States in the market. In addition to replacing oil lost to political turmoil, as in Libya in 2011, in recent years it has been more commonly used to replace oil supplies curtailed due to natural disasters, mainly hurricanes. The effects of hurricanes, especially those of the magnitude of Katrina, Rita, and others, has threatened to disrupt oil production, refining, and distribution, creating potential economic dislocation. Use of oil from the SPR has helped to minimize the economic effect of those events."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Pirog, Robert L.
2019-07-24
-
Real Time Payments Initiatives [July 24, 2019]
From the Document: "Technological advances have made it feasible to create a real time payments (RTP) network between financial institutions in which the recipient of an electronic payment would receive funds in seconds, compared to the current practice of later in the day or the next day. RTPs could potentially be introduced by the Federal Reserve (Fed), private-sector competitors, or both. What role, if any, the Fed should play in RTP development is a matter of debate. [...] This Insight discusses payment and settlement systems that allow individuals and businesses to complete payments across different financial institutions and platforms."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Labonte, Marc
2019-07-24
-
Wilderness: Overview, Management, and Statistics [Updated July 24, 2019]
From the Summary: "Congress enacted the Wilderness Act in 1964. This act created the National Wilderness Preservation System, reserved to Congress the authority to designate wilderness areas, and directed the Secretaries of Agriculture and of the Interior to review certain lands for their wilderness potential. The act also designated 54 wilderness areas with 9 million acres of federal land. Congress began expanding the Wilderness System in 1968, and as of July 15, 2019, there are 803 wilderness areas, totaling over 111 million acres, in 44 states and Puerto Rico. Numerous bills to designate additional areas and to expand existing ones have been introduced and considered in every Congress."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Riddle, Anne A.; Hoover, Katie
2019-07-24
-
H. Rept. 116-181: The Department of State Authorization Act of 2019, Report to Accompany H.R. 3352, July 24, 2019
This is the July 24, 2019 report to accompany H.R. 3352: "The Committee on Foreign Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (H.R. 3352) to provide for certain authorities of the Department of State, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably theron with an amendment and recommend that the bill as amended do pass."
United States. Government Publishing Office
2019-07-24
-
The Debt Limit Since 2011 [Updated July 24, 2019]
From the Summary: "The Constitution grants Congress the power to borrow money on the credit of the United States--one part of its power of the purse--and thus mandates that Congress exercise control over federal debt. Control of debt policy has at times provided Congress with a means of raising concerns regarding fiscal policies. Debates over federal fiscal policy have been especially animated in the past decade, in part because of the accumulation of federal debt in the wake of the 2007-2008 financial crisis and subsequent recession. Rising debt levels, along with continued differences in views of fiscal policy, led to a series of contentious debt limit episodes in recent years."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Austin, D. Andrew
2019-07-24
-
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: S. 553, Blockchain Promotion Act of 2019
From the Document: "S. 553 would require the Department of Commerce to establish a blockchain working group with governmental and nongovernmental members. Within one year of enactment, the bill would require the group to recommend a working definition of blockchain technology, research topics, and opportunities for federal agencies to use blockchain."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2019-07-23
-
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: S. 1286, Energy Technology Maturation Act of 2019
From the Document: "S. 1286 would direct the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a program to promote the commercialization of energy and related technologies that are developed at department facilities such as the National Laboratories. The bill would authorize DOE to use amounts available under the Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) to carry out the program. That fund receives 0.9 percent of the total amount appropriated annually to DOE for applied research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of energy-related technologies."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2019-07-23
-
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: S. 731, Anti-Border Corruption Improvement Act
From the Document: "Current law requires Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to administer polygraph examinations to nearly all applicants for law enforcement positions. S. 731 would broaden the criteria for waiving that requirement for certain applicants. Using information from CBP, CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that implementing the bill would have no significant effect on the agency's spending to vet applicants for law enforcement positions because the expanded exemption would probably not affect very many people."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2019-07-23
-
Disaster Assistance: FEMA Has Taken Steps Toward Better Supporting Individuals Who Are Older or Have Disabilities, Statement of Elizabeth H. Curda, Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security, Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery, Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives
From the GAO (Government Accountability Office) Hightlights: "Three sequential hurricanes--Harvey, Irma, and Maria--affected more than 28 million people in 2017, according to FEMA. Hurricane survivors aged 65 and older and those with disabilities faced particular challenges evacuating to safe shelter, accessing medicine, and obtaining recovery assistance. In June 2018, FEMA began implementing a new approach to assist individuals with disabilities. This statement describes (1) reported challenges faced by these individuals in accessing disaster assistance from FEMA and its nonfederal partners following the 2017 hurricanes; and (2) the extent to which FEMA has implemented changes in how it supports these individuals. This statement is based on a May 2019 GAO report and selected updates. For the report, GAO analyzed FEMA documents and data from FEMA call centers and also visited 2017 hurricane locations to interview state, territorial, and local officials. GAO also interviewed FEMA officials from headquarters and deployed to each disaster location. To update FEMA's progress toward addressing its recommendations, GAO interviewed FEMA officials and analyzed agency documents."
