Federal Election Commission

Office of Inspector General -- Semiannual Report

Period ending September 30, 1998



If you require the entire printed version of this report, contact the Office of Inspector General, Federal Election Commission, 999 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20463 or call Dorothy Maddox-Holland, Special Assistant, phone: (202) 694-1015, fax: (202) 501-8134, or e-mail: dmaddox@fec.gov.


Executive Summary

This report is submitted pursuant to the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, and includes a summary of the Office of Inspector General's activities for the period April 1, 1998 through September 30, 1998.

During this reporting period, one audit was commenced.  Our office also conducted a peer review of another Office of Inspector General.  This was a lengthier project than expected as there were several major unanticipated issues that occurred during the review.  The results of the review were presented to the Acting Inspector General.   The OIG also took steps to begin monitoring the Federal Election Commission's (FEC) progress in assuring that the agency is prepared for the Year 2000 (Y2K) issue.

AUDIT ACTIVITY

TITLE:                         Audit of the Commission's Management of Computer Software

ASSIGNMENT #:       98-05

RELEASE DATE:       In Progress

PURPOSE:                  The three primary objectives of this audit are to:

(1) Verify that the Commission's computer software is in compliance with applicable copyright laws and Commission policies and procedures; (2) Determine that adequate policies and procedures are in place to prevent unauthorized software use by Commission employees; and (3) Ensure that adequate controls are in place to detect and prevent computer viruses.

ADDITIONAL OIG ACTIVITY

There were several requests from the Accounting Officer for OIG assistance.  The issues dealt with requirements for certification of the order for savings bonds and controls relating to the new electronic funds transfer (EFT) system required under the Debt Collection Improvement Act.  We also provided answers to questions relating to our office posed by Ms. Carolyn Hicks, Professional Committee Staff, Committee on Government Reform and Oversight.