GPRA Mod Act of 2010 Explained: Part 5

The original GPRA requires OMB to develop a governmentwide annual performance plan.  OMB chose to designate the President’s budget as meeting that requirement.   Separately, GAO’s 2004 report recommended a governmentwide strategic plan, but OMB saw that as infeasible.  The new law attempts another approach.

Governmentwide Annual Performance Plan.  According to the Senate committee report, the new law creates specific requirements for OMB to prepare a governmentwide performance plan by requiring that:

• “the plan establish performance goals for each crosscutting federal government priority goal;
• OMB identify the various agencies, organizations, program activities, regulations, tax expenditures, policies and other activities that contribute to each federal government performance goal;
• a lead government official be assigned for each federal government performance goal;
• OMB establish common federal government performance indicators to measure and assess progress across agencies toward shared goals; and
• OMB identify government and cross-agency management challenges and plans to address such challenges.”

These governmentwide annual performance plans would be submitted to Congress along with each budget.

According to the Senate committee report, the new law: 

“enhances the existing requirements for a federal government performance plan, establishes the development of federal government priority goals, and requires agencies to have their own priority goals in order to achieve those federal government priority goals. These three important measures, alongside requirements for quarterly progress reviews and web-based reporting, set up a government-wide strategic and planning process.”

Federal Priority Goals.  According to the Senate committee report, the new law:

“requires the Director of OMB to work with agencies to develop federal government priority goals that aim to improve performance and management across the federal government. The crosscutting policy goals are required to be outcome-oriented and limited in number to ensure that there is ample focus on achieving these goals over time.

“The management-related goals should cover management functions where significant improvements are needed across the federal government, such as information technology, human capital, and financial management. Recognizing that achieving the federal government priority goals will require sustained focus over a period of time, the goals are required to be long-term in nature and updated or revised at least every four years.”

These goals would be included in the governmentwide performance plan, made available at the same time as the budget is submitted to Congress, and posted on the governmentwide performance website created by this legislation.

The law requires the Director of OMB to consult with Congress on the development of the Federal Government priority goals:

 “. . . .including obtaining majority and minority views from—

• the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives;
• the Committees on the Budget of the Senate and the House of Representatives;
• the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate;
• the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House of Representatives;
• the Committee on Finance of the Senate;
• the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives; and
• any other committees as determined appropriate;

“The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall consult with the appropriate committees of Congress at least once every 2 years.”

Agency Priority Goals.  According to the Senate committee report, the new law also:

“requires the head of each agency to identify agency priority goals from among the agency’s performance goals.  The Director of OMB would have authority to determine the total number of agency priority goals across the federal government, as well as the number of priority goals to be developed by each agency.  The Committee expects the total number of federal goals will not exceed 100 and agency goals will not exceed five per agency, while acknowledging variation. . . . The priority goals have a two-year timeframe.”

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If you are just joining this series, here’s a link back to the first blog post.