United States. Government Accountability Office
Curda, Elizabeth
2019-07-23
-
H. Rept. 116-167, Part 1: Post-Disaster Assistance Online Accountability Act, Report to Accompany H.R. 1307, Including Cost Estimate of the Congressional Budget Office, July 23, 2019
From the Purpose and Summary: "The purpose of H.R. 1307, the Post-Disaster Assistance Online Accountability Act, is to provide for an online repository for certain reporting requirements for recipients of Federal disaster assistance."
United States. Government Publishing Office
2019-07-23
-
Audit of Protection of DoD Controlled Unclassified Information on Contractor-Owned Networks and Systems (Redacted)
From the Objective: "We determined whether DoD contractors implemented adequate security controls to protect DoD-controlled unclassified information (CUI) maintained on their networks and systems from internal and external cyber threats. CUI is a designation for identifying unclassified information that requires proper safeguarding in accordance with Federal and DoD guidance. We conducted this audit in response to a request from the Secretary of Defense that the DoD Office of Inspector General conduct a DoD-wide audit to determine whether contractors were protecting CUI on their networks and systems."
United States. Department of Defense. Office of the Inspector General
2019-07-23
-
Federal Preemption: A Legal Primer [July 23, 2019]
From the Document: "The Constitution's Supremacy Clause provides that federal law is 'the supreme Law of the Land' notwithstanding any state law to the contrary. This language is the foundation for the doctrine of federal preemption, according to which federal law supersedes conflicting state laws. The Supreme Court has identified two general ways in which federal law can preempt state law. First, federal law can 'expressly' preempt state law when a federal statute or regulation contains explicit preemptive language. Second, federal law can 'impliedly' preempt state law when Congress's preemptive intent is implicit in the relevant federal law's structure and purpose."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Sykes, Jay B.; Vanatko, Nicole
2019-07-23
-
Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies [Updated July 23, 2019]
From the Introduction: "Successive Administrations have identified Iran as a key national security challenge. The Trump Administration assessed the threat posed by Iran in a September 2018 State Department report entitled 'Outlaw Regime: A Chronicle of Iran's Destructive Activities,' which outlined Iran's a litany of Iranian actions that the Administration terms 'the Iranian regime's destructive behavior at home and abroad.' The U.S. intelligence community testified in January 2019 that 'Iran's regional ambitions and improved military capabilities almost certainly will threaten U.S. interests in the coming year, driven by Tehran's perception of increasing U.S., Saudi, and Israeli hostility, as well as continuing border insecurity, and the influence of hardliners.' An annual Defense Department report on Iran's military power required by successive National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAAs) generally contain assessments similar to those presented by the intelligence community."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth
2019-07-23
-
Coup-Related Restrictions in U.S. Foreign Aid Appropriations [Updated July 23, 2019]
From the Document: "Events in 2019 in Sudan and Venezuela have focused renewed attention on a provision that has appeared in annual State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs (SFOPS) appropriations legislation since 1986 that restricts U.S. foreign assistance following a coup d'état. The provision intends to discourage and express U.S. disapproval of militaries seizing control of governments."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Arieff, Alexis; Lawson, Marian Leonardo; Chesser, Susan G.
2019-07-23
-
Real Wage Trends, 1979 to 2018 [Updated July 23, 2019]
From the Introduction: "Wage earnings are the largest source of income for many workers, and wage gains are a primary lever for raising living standards. Evidence that wage growth has stagnated among low- and middle-wage workers has therefore been viewed with concern and has raised questions about the patterns and magnitudes of these trends. This report addresses such questions by examining real (inflation-adjusted) wage trends over the 1979 to 2018 period. Specifically, it uses cross-sectional data collected from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a nationally representative sample of workers, to estimate real hourly wages at the 10th, 50th (median), and 90th percentiles of the wage distribution in each year, and then explores how those wage levels change over time. The sample comprises employed (full-and part-time), nonmilitary nonfarm wage and salary earners aged 25 to 64 years. Finally, all hourly wages were converted to 2018 dollars using the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, U.S. City Average (CPI-U)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Donovan, Sarah A.; Bradley, David H.
