Site Map - Government Reports (GAO etc.)

11/29/2007 - Nursing home fires in Hartford, Connecticut, and Nashville, Tennessee, last year killed 31 residents. As old facilities grandfathered from federal fire-safety standards on new facilities, neither had sprinkler systems. The GAO has called for the federal government to work with the National Fire Protection Association to strengthen fire-safety standards and to improve oversight of nursing home fire safety, such as by reviewing exemptions granted to facilities without sprinklers.

11/29/2007 - No one is really sure how interoperable public safety wireless communications systems are with one another. The DHS intends to do a survey on the topic, with results available by next year. In the meantime, the GAO suggests that the federal government develop national requirements and a national architecture for such systems, create nationwide databases, and provide financial and technical support to states and localities to help them make their systems interoperable. For their part, states should establish bodies to develop interoperability improvement plans.

11/29/2007 - Although the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has taken actions to implement the public-private partnership called for by federal critical infrastructure protection policy, "it has not yet developed a plan that describes how it would carry out its information-sharing responsibilities and relationships." GAO auditors recommend that DHS describe the roles and responsibilities of DHS, information sharing and analysis centers (ISACs), and other stakeholders. The GAO also recommends that the DHS create policies and procedures for sharing information provided by ISACs amongst its departments.

11/29/2007 - An interim rule expands the US-VISIT program to the 50 most highly trafficked land border ports of entry in the United States.

11/28/2007 - Two new reports look into changing responsibilities of federal law enforcement. One explores the transfer of the Federal Protective Service (FPS) to the Department of Homeland Security, noting that although FPS's mission has expanded, it does not have a transformation strategy to address this expanding mission. A second report analyzes the FBI's transformation to increase its focus on homeland security. Have the FBI's efforts to combat drug, white-collar, and violent crime suffered as a result? The results are mixed, say GAO auditors.

11/28/2007 - Adding to the many experts speaking out on how to improve intelligence and information sharing, David M. Walker, Comptroller General of the United States, recently testified before the House Committee on Government Reform that Congress must closely oversee government reorganization of the intelligence community. Congress should also reexamine its committee structure in light of the reorganization of homeland security duties in the executive branch, Walker testified , echoing a key recommendation of the 9-1l Commission.

11/28/2007 - Getting government agencies to share security information means first identifying the networks involved. A congressional briefing by the Government Accountability Office identified nine agencies and 34 networks that support homeland security functions (two of these networks are still under development). The briefing outlines each network and gives examples of how they might work together for counterterrorism efforts.

11/27/2007 - Getting government agencies to share security information means first identifying the networks involved. A congressional briefing by the Government Accountability Office identified nine agencies and 34 networks that support homeland security functions (two of these networks are still under development). The briefing outlines each network and gives examples of how they might work together for counterterrorism efforts. Information Technology: Major Federal Networks That Support Homeland Security Functions is available via SM Online.

11/27/2007 - Yes, there really is a company operating on the Internet as Degrees-R-Us, and GAO auditors purchased bogus degrees from a fictitious university from the company, according to Robert J. Cramer, who testified before the House Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness, Committee on Education and the Workforce. The GAO also set up its own diploma mill and was able to obtain certification from the Department of Education to enroll in the Federal Family Education Loan Program. Finally, GAO auditors determined that some senior-level federal employees have obtained degrees from diploma mills, though specific numbers couldn't be determined.

11/27/2007 - Because significant changes in large organizations can take at least five to seven years, Congress might want to address the transformation of the intelligence community by lengthening the terms of directors, testified the GAO's J. Christopher Mihm before the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia, of the Committee on Governmental Affairs. He also spoke about how the FBI has been matching special agents and analysts with critical skills to address its top priorities, a model that the intelligence community might want to follow.

11/27/2007 - While the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has bolstered security at nuclear plants since 9-11, the GAO cannot yet say whether each plant "has taken reasonable and appropriate steps to address the new design-basis threat," which establishes the maximum terrorist threat that a facility must defend against. Security plans reviewed by GAO lacked "important site-specific information," including where responding guards were to be stationed. Moreover, the GAO noted that the NRC isn't sharing with plants lessons learned from inspections at those plants.

11/16/2007 - GAO examined progress made by the financial markets in improving disaster preparedness. Improvements included greater protection of networks from hackers, geographically removed backup facilities, creation of a private network for routing data between broker-dealers and various markets, and the issuance of business continuity guidelines.

11/16/2007 - GAO auditors came up with a set of best practices that regional governmental bodies can adopt. They include making sure to have representation from diverse jurisdictions and stakeholders, developing strategic plans with quantifiable goals, and finding out how to take advantage of federal grants.