Federal Reports

DFC OIG contracted with RMA Associates, LLC (RMA) to audit DFC’s compliance with the BUILD Act. Our audit objectives were to: (1) assess DFC’s actions to implement 118 BUILD Act provisions; (2) assess the status of planned actions for those provisions DFC has not yet implemented; and (3) identify challenges that could affect DFC’s timely implementation of those planned actions. In addition, to evaluate steps DFC has taken to prioritize investments in LICs and LMICs, we compared OPIC investments to DFC investments. We also created scorecards for each BUILD Act provision.

The Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which also provides oversight for the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, or CSB, contracted with the independent accounting firm SB & Company LLC to initiate an evaluation of the CSB’s compliance with the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014, or FISMA.

What We Looked At The Department of Transportation (DOT) is responsible for fostering and promoting uniform time observance—including Daylight Saving Time (DST)—as well as evaluating requests to change time zones. Since 2015, at least 45 States have proposed legislation either to change their observance of DST or to establish permanent standard time. Recent Federal interest, such as the March 2022 U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing on DST and the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021, highlights the importance of DST and time zone changes to impacted communities. Given the recent interest and potential impact of time zone changes on transportation, we initiated this audit with a limited scope to assess DOT’s processes for evaluating and responding to requests from States and localities for time zone changes and DST exemptions. What We Found While DOT is responsible for evaluating and processing time zone change petitions from States and localities, it does not have written guidance in place specifically addressing how the petitions should be evaluated and validated. Instead, if it were to receive a petition, the Department would process the petition according to the general rulemaking procedures and DOT Order already in place. However, it has been roughly 12 years since the Department last processed a petition and officials currently responsible for this area were not involved in the process the last time it took place. In addition, although DOT does not have the authority to grant exemptions from DST, it is responsible for fostering and promoting uniform time observance. Yet, it does not have processes for monitoring localities that are not observing DST or their assigned time zone and may not be aware of possible instances of non-uniform time observance. In addition, the Department does not provide sufficiently detailed information for the public to promptly and accurately identify non-compliant localities. Our Recommendations The Office of the Secretary of Transportation concurred with all five of our recommendations to improve DOT’s evaluation of time zone changes and promotion of uniform time observance and provided appropriate actions and completion dates. We consider these recommendations resolved but open, pending completion of planned actions. 

Our reviews of 94 CSP grant recipients’ FPRs, APRs, and data collection forms disclosed discrepancies between the number of schools that CSP grant recipients reported as opened or expanded using CSP funds. Our reviews also disclosed that CSP grant recipients did not always submit or did not timely submit their FPRs, APRs, and data collection forms. Finally, our reviews disclosed that FPRs or APRs did not always clearly disclose the number of charter schools opened or expanded using CSP funds.