2019-07-23
-
Compacts of Free Association: Trust Funds for Micronesia and the Marshall Islands Are Unlikely to Fully Replace Expiring U.S. Annual Grant Assistance, Statement of David Gootnick, Director, International Affairs and Trade, Testimony Before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, U.S. Senate
From the GAO (Government Accountability Office) Highlights: "This testimony summarizes GAO's May 2018 report on compact grants and trust funds (GAO-18-415). In that report, GAO examined (1) the use and role of U.S. funds and programs in the FSM [Federated States of Micronesia] and RMI [Republic of the Marshall Islands] budgets, (2) projected compact trust fund disbursements,and (3) trust fund committee actions needed to address the 2023 transition to trust fund income. For this testimony, GAO also reviewed key variables for its trust fund model as of June 2019 to determine whether these variables had substantially changed. In addition, GAO reviewed the status of Interior's response to GAO's May 2018 recommendations."
United States. Government Accountability Office
Gootnick, David B.
2019-07-23
-
Nursing Homes: Improved Oversight Needed to Better Protect Residents from Abuse, Statement of John E. Dicken, Director, Health Care, Testimony Before the Committee on Finance, U.S. Senate
From the Document: "Nationwide, about 1.4 million elderly or disabled individuals receive care in more than 15,500 nursing homes. These nursing home residents often have physical or cognitive limitations that can leave them particularly vulnerable to abuse. Abuse of nursing home residents can occur in many forms--including physical, mental, verbal, and sexual--and can be committed by staff, residents, or others in the nursing home. Any incident of abuse is a serious occurrence and can result in potentially devastating consequences for residents, including lasting mental anguish, serious injury, or death. News stories in recent years have noted disturbing examples of nursing home residents who have been sexually assaulted and physically abused. However, little is known about the full scope of nursing home abuse, as incidents of abuse may be underreported. [...] My testimony today highlights key findings and recommendations from our June 2019 report, which examined: 1. the trends and types of abuse occurring in nursing homes in recent years, 2. the risk factors for abuse and challenges facing stakeholder agencies involved in investigating abuse in nursing homes, and 3. CMS's [Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Services] oversight intended to ensure that nursing home residents are free from abuse."
United States. Government Accountability Office
Dicken, John E.
2019-07-23
-
NORAD, Northcom Commander Discusses Homeland Defense, Roles of Commands [video]
From the Webpage: "Air Force Gen. Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command [NORAD] and U.S. Northern Command, discusses homeland defense and role of NORAD and Northcom at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., July 22, 2019."
Defense Visual Information Center (U.S.)
2019-07-22
-
Honduras: Background and U.S. Relations [Updated July 22, 2019]
From the Summary: "Honduras, a Central American nation of 9.1 million people, has had close ties with the United States for many years. The country served as a base for U.S. operations designed to counter Soviet influence in Central America during the 1980s, and it continues to host a U.S. military presence and cooperate on antidrug efforts today. Trade and investment linkages are also longstanding and have grown stronger since the implementation of the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) in 2006. In recent years, instability in Honduras--including a 2009 coup and significant outflows of migrants and asylum-seekers since 2014--has led U.S. policymakers to focus greater attention on conditions in the country and their implications for the United States."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Meyer, Peter J.
2019-07-22
-
Heritage Areas: Background, Proposals, and Current Issues [Updated July 22, 2019]
From the Summary: "Over more than 30 years, Congress has established 55 national heritage areas (NHAs) to commemorate, conserve, and promote important natural, scenic, historic, cultural, and recreational resources. NHAs are partnerships among the National Park Service (NPS), states, and local communities, in which the NPS supports state and local conservation through federal recognition, seed money, and technical assistance. Unlike lands within the National Park System, which are federally owned and managed, lands within heritage areas typically remain in state, local, or private ownership or a combination thereof. Supporters of heritage areas argue that NHAs protect lands and traditions and promote tourism and community revitalization. Opponents, however, contend that NHAs may be burdensome or costly and may lead to federal control over nonfederal lands."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
DeSantis, Mark K.; Comay, Laura B.
2019-07-22
-
Vulnerable Youth: Federal Mentoring Programs and Issues [Updated July 22, 2019]
From the Introduction: "The purpose of contemporary, structured mentoring programs is to reduce the potential risk of negative outcomes by supplementing (but not supplanting) a youth's relationship with his or her parents. These programs are administered primarily by adult volunteers who are recruited by youth-serving organizations, faith-based organizations, schools, and after-school programs. Some of these programs have broad youth development goals, while others focus more narrowly on a particular outcome such as reducing gang activity or substance abuse, or improving grades. Research has shown that mentoring programs have been associated with some positive youth outcomes, but that the long-term ability of mentoring to produce particular outcomes and the ability for mentored youth to sustain gains over time are less certain."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Fernandes-Alcantara, Adrienne L.
2019-07-22
