GAO

Alliance For Fair Sugar Policy: Government Accountability Office Report Calls for Reforms to the U.S. Sugar Program

Retrieved on: 
Friday, November 3, 2023
Policy, GAO, Food, Government, Congress, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, Organization, USDA, Multimedia, AFSP, Privacy Office of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Agriculture, Soft drink, Renewable energy, Dietary supplement

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report detailing the impact of the U.S. sugar program on American consumers, food manufacturers, and sugar producers. The report confirmed that the U.S. sugar program is creating supply shortages for domestic food production and contributing to higher costs for manufacturers, workers, and American families. Further, the study found that the program is a net drag on the U.S. economy, ultimately costing consumers more than sugar producers benefit.

Key Points: 
  • WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report detailing the impact of the U.S. sugar program on American consumers, food manufacturers, and sugar producers.
  • "For too long, the discussion over the U.S. sugar program in Washington has pit America's food manufacturers and sugar producers against one another," said Grant Colvin, executive director of the Alliance for Fair Sugar Policy.
  • To learn more about the Alliance for Fair Sugar Policy and the need for sugar reform, please visit FairSugarPolicy.org .
  • The Alliance for Fair Sugar Policy (AFSP) is a broad-based coalition advocating to modernize the outdated U.S. sugar program established by Congress more than 80 years ago.

Former GAO Bid Protest Attorney and Associate General Counsel for AI Defense Business Rejoins Crowell & Moring

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, October 12, 2023
Government, United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, George Washington University, Research, AI, GM, University, OpenAI, Administration, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, History of the University of Maryland, College Park, Artificial intelligence, Industrial, Crowell & Moring, Public sector, GAO, Security, Privacy, United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Government Publishing Office, Senate, Medical device, Construction, United States census, Cohere

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Eric M. Ransom, a former attorney with the U.S. Government Accountability Office and the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, has rejoined Crowell & Moring as a partner in the firm's premier Government Contracts Group. Eric will advise clients on the intersection of procurement laws, regulations, and best practices; and Artificial Intelligence and sophisticated defense technologies.

Key Points: 
  • Eric will advise clients on the intersection of procurement laws, regulations, and best practices; and Artificial Intelligence and sophisticated defense technologies.
  • Most recently, Ransom served as director and associate general counsel of Scale AI, Inc., which provides AI development platforms and training data supporting advanced AI applications including generative AI from OpenAI and Cohere; self-driving technology from GM and Toyota; and the government's most advanced AI research & development programs.
  • "We are thrilled to welcome Eric back to Crowell," said Daniel R. Forman , co-chair of the firm's Government Contracts Group.
  • Ransom previously spent more than a decade at the GAO, where he served as deputy assistant general counsel and as a senior bid protest hearing officer in the Procurement Law Division.

Nurses, Advocates to Testify in Favor of Legislation To Prevent Workplace Violence Against Health Care Workers at Oct. 4th State House Hearing

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 3, 2023
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Verbal abuse, National Nurses United, Concussion, State, Emergency Nurses Association, Statehouse, MNA, Legislature, United States Army Nurse Corps, Violence, Health care, WBUR, Hospital, Workplace, Fear, Multimedia, Holy Family Hospital, Oklahoma Hospital Association, GAO, Workplace violence, Patient, Implement, Risk, Hearing, Massachusetts health care reform, ICU, Commonwealth, Massachusetts General Hospital, Safety, Legislation, Nursing

BOSTON, Oct. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lawmakers will hold a hearing at the State House on Wednesday, Oct. 4 on legislation that would require hospitals to design and implement policies and procedures to prevent what has been characterized as an epidemic of violence against frontline nurses and other direct care staff in Massachusetts healthcare facilities.

Key Points: 
  • The bill also requires the creation of an in-house crisis response team to support victims of workplace violence.
  • More than 80% of emergency department nurses have been the victim of workplace violence, according to the Emergency Nurses Association.
  • 76% of nurses in direct care at a teaching hospital said workplace violence and abuse is a serious problem.
  • 79% of nurses in direct care at a community hospital said workplace violence and abuse is a serious problem.

