Senate Office of Public Records Revolving Fund (17-OCT-03,	 
GAO-04-141R).							 
                                                                 
GAO performed the procedures requested by the Secretary of the	 
Senate to assist in determining whether the Senate Office of	 
Public Records revolving fund's reported fiscal year 2001 through
2002 receipts and disbursements and fund balances at the	 
beginning and the end of the review period are complete and	 
accurate. The procedures included reviewing documentation	 
supporting the the Senate Office of Public Records revolving	 
fund's recorded receipt and disbursement transactions for	 
evidence that the transactions were properly authorized,	 
recorded, and reported on the Senate Disbursing Office's monthly 
Statement of Funding Authorization and Expense Activity reports. 
In addition, we reviewed the fund balance at the beginning and	 
end of the fiscal years under review. As a result of performing  
agreed-upon procedures, we identified on instance in which a cash
disbursement was not forwarded to the Senate Committee on Rules  
and Administration prior to payment. This occurred during the	 
displacement of staff from Senate Disbursing Office as a result  
of the anthrax incident in the fall of 2001. Additionally, we	 
found that the beginning and ending fund balances for fiscal	 
years 2001 and 2002 recorded in the Senate Disbursing Office's	 
monthly statements agreed with the balances reported by the U.S. 
Treasury.							 
-------------------------Indexing Terms------------------------- 
REPORTNUM:   GAO-04-141R					        
    ACCNO:   A08729						        
  TITLE:     Senate Office of Public Records Revolving Fund	      
     DATE:   10/17/2003 
  SUBJECT:   Auditing procedures				 
	     Auditing standards 				 
	     Funds management					 
	     Revolving funds					 
	     Internal controls					 
	     Financial statement audits 			 

******************************************************************
** This file contains an ASCII representation of the text of a  **
** GAO Product.                                                 **
**                                                              **
** No attempt has been made to display graphic images, although **
** figure captions are reproduced.  Tables are included, but    **
** may not resemble those in the printed version.               **
**                                                              **
** Please see the PDF (Portable Document Format) file, when     **
** available, for a complete electronic file of the printed     **
** document's contents.                                         **
**                                                              **
******************************************************************
GAO-04-141R

United States General Accounting Office Washington, DC 20548

October 17, 2003

The Honorable Emily J. Reynolds Secretary of the United States Senate

Subject: Senate Office of Public Records Revolving Fund

Dear Ms. Secretary:

We performed procedures you requested to assist you in determining whether
the Senate Office of Public Records revolving fund's reported fiscal year
2001 (October 1, 2000, through September 30, 2001) and fiscal year 2002
(October 1, 2001, through September 30, 2002) receipts and disbursements
and fund balances at the beginning and end of the review period are
complete and accurate.

In summary, the procedures you asked us to perform included reviewing
documentation supporting the Senate Office of Public Records revolving
fund's recorded receipt and disbursement transactions for evidence that
the transactions were properly authorized, recorded, and reported on the
Senate Disbursing Office's monthly Statement of Funding Authorization and
Expense Activity reports. In addition, you asked us to review the fund
balance at the beginning and end of the fiscal years under review. As a
result of performing the agreed-upon procedures, we identified one
instance in which a cash disbursement was not forwarded to the Senate
Committee on Rules and Administration prior to payment. This occurred
during the displacement of staff from the Senate Disbursing Office as a
result of the anthrax incident in the fall of 2001. Additionally, we found
that the beginning and ending fund balances for fiscal years 2001 and 2002
recorded in the Senate Disbursing Office's monthly statements agreed with
the balances reported by the U.S. Treasury. The details of the agreed-upon
procedures along with our results are presented in enclosure I. The
unaudited Schedules of Receipts, Disbursements, and Fund Balances for
fiscal years 2001 and 2002 for the Senate Office of Public Records
revolving fund are in enclosure II.

By specifying the agreed-upon procedures, your office was responsible for
ensuring that the procedures we performed were sufficient to meet your
objectives, and we make no representations in that respect. In performing
these procedures, we conducted our work in accordance with generally
accepted government auditing standards that incorporate financial audit
and attestation standards established by the American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants. These standards also provide guidance when
performing and reporting the results of agreed-upon procedures. In
agreeing to perform the procedures you requested, we discussed this
guidance and the related limitations on the nature, scope, and intended
use of our work with your

office. We did not perform a financial audit, and accordingly, we do not
express an opinion on the enclosed Schedules of Receipts, Disbursements,
and Fund Balances for the Office of Public Records.

We provided a draft of this report along with its enclosures to your staff
for review and comment. They provided us with technical comments that have
been incorporated in this report, as appropriate. We conducted our work
from May 14, 2003, through July 30, 2003. This report is intended for your
office's use and is not intended to be and should not be used by those who
have not agreed to the procedures and taken responsibility for the
sufficiency of the procedures for their purposes.

