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Open Recommendations

Freedom of Information Act: Additional Guidance and Reliable Data Can Help Address Agency Backlogs

GAO-24-106535
Mar 13, 2024
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4 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Justice The Attorney General should direct the Director of the Office of Information Policy to issue guidance advising agencies to include elements of effective action plans in their backlog reduction plans. Such elements include identifying and analyzing root causes of their backlog; identifying actions the agency will take to address those root causes; and establishing specific backlog reduction goals, performance measures, and milestones for tracking progress. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Justice The Attorney General should direct the Director of the Office of Information Policy to issue guidance advising agencies to identify actions in their backlog reduction plans to help ensure staff with the necessary skills are available to support reduction efforts. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Justice The Attorney General should direct the Director of the Office of Information Policy (OIP) to develop a process for OIP to more closely examine the data agencies report on component-level FOIA requests and average request processing times to help agencies ensure they report accurate average processing times. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Justice The Attorney General should direct the Director of the Office of Information Policy (OIP) to update the materials for OIP's training on annual FOIA reporting to highlight that agencies are required to report weighted average processing times for FOIA requests, and include instructions on how agencies should calculate their weighted average processing times. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Federal Real Property: More Consistent Monitoring of Asbestos Could Improve Oversight

GAO-24-106324
Mar 04, 2024
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
General Services Administration The Administrator of GSA should either implement a plan to ensure that asbestos inspections are conducted in accordance with GSA's current asbestos management policy or revise the policy to incorporate a risk-based approach. Such a plan could include strategies to address funding gaps, a timeline for completing missing inspections or updating the asbestos management policy, and steps to update the IRIS database to allow GSA to better monitor compliance with the policy. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Justice40: Use of Leading Practices Would Strengthen Efforts to Guide Environmental Justice Initiative

GAO-24-105869
Feb 28, 2024
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15 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Council on Environmental Quality The Chair of CEQ, jointly with the Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor of CPO and the Director of OMB, should work with the Interagency Council to clarify and document the roles and responsibilities of the Interagency Council in updating and developing new guidance and tools for implementing the Justice40 Initiative. (Recommendation 1)
Open
In written comments reproduced in our report, CEQ stated that it anticipates taking steps in the coming months to implement our recommendations on leading practices. We will update the status of this recommendation when we receive additional information from the agencies.
Office of Management and Budget The Director of OMB, jointly with the Chair of CEQ and the Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor of CPO, should work with the Interagency Council to clarify and document the roles and responsibilities of the Interagency Council in updating and developing new guidance and tools for implementing the Justice40 Initiative. (Recommendation 2)
Open
In written comments reproduced in our report, CEQ stated that it anticipates taking steps in the coming months to implement our recommendations on leading practices. We will update the status of this recommendation when we receive additional information from the agencies.
Office of Domestic Climate Policy The Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor of CPO, jointly with the Chair of CEQ and the Director of OMB, should work with the Interagency Council to clarify and document the roles and responsibilities of the Interagency Council in updating and developing new guidance and tools for implementing the Justice40 Initiative. (Recommendation 3)
Open
In written comments reproduced in our report, CEQ stated that it anticipates taking steps in the coming months to implement our recommendations on leading practices. We will update the status of this recommendation when we receive additional information from the agencies.
Council on Environmental Quality The Chair of CEQ, jointly with the Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor of CPO and the Director of OMB, should work with WHEJAC members and WHEJAC administrative officials to assess WHEJAC's communication needs with EOP, and then, as appropriate, develop methods for meeting those needs. (Recommendation 4)
Open
In written comments reproduced in our report, CEQ stated that it anticipates taking steps in the coming months to implement our recommendations on leading practices. We will update the status of this recommendation when we receive additional information from the agencies.
Office of Management and Budget The Director of OMB, jointly with the Chair of CEQ and the Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor of CPO, should work with WHEJAC members and WHEJAC administrative officials to assess WHEJAC's communication needs with EOP, and then, as appropriate, develop methods for meeting those needs. (Recommendation 5)
Open
In written comments reproduced in our report, CEQ stated that it anticipates taking steps in the coming months to implement our recommendations on leading practices. We will update the status of this recommendation when we receive additional information from the agencies.
Office of Domestic Climate Policy The Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor of CPO, jointly with the Chair of CEQ and the Director of OMB, should work with WHEJAC members and WHEJAC administrative officials to assess WHEJAC's communication needs with EOP, and then, as appropriate, develop methods for meeting those needs. (Recommendation 6)
Open
In written comments reproduced in our report, CEQ stated that it anticipates taking steps in the coming months to implement our recommendations on leading practices. We will update the status of this recommendation when we receive additional information from the agencies.

Critical Infrastructure Protection: Agencies Need to Enhance Oversight of Ransomware Practices and Assess Federal Support

GAO-24-106221
Jan 30, 2024
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11 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Energy The Secretary of Energy should, in coordination with CISA and sector entities, determine the extent to which the energy sector is adopting leading cybersecurity practices that help reduce the sector's risk of ransomware. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Energy The Secretary of Energy should, in coordination with CISA and sector entities, develop and implement routine evaluation procedures that measure the effectiveness of federal support in helping reduce the risk of ransomware to the energy sector. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Health and Human Services The Secretary of Health and Human Services should, in coordination with CISA and sector entities, determine the extent to which the healthcare and public health sector is adopting leading cybersecurity practices that help reduce the sector's risk of ransomware. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Health and Human Services The Secretary of Health and Human Services should, in coordination with CISA and sector entities, develop and implement routine evaluation procedures that measure the effectiveness of federal support in helping reduce the risk of ransomware to the healthcare and public health sector. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Homeland Security The Secretary of Homeland Security should, in coordination with CISA and sector entities, determine the extent to which the critical manufacturing sector is adopting leading cybersecurity practices that help reduce the sector's risk of ransomware. (Recommendation 5)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Homeland Security The Secretary of Homeland Security should, in coordination with CISA and sector entities, develop and implement routine evaluation procedures that measure the effectiveness of federal support in helping reduce the risk of ransomware to the critical manufacturing sector. (Recommendation 6)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.