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New GAO Reports – 2020 Census, Defense Infrastructure, International Financial Reforms

  • 2020 CENSUS: Prioritized Information Technology Research and Testing Is Needed for Census Design Decisions, GAO-14-389: Published: Apr 3, 2014. Publicly Released: Apr 3, 2014: “The Census Bureau (Bureau) has made progress in researching and testing information technology (IT) options for the 2020 Decennial Census, but several of the supporting projects lack schedules and plans, and it is uncertain whether they will be completed in time to inform the decision on the operational design for the 2020 census, planned for September 2015. Specifically, it has begun research on six IT-related projects, such as using the Internet for survey response and using employees’ personal smartphones to collect census data. However, four of the projects lacked finalized schedules, and three lacked plans for gauging progress. Moreover, the two projects with completed schedules are not estimated to be completed until after the September 2015 design decision date.”
  • DEFENSE INFRASTRUCTURE: Army Has a Process to Manage Litigation Costs for the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, GAO-14-327: Published: Apr 3, 2014. Publicly Released: Apr 3, 2014.
  • INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL REFORMS: U.S. and Other Jurisdictions’ Efforts to Develop and Implement Reforms, GAO-14-261: Published: Apr 3, 2014. Publicly Released: Apr 3, 2014: ” The United States has played an active role in helping to reform financial regulations to address weaknesses revealed by the 2007-2009 financial crisis. According to Treasury officials, during the acute phase of the crisis, the United States proposed elevating the Group of Twenty (G20) forum—representing 19 countries (including the United States) and the European Union—from the level of finance ministers and central banks to the level of heads of state or government. In 2008, the U.S. President and other G20 leaders held their first summit in Washington, D.C., in part to establish a framework to help prevent financial crises. The G20 leaders established principles for financial regulatory reform and agreed on a series of financial reforms, which they have revised or expanded at subsequent summits. To implement their reforms, the G20 leaders generally have called on their national authorities—finance ministries, central banks, and regulators—and international bodies, including the Financial Stability Board (FSB) and standard setting bodies, such as the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. In 2009, the G20 leaders established FSB to coordinate and promote implementation of the financial reforms, which typically involves standard setting bodies developing international standards (e.g., principles, policies, or guidance) and then jurisdictions voluntarily adopting rules or policies consistent with these standards, such as through legislation or regulations. As members of FSB and international standard setting bodies, U.S. federal authorities have actively helped formulate the standards that implement the G20 reforms and cover, among other things, banking, derivatives, and hedge funds.”

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