As arranged with your offices, unless you announce the contents of this
report earlier, we will not distribute it until 30 days from its date.
Then copies will be made available to others upon request. If you have any
questions concerning our work, please contact me at (202) 512-9471 or
Keith Thompson, Assistant Director, at (202) 512-6328. Key contributors to
this assignment were Chanetta Reed and Stacey Smith. This report will be
made available at http://www.gao.gov, GAO's Internet site.

Sincerely yours,

Jeanette Franzel
Director
Financial Management and Assurance
(202) 512-9471

Enclosures

Enclosure I

                   Agreed-Upon Procedures and Related Results

Receipts Procedures

1. 	We examined all fiscal years 2002 and 2001 official receipt documents
to determine whether they were properly included in the total weekly
deposit. We then compared the weekly deposit amounts to the amounts
reported on the Senate Disbursing Office's monthly Statement of Funding
Authorization and Expense Activity reports.

2. 	We reviewed the Senate Disbursing Office's monthly Statement of
Funding Authorization and Expense Activity reports for fiscal years 2002
and 2001 receipts to determine whether each deposit was correctly recorded
in the proper fiscal year.

Results

We found cash receipts for fiscal years 2002 and 2001 for the Senate
Office of Public Records were supported by appropriate documentation and
were accurately recorded, summarized, and reported in the Senate
Disbursing Office's monthly Statement of Funding Authorization and Expense
Activity reports.

Disbursements Procedures

Using the Senate Disbursing Office copies of fiscal years 2002 and 2001
disbursement vouchers and associated supporting documentation for the
Senate Office of Public Records revolving fund, we did the following:

1. 	Determined whether the request for payment per the disbursement
voucher was (a) certified by the designated official from the Office of
Public Records as to the receipt and acceptance of the goods and/or
services for which the payment was made, (b) authorized by the Secretary
of the Senate or an authorized designee, and (c) sanctioned by the
Committee on Rules and Administration prior to disbursement.

2. 	Compared the payee (e.g., vendor number, name, and address) and amount
billed from the supporting invoice to the approved disbursement voucher
applicable for fiscal years 2002 and 2001 disbursement activities and to
the Senate Disbursing Office's monthly Statement of Funding Authorization
and Expense Activity reports.

3. 	Reviewed the Senate Disbursing Office's monthly Statement of Funding
Authorization and Expense Activity reports for fiscal years 2002 and 2001

Enclosure I disbursement activities to determine whether each disbursement
was correctly recorded in the proper fiscal year.

Results

We found that cash disbursements for fiscal years 2002 and 2001 from the
Senate Office of Public Records revolving fund were certified, authorized,
and sanctioned prior to payment as required1 except in one instance. We
identified one disbursement in the amount of $720 for fiscal year 2002
that, while properly certified and authorized, was not sanctioned by the
Senate Committee on Rules and Administration prior to payment. This
occurrence, as explained by the Senate Disbursing Office, was attributable
to an oversight by the Senate Disbursing Office due to displacement from
their normal business operations as a result of the anthrax incident.2
This transaction was subsequently sanctioned by the Committee on Rules and
Administration and was found to be in order for payment.

We found that all disbursements were supported by the appropriate
documentation and accurately recorded, summarized, and reported in the
Senate Disbursing Office's monthly Statement of Funding Authorization and
Expense Activity reports for the revolving fund. We found that all
disbursements for fiscal years 2002 and 2001 were recorded in the
appropriate year.

Fund Balances

1. 	We compared the Senate Office of Public Record's reconciliation of its
receipts and disbursements for fiscal years 2002 and 2001 to the Senate
Disbursing Office's monthly Statement of Funding Authorization and Expense
Activity reports and traced and confirmed no differences.

2. 	We compared the beginning (October 1, 2001, and 2000) and ending
(September 30, 2002, and 2001) fiscal years 2002 and 2001 fund balances
for the Senate Office of Public Records recorded on the Senate Disbursing
Office's monthly Statement of Funding Authorization and Expense Activity
reports to the balances reported by the U.S. Treasury.

Results

We found that the Senate Office of Public Records had performed all
reconciliations for fiscal years 2002 and 2001 and identified no
reconciling items or discrepancies.

1 Disbursement from the revolving fund shall be made upon vouchers
approved by the Secretary of the
Senate (2 U.S.C. 68-7). The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
must sanction all cash
disbursements made by the Senate Disbursing Office on behalf of the Office
of Public Records (2
U.S.C. 68).
2 Staff in the Senate Disbursing office was displaced from October 2001
until around February 2002.

