Census Monitoring Board: Review of Congressional Side Shutdown
Activities (01-FEB-02, GAO-02-367R).
Because the activities of the Congressional side of the Census
Monitoring Board (CMBC) ceased to exist on September 30, 2001,
CMBC entered into an interagency agreement with the Government
Printing Office (GPO) to pay CMBC bills and to provide
administrative support services. GAO examined CMBC documents to
determine financial cutoff procedures and conducted other audits
as necessary. GAO found four CMBC personnel were present at
CMBC's former office on October 1, 2001, but performed no
substantive government action. Over $14,000 was obligated and
paid for telephone, cable, Internet, computer, copier, and water
services to be provided after CMBC's statutory termination date.
These prepayments were not proper and should not have been
certified and paid. GPO was requesting reimbursement from vendors
for services that were not properly provided. GPO acquired CMBC
property and supplies after September 30, 2001. A November 2001
GPO inventory found that some CMBC property had not been
returned, was reported stolen, or was missing. The use of
government owned property after CMBC termination was not proper,
and GPO is seeking the return of some property. GPO was arranging
for CMBC records disposal. CMBC internal controls existed to
protect Title 13 census data. GPO had not certified and paid
about $4,000 in CMBC invoices received after September 30, 2001,
primarily for phone service. GPO is reviewing the invoices for
valid services provided prior to the CMBC shutdown. Census and
House security badges issued to CMBC personnel expired at
midnight on October 1, 2001. Some badges were collected, some
were not.
-------------------------Indexing Terms-------------------------
REPORTNUM: GAO-02-367R
ACCNO: A02727
TITLE: Census Monitoring Board: Review of Congressional Side
Shutdown Activities
DATE: 02/01/2002
SUBJECT: Advance payments
Billing procedures
Financial statement audits
Federal agency reorganization
Identification cards
Interagency relations
Inventory control
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GAO-02-367R
United States General Accounting Office Washington, DC 20548
February 1, 2002
The Honorable William Lacy Clay The Honorable Carolyn B. Maloney House of
Representatives
Subject: Census Monitoring Board: Review of Congressional Side Shutdown
Activities
In an October 1, 2001, letter, you expressed concerns about certain shutdown
activities of the Congressional side of the Census Monitoring Board (CMBC),
which under statute ceased to exist on September 30, 2001. As agreed with
your offices, we reviewed eight areas of CMBC shutdown activities. We were
not requested to nor did we review similar shutdown activities of the
Presidential side of the Census Monitoring Board (CMBP).
We visited the site of the former CMBC offices on October 1, 2001, to
ascertain if former personnel were present and to observe shutdown
activities being conducted by the Government Printing Office (GPO). CMBC had
entered into an interagency agreement with GPO to pay CMBC bills and to
provide administrative support services. We obtained CMBC financial and
other information from GPO and interviewed GPO officials who were directly
involved with CMBC shutdown activities. We examined CMBC documents to
determine financial cutoff procedures and conducted other audit tests as
necessary. Our work was conducted from October through December 2001 in
accordance with U.S. generally accepted government auditing standards.
On January 14, 2002, we briefed your staff on the results of our review.
This letter transmits the material from that briefing, which disclosed that:
* Four CMBC personnel were present at CMBC's former office on October 1,
2001, but performed no substantive government action.
* Over $14,000 was obligated and paid for telephone, cable, internet,
computer, copier, and water services to be provided after CMBC's statutory
termination date. These prepayments were not proper and should not have been
certified and paid. GPO was requesting reimbursement from vendors for
services that were not properly provided.
* GPO acquired CMBC property and supplies after September 30, 2001. A
November 2001 GPO inventory found that some CMBC property had not been
returned, was reported stolen, or was missing. The use of government owned
GAO-02-367R Review of CMBC Shutdown Activities
property after CMBC termination was not proper, and GPO is seeking the
return
of some property. * GPO was arranging for CMBC records disposal.
* CMBC internal controls existed to protect Title 13 census data.
* GPO had not certified and paid about $4,000 in CMBC invoices received
after September 30, 2001, primarily for phone service. GPO is reviewing the
invoices for valid services provided prior to the CMBC shutdown.
* Census and House security badges issued to CMBC personnel expired at
midnight on October 1, 2001. Some badges were collected, some were not.
We provided GPO with a draft of the slides and incorporated its comments as
appropriate. As agreed with your offices, this concludes our work on the
Census Monitoring Board.
* * * * * *
Copies of this letter are available to other interested parties. This letter
will also be
available on GAO's home page at http://www.gao.gov.
If you have any questions, please contact me at (202) 512-9095 or by e-mail
at
kutzg@gao.gov or Roger R. Stoltz, Assistant Director, at (202) 512-9408, or
by
e-mail at stoltzr@gao.gov. Key contributors to this letter were Cindy Barnes
and
Peggy Smith.
Gregory D. Kutz
Director
Financial Management and Assurance
Enclosure
Page 2 GAO-02-367R Review of CMBC Shutdown Activities
January 14, 2002, Briefing on the Review of CMBC Shutdown Activities
(192053) Page 18
*** End of document. ***