Comments on Legislation To Establish a Department of Education

GAO provided comments on H.R. 11191, a bill to establish a Department of Education. GAO determined that although a Department of Education would provide greater visibility to education matters at the national level, there is no evidence that its creation would improve education across the nation. GAO determined that improved management of existing programs, stressing coordination of efforts and consolidation of similar program objectives, may achieve most of the objectives as proposed in H.R. 11191. Further, GAO determined that the words "in advance" should be deleted from line 19 on page 11. Since the bill provided for the working capital fund to be established using capital obtained from appropriations and other assets and inventories transferred to it, there should be no need for subsequent reimbursements to the fund to be made in advance. Other working capital funds have been established without a requirement for advance reimbursements.