Enclosure I The beginning and ending fund balances for fiscal years 2002
and 2001 recorded in the Senate Disbursing Office's monthly Statement of
Funding Authorization and Expense Activity reports agreed with the
balances reported by the U.S. Treasury. Enclosure II

Senate Office of Public Records Revolving Fund Schedules and Related Notes
                           Fiscal Years 2002 and 2001

Schedules of Receipts, Disbursements, and Fund Balances (Unaudited)

                                FY 2002 FY 2001

Receipts

              Copies of public documents              $ 19,324       $ 24,185 
                     Disbursements                               
                 Contractual services                 $ 27,233       $ 39,330 
                       Equipment                        1,957          39,144 
                  Total disbursements                 $ 29,190       $ 78,474 
    Net fiscal year receipt/(disbursement) activity   $ (9,866)    $ (54,289) 
                   Beginning balance                  $ 126,194     $ 180,483 
                    Ending balance                    $ 116,328     $ 126,194 

Enclosure II

Notes to the Schedules of Receipts, Disbursements, and Fund Balances

Reporting Entity

The Senate Office of Public Records revolving fund was established in
1989, as provided by section 13 of Public Law 101-163. All moneys received
on and after October 1, 1989, by the Senate Office of Public Records from
fees and other charges for services are deposited to the credit of the
revolving fund. Moneys in the revolving fund shall be available without
fiscal year limitation for disbursement by the Secretary of the Senate for
use in connection with the operation of the Senate Office of Public
Records, including for purchase of supplies and equipment and for other
expenses.

Disbursements from the revolving fund are documented on vouchers approved
by the Secretary of the Senate. The Secretary of the Senate is authorized
to prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the
provisions of section 13 of Public Law 101-163. To provide capital for the
revolving fund, section 13 authorized the Secretary of the Senate to
transfer up to $30,000 in appropriated fiscal year 1990 funds from the
``Miscellaneous Items'' account in the Senate's contingent fund to the
revolving fund.

Basis of Accounting

For purposes of these schedules, the Senate Office of Public Records
revolving fund reports receipts and disbursements using the cash basis,
which recognizes transactions when cash is received or disbursed. This
basis of accounting differs from generally accepted accounting principles,
which recognize revenues when earned and expenses when incurred.

Contractual Services

Contractual services include the costs associated with modifications
provided by a vendor to correct latent deficiencies in purchased software
and the purchase of additional information system software.

Fund Balance

The beginning fund balance on the fiscal year 2001 statement represents
the balance at October 1, 2000, carried over from the prior period. The
ending fund balance on the fiscal year 2001 statement represents the fund
balance remaining at September 30, 2001, and is carried over as the
beginning fund balance for fiscal year 2002. The ending fund balance for
fiscal year 2002 represents the fund balance remaining at September 30,
2002, and is available for use in a subsequent period.

(194234)

           7 GAO-04-141R Senate Office of Public Records Fund Review

This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright
protection in the United States. It may be reproduced and distributed in
its entirety without further permission from GAO. However, because this
work may contain copyrighted images or other material, permission from the
copyright holder may be necessary if you wish to reproduce this material
separately.

The General Accounting Office, the audit, evaluation and investigative arm
of

GAO's Mission 	Congress, exists to support Congress in meeting its
constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and
accountability of the federal government for the American people. GAO
examines the use of public funds; evaluates federal programs and policies;
and provides analyses, recommendations, and other assistance to help
Congress make informed oversight, policy, and funding decisions. GAO's
commitment to good government is reflected in its core values of
accountability, integrity, and reliability.

The fastest and easiest way to obtain copies of GAO documents at no cost
is through the Internet. GAO's Web site (www.gao.gov) contains abstracts
and full-

Obtaining Copies of GAO Reports and Testimony

text files of current reports and testimony and an expanding archive of
older products. The Web site features a search engine to help you locate
documents using key words and phrases. You can print these documents in
their entirety, including charts and other graphics.

Each day, GAO issues a list of newly released reports, testimony, and
correspondence. GAO posts this list, known as "Today's Reports," on its
Web site daily. The list contains links to the full-text document files.
To have GAO email this list to you every afternoon, go to www.gao.gov and
select "Subscribe to e-mail alerts" under the "Order GAO Products"
heading.

Order by Mail or Phone 	The first copy of each printed report is free.
Additional copies are $2 each. A check or money order should be made out
to the Superintendent of Documents. GAO also accepts VISA and Mastercard.
Orders for 100 or more copies mailed to a single address are discounted 25
percent. Orders should be sent to:

U.S. General Accounting Office 441 G Street NW, Room LM Washington, D.C.
20548

To order by Phone: 	Voice: (202) 512-6000 TDD: (202) 512-2537 Fax: (202)
512-6061

To Report Fraud,	Contact: Web site: www.gao.gov/fraudnet/fraudnet.htm

                  Waste, and Abuse in E-mail: [email protected]

Federal Programs Automated answering system: (800) 424-5454 or (202)
512-7470

Public Affairs 	Jeff Nelligan, Managing Director, [email protected] (202)
512-4800 U.S. General Accounting Office, 441 G Street NW, Room 7149
Washington, D.C. 20548
*** End of document. ***