Study: PBMs setting wildly variable prescription prices for patients at the counter, per APCI

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
Attention, Drug, General counsel, APCI, Health care, Pharmacy, National Average Drug Acquisition Cost, PBM, Congress, GAO, Acquisition, Patient, FTC, Map, Data, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, NADAC, Pharmaceutical industry

Additionally, the study reveals wild swings in prescription pricing set by PBMs and charged to patients.

Key Points: 
  • Additionally, the study reveals wild swings in prescription pricing set by PBMs and charged to patients.
  • The study was performed by data analytics firm 3 Axis Advisors and was sponsored by American Pharmacy Cooperative, Inc. (APCI).
  • The study is replete with examples of variability and the arbitrariness of PBM-set drug prices.
  • Simply put, the system is broken, and PBMs can no longer be trusted to set drug prices."

Reviewers Warn SludgeDaily.com Poses Stress Risk

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Government, Blood pressure, Policy, GAO, Rotary friction welding, OMB, Senate, House, News, Capitol Hill, Mindfulness

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GovNavigators launched a news aggregation site intended to be an indispensable source of timely news about the business of government. It features hand selected news stories and links to policy documents from across the federal government operations spectrum, including the latest from OMB, GAO, and Capitol Hill, but also a menacing countdown clock to the end of the fiscal year.

Key Points: 
  • Those who viewed the beta site warned about negative consequences of such a timely, wide-ranging resource.
  • Comments ranged from: Who needs all that stress located in one site?
  • Sludge Daily plays on the term sludge, defined as "excessive or unjustified frictions, such as paperwork burdens, that cost time or money."
  • But if, like many of us, you are more inclined to the mindfulness space, we recommend you find Calm or Headspace, instead.

National Academy of Social Insurance Releases New Report on Older Workers in Physically Demanding Jobs

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, September 6, 2023
Poverty, Social Security Disability Insurance, Partnership, Public policy, AARP, Disability, COVID-19, Policy, Ageing, SSDI, Social insurance, Security, Task force, GAO, Retirement, National academy, Social Security, Workforce, Unemployment benefits, Task, Maritime Security Task Force, Social, Health, Female, Health insurance, Pension fund, Medicaid, Medicare

Washington, Sept. 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the nonpartisan National Academy of Social Insurance (“the Academy”) released a major new report finding that Older Workers in Physically Challenging Jobs Need Stronger Social Insurance Supports .

Key Points: 
  • Washington, Sept. 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the nonpartisan National Academy of Social Insurance (“the Academy”) released a major new report finding that Older Workers in Physically Challenging Jobs Need Stronger Social Insurance Supports .
  • The U.S. social insurance infrastructure–Social Security retirement and disability benefits, Unemployment Insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and Workers’ Compensation–provides critical protection against poverty and hardship.
  • The Task Force’s report identifies more than two dozen policy options to strengthen U.S. social insurance supports and better support these older workers.
  • Members of the Task Force on Older Workers’ Retirement Security:
    Since the National Academy of Social Insurance was founded in 1986, it has provided rigorous inquiry and insights into the functioning of our nation’s social insurance programs—Social Security, Medicare, Unemployment Insurance, and Workers’ Compensation.

Employee Fiduciary Submits Comment Letter to U.S. Department of Labor Advocating for Greater 401(k) Fee Transparency

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, September 5, 2023
Third-party administrator, Privacy Office of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Request, CPC, Disclosure, RFI, DOL, QPA, Administration, GAO, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Retirement, Comment, Knowledge, TPA, Letter, Financial adviser

The letter was written by Employee Fiduciary's President and CEO, Eric Droblyen, CPC, QPA.

Key Points: 
  • The letter was written by Employee Fiduciary's President and CEO, Eric Droblyen, CPC, QPA.
  • It addresses several key areas of concern, with a primary focus on the need for enhanced clarity and transparency in how 401(k) fees are presented to participants.
  • "We firmly believe in 401(k) fee transparency and the imperative need for participants to clearly understand the implications of these fees.
  • To read a copy of the comment letter and gain further insight into Employee Fiduciary's perspective on 401(k) fee transparency, visit www.employeefiduciary.com/blog/dol-401k-fee-disclosure-feedback .

