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Open Recommendations

Federal Maritime Commission: Improved Use of Data on Shippers' Complaints Could Enhance Oversight
GAO-24-106368
Apr 23, 2024
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4 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Federal Maritime Commission The Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission should develop an outreach plan for communicating information about FMC's various complaint processes to shippers. Such a plan should align with leading practices for effective outreach. (Recommendation 1)
Open
In its written response to this report, FMC neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation. FMC acknowledged the importance of outreach and described initiatives it had undertaken, which we summarized in our report. However, we found that FMC did not have a documented plan for these efforts that defined its outreach goals, analyzed any gaps in knowledge among its stakeholder groups, or determined appropriate messages to address those gaps. In addition, in 2022 FMC issued its own study which reported that shippers were generally unfamiliar with FMC's complaint mechanisms and had difficulty discerning the differences between the mechanisms. Our report confirmed these findings. Developing an outreach plan could help FMC refine its outreach efforts to determine which industry events are best suited to reach target audiences and establish relevant goals or performance measures to assess whether messages are reaching the intended audience, among other things. As such, we stand by our recommendation and believe that FMC should implement it. We will monitor and report on FMC's actions to address this recommendation.
Federal Maritime Commission The Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission should review the CADRS complaint form to ensure it is collecting specific information on shippers' challenges. (Recommendation 2)
Open
In its written response to this report, FMC neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation. As noted in our report, FMC has not updated the CADRS form since 2019, prior to the enactment of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022, which codified CADRS in statute and directed FMC to appoint additional staff to assist with investigations. Given that FMC noted in its comments that it is receiving more complaints than in years past, we believe that collecting more specific information on the form is even more important to effectively monitor and respond to concerns in the maritime industry. We will monitor and report on FMC's actions to address this recommendation.
Federal Maritime Commission The Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission should update the procedures for FMC's CADRS and BEIC offices to ensure they include all actions staff can take in response to shippers' concerns, such as analyzing complaint data, and establish requirements for future reviews and updates. (Recommendation 3)
Open
In its written response to our report, FMC neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation. In our report, we found that FMC's procedures for the CADRS and BEIC offices did not reflect the full range of actions that staff can take to manage and use data from CADRS cases. By updating its procedures to include all actions staff can take in response to shippers' concerns, including handling potential violations of the Shipping Act, FMC will have greater assurance that its staff are consistently following its procedures. Establishing requirements for future updates to these procedures could also improve FMC's ability to monitor and respond to shippers' challenges in the future. Therefore, we believe that FMC should implement our recommendation and we will monitor FMC's efforts to do so.
Federal Maritime Commission The Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission should develop a strategy to guide FMC's efforts to modernize how it collects and manages data such that FMC can better monitor shippers' challenges and trends in the maritime shipping industry. (Recommendation 4)
Open
In its written response to our report, FMC neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation. FMC's written response stated that it is taking action to modernize its data processes using its information technology modernization plan. However, FMC did not provide us with this plan, nor did officials mention such a plan in our interviews. As a result, we cannot verify that the plan encompasses planned updates to the CADRS or BEIC data. We also cannot verify that the plan includes key information identified in leading practices-such as goals and intended outcomes, planned actions and investments, and plans to measure effectiveness. As we note in our report, having such information can help FMC ensure that it implements its modernization efforts efficiently and effectively and help guide future decisions related to how FMC collects and manages data. In its comments, FMC also stated that its new Chief Information Officer (CIO) will help the agency take more significant strides toward its information technology modernization goals. We look forward to working with the new CIO to implement this recommendation and will monitor FMC's efforts to do so.

Aviation Safety: Federal Efforts to Address Unauthorized Drone Flights Near Airports
GAO-24-107195
Apr 17, 2024
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Congress To help ensure the safety and security of the national airspace system, Congress should act to amend pertinent statutory authorities that exist for federal and non-federal entities, as it deems appropriate, with respect to drone detection and counter-drone operations at airports. (Matter for Congressional Consideration 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Federal Aviation Administration As part of ongoing efforts to develop an overarching strategy for drone integration, the Administrator of FAA should ensure that the strategy reflects plans for assessing how drone detection and mitigation technology will affect technologies aimed at allowing increased and routine drone traffic, particularly at airports. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Roadside Safety: DOT Should Update Public Awareness Materials on Move Over Laws
GAO-24-106216
Apr 04, 2024
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration The NHTSA Administrator should update NHTSA's public awareness materials on states' Move Over laws, such as banners and other graphics, to more fully reflect the range of vehicles that states' laws cover, such as highway maintenance or construction, utility, trash, and disabled vehicles. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Discretionary Transportation Grants: DOT Should Improve Transparency in the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America Program
GAO-24-106378
Jan 10, 2024
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Transportation The Secretary of Transportation should ensure that Office of the Secretary officials establish quality control procedures to verify that the conflict-of-interest screening and eligibility determination documentation is complete for Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant program applications. (Recommendation 1)
Open
DOT concurred with this recommendation. In May 2024, DOT officials stated that they have revised the Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant (MPDG) evaluation guidelines for the FY 2025 - 2026 round of funding to clarify the conflict-of-interest screening and eligibility determination documentation requirements. DOT is current evaluating MPDG applications for award; once this process is complete GAO will verify the use of these revised procedures.
Department of Transportation The Secretary of Transportation should clearly define, in the Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant program evaluation plan and Notice of Funding Opportunity, how an application may qualify as an "exemplary project of national or regional significance that generates significant benefits in one of the project outcome areas." (Recommendation 2)
Open
In January 2024, as part of its formal agency comments on GAO's report, DOT disagreed with this recommendation. In May 2024, DOT officials stated that the Department does not believe further clarification in the NOFO regarding how a project may be exemplary is necessary. They also noted that the application of the "exemplary" as well as the determination of whether projects are exemplary is at the discretion of the Department (and delegated advisors including the Senior Review Team members). However, we continue to believe that DOT should implement our recommendation for the reasons outlined in the report. Specifically, according to Office of Management and Budget guidance, the NOFO should clearly describe all criteria, including any sub-criteria. Clearly defining what constitutes "exemplary project" criteria would enhance the consistency and transparency of the program and provide better information to applicants. GAO will continue to monitor the status of this recommendation.
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