Federal Government

Federal Government

Most lobbyists gave proper paperwork, watchdog says

Most lobbyists in Washington, D.C. provided the proper paperwork allowing a disclosure of financial records and helping to keep the lobbying process as transparent as possible, said a report by the Government Accountability Office, Congress' watchdog arm.

97 percent of lobbyists produced documentation of their income and expenses, while 74 percent properly rounded those reports to the nearest $10,000 investigators said. 85 percent also filed federal political campaign reports as required.

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UPDATED 10:11 AM EST, March 6, 2013

Improvements made to pension planning, report says

Many private pensions are working on reforms to make sure their programs remain solvent and funded, said a report from the Government Accountability Office, although it sometimes means reduced benefits for retirees.

Investigators had expressed concern that the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation might be libel for plans that would exceed the amount it has available to pay in assets.

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UPDATED 14:46 PM EST, February 15, 2013

Agencies can better track sex offenders, investigators say

Several federal law enforcement agencies track travel information on registered sex offenders when they are entering the United States, but there is less rigorous oversight when those individuals leave the U.S., said a report by the Government Accountability Office, Congress' watchdog agency.

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UPDATED 12:07 PM EST, December 8, 2012

Government is potentially duplicating Afghan programs, study finds

The major U.S. programs designed to help development in Afghanistan share similar goals and may be overlapping in their work, said a study by the Government Accountability Office.

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UPDATED 15:59 PM EST, November 27, 2012

Duplication of geographic studies needs to stop, watchdog says

The Interior Department estimates the government pours billions of dollars annually into geospatial studies designed to gather information about specific locations for everything from defense to natural disaster relief.

But the programs run by various government agencies often overlap, said the Government Accountability Office, leading to possible waste and redundant studies.

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UPDATED 16:18 PM EDT, October 26, 2012

Time off for religious observances needs some uniformity, investigators say

Government agencies have plans in place for employees to use time off days for religious observances. The plans are similar across the federal government, but vary slightly based on the agency's particular needs, said a report by the Government Accountability Office, Congress' watchdog arm. Some agencies need to clarify instructions on days off for religious observances to make sure policies match those from the government's Office of Personnel Management.

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UPDATED 15:38 PM EDT, October 16, 2012

Water infrastructure funding is fragmented, repetitive, study says

Poor coordination on water and wastewater infrastructure projects has led some communities to apply for federal grants multiple times, found an investigation by the Government Accountability Office, Congress' watchdog arm.

The projects help fund development in rural communities of 10,000 or less, but redundancies between federal agencies has caused some communities to apply to multiple departments for a single project, investigators found.

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UPDATED 15:52 PM EDT, October 15, 2012

Program to prevent agricultural terrorism facing a few bumps, investigators say

The Agriculture and Homeland Security Departments are working together to ensure dangerous pests and diseases don't arrive in the U.S., but still face some problems in implementing an effective system, said a government watchdog.

"Since September 11, 2001, concerns have persisted about the vulnerability of agriculture to deliberate introduction of foreign pests and disease," said the Government Accountability Office, Congress' watchdog agency, leading to the creating of the Agriculture Quarantine Inspection program.

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UPDATED 16:55 PM EDT, October 2, 2012

Battery programs fragmented but not redundant, study says

Six agencies undertook 39 programs to improve batteries and energy storage, but although the programs were fractured and overlapping, there was no duplication in goals, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office.

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UPDATED 18:14 PM EDT, September 12, 2012

Improving transportation a bumpy road in some nations

A government program designed to provide foreign assistance is running into problems completing its objectives - including using incorrect methods to measure its progress, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office.

The Millennium Challenge Corporation had to reduce the amount of road it was building in six nations by 63 percent "because of increased construction costs and political problems in partner governments," the report said.

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