KBR JV Awarded $719M Contract to Aid NASA's Development of Space Orbital Systems

Retrieved on: 
Monday, August 14, 2023
Joint Polar Satellite System, Intuitive Machines, Engineering, Goddard Space Flight Center, Systems analysis, GSFC, GAO, NASA, Government Accountability Office, MACOM Technology Solutions, Aviation Applied Technology Directorate, Weather, Government, KBR, III, NYSE, Software, Communications satellite

HOUSTON, Aug. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- KBR (NYSE: KBR) is pleased to announce NASA's award to the Space & Technology Solutions team, a KBR joint venture with Intuitive Machines (Nasdaq: LUNR, LUNRW), to provide multidisciplinary engineering for some of NASA's most critical space orbital systems in its Applied Engineering and Technology Directorate at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Maryland.

Key Points: 
  • HOUSTON, Aug. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- KBR (NYSE: KBR) is pleased to announce NASA's award to the Space & Technology Solutions team, a KBR joint venture with Intuitive Machines (Nasdaq: LUNR, LUNRW), to provide multidisciplinary engineering for some of NASA's most critical space orbital systems in its Applied Engineering and Technology Directorate at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Maryland.
  • The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has denied all protests of this award.
  • The Omnibus Multidiscipline Engineering Services (OMES) III contract has a five-year period of performance with a total value of $719 million.
  • KBR has been supporting GSFC for more than 35 years and has extensive experience in all phases of mission operations, ground systems engineering and spaceflight instrument development.

GAO Continues Multi-Manager Asia Fund Expansion with Launch of New Quantitative Trading Capabilities

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 8, 2023
Bachelor, Electrical engineering, Mathematics, University, COVID-19, Risk management, JPMorgan Chase, Financial engineering, Research, Imperial College London, First, Electronic, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, GAO, AUM, ASV, HFM, Widener University Commonwealth Law School, UBS, CIO, Master, CVA, Fund, Cornell University, Electricity, CAIA, Economics

SINGAPORE, Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GAO Capital ("GAO"), an alternative investment multi-manager platform, today announced the addition of long/short and quantitative trading capabilities in its flagship ASV Fund.

Key Points: 
  • SINGAPORE, Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GAO Capital ("GAO"), an alternative investment multi-manager platform, today announced the addition of long/short and quantitative trading capabilities in its flagship ASV Fund.
  • The Fund has steadily grown since its launch, crossing $100m AUM and winning the HFM & Eurekahedge Best Asia ex-Japan award in 2022.
  • "We have built research and trading infrastructure to expand to new markets for the Fund - Japan and India."
  • Before joining GAO, Mr. Yi was a portfolio manager with Shidan Capital, a multi-strategy Japan fund with a focus on tactical trading using options and futures.

GAO Continues Multi-Manager Asia Fund Expansion with Launch of New Quantitative Trading Capabilities

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 8, 2023
Bachelor, Electrical engineering, Mathematics, University, COVID-19, Risk management, JPMorgan Chase, Financial engineering, Research, Imperial College London, First, Electronic, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, GAO, AUM, ASV, HFM, Widener University Commonwealth Law School, UBS, CIO, Master, CVA, Fund, Cornell University, Electricity, CAIA, Economics

SINGAPORE, Aug. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GAO Capital ("GAO"), an alternative investment multi-manager platform, today announced the addition of long/short and quantitative trading capabilities in its flagship ASV Fund.

Key Points: 
  • SINGAPORE, Aug. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GAO Capital ("GAO"), an alternative investment multi-manager platform, today announced the addition of long/short and quantitative trading capabilities in its flagship ASV Fund.
  • The Fund has steadily grown since its launch, crossing $100m AUM and winning the HFM & Eurekahedge Best Asia ex-Japan award in 2022.
  • "We have built research and trading infrastructure to expand to new markets for the Fund - Japan and India."
  • Before joining GAO, Mr. Yi was a portfolio manager with Shidan Capital, a multi-strategy Japan fund with a focus on tactical trading using options and futures.