Skip to main content

The Department of Education's Compliance with the Inflation Adjustment Act

GAO-02-1030R Published: Aug 26, 2002. Publicly Released: Aug 26, 2002.
Jump To:
Skip to Highlights

Highlights

Earlier this year, GAO initiated a governmentwide review of the implementation of the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990. The Inflation Adjustment Act requires each federal agency to issue a regulation adjusting its covered maximum and minimum civil monetary penalties for inflation by October 23, 1996, and requires them to make necessary adjustments at least once every 4 years thereafter. During the review, the Department of Education's Office of the General Counsel indicated that at least eight of the agency's civil penalties are covered by that act, but the agency had not yet adjusted any of them for inflation.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Education The Secretary of Education should initiate a regulatory action to adjust for inflation all of the agency's civil penalties that are covered by the Inflation Adjustment Act.
Closed – Implemented
The Department of Education published final regulations adjusting the department's civil penalties for inflation on November 18, 2002 (67 FR 69654).

Full Report

GAO Contacts

Office of Public Affairs

Topics

Fines (penalties)Federal lawInflationNoncompliancePrice inflationHigher educationFraud, Waste and AbuseFederal assistance programsEducation regulationsEducation loan programs