FederalDaily - November 26, 2007
OMB: Agencies Continue to Improve Financial Reporting
All major federal agencies have successfully met the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 45-day
financial audit deadline, OMB said in a report issued Nov. 20. It is the third year in a row that all
major agencies have met the reporting guidelines set by OMB. Since 2001, agencies have been
required to complete annual financial reports 45 days after the end of the fiscal year, compared to
the previous five-month (150 days) window for completion. Of the 24 major federal agencies, 19 received
clean opinions, one more than the 18 clean opinions reported last year at this time. The total number
of material weaknesses government-wide declined from 41 to 39. The accelerated deadline results in
more immediate availability of financial information to agency decision makers and requires agencies
to employ “scrupulous disciplines throughout the year” to ensure readiness for year-end
reporting, OMB said. Also, the major agencies are getting better at catching and reporting improper
payments, according to OMB. “Once again, we raised the bar and the agencies rose to the challenge.
I congratulate these agencies for meeting the tough 45-day deadline and obtaining clean audit opinions,” said
Clay Johnson, OMB deputy director for management. To see more, go to: www.whitehouse.gov/omb/pubpress/2007/112007_financial_reporting.html
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TSA Says It Is Ready for Record-Setting Travel
On the eve of the busy holiday travel season, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said
security checkpoints at the nation’s more than 450 airports were staffed in preparation for the
anticipated record number of travelers. To ease security delays, TSA initiated a “SimpliFLY” public
awareness effort that tells travelers how to pack their carry-on luggage. TSA encourages passengers
to pack their carry-on bags neatly and in layers to help security officers better determine what is
in a bag. “Our goal is to get passengers through the checkpoint as quickly as possible while
maintaining aviation security,” TSA Administrator Kip Hawley said in a Nov. 19 statement. www.tsa.gov/press/releases/2007/press_release_11192007.shtm
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Post Office Gears Up
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) estimates that this year it will deliver 20 billion pieces of mail
between Thanksgiving and Christmas. To get it done, USPS also will deliver mail on Christmas Eve and
Christmas Day, said Pat Donahoe, deputy postmaster general and USPS chief operating officer. The Postal
Service anticipates that the busiest mailing day will be Monday, Dec. 17, when more than 275 million
cards and letters will be mailed—more than three times the average daily volume of 82 million. “This
is one of the most challenging and exciting times of the year for us,” Donahoe said on Nov. 20.
Mail destined for servicemembers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan should be sent by Dec. 4, the Postal
Service said, and mail destined for any other military installation around the world should be mailed
no later than Dec. 18. To see more, go to: www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/allnews.htm
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