I 108th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 3826 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 25, 2004 Mr. Platts (for himself and Mr. Tom Davis of Virginia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Government Reform A BILL To require the review of Government programs at least once every 5 years for purposes of evaluating their performance.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the &short-title1;.

2.

Findings

Congress finds that— (1)inefficiency and ineffectiveness in Federal programs undermines the confidence of the American people in the Government and reduces the Federal Government’s ability to adequately address vital public needs; (2)insufficient information on program performance seriously disadvantages Federal managers in their efforts to improve program efficiency and effectiveness; (3)congressional policy making, spending decisions, and program oversight are handicapped by insufficient attention to program performance and results; (4)programs performing similar or duplicative functions that exist within a single agency or across multiple agencies should be identified and their performance and results shared among all such programs to improve their performance and results; (5)advocates of good government continue to seek ways to improve accountability, focus on results, and integrate the performance of programs with decisions about budgets; (6)with the passage of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, the Congress directed the executive branch to seek improvements in the effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability of Federal programs by having agencies focus on program results; and (7)the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 provided a strong framework for the executive branch to monitor the long-term goals and annual performance of its departments and agencies.

3.

Purpose

The purposes of this Act are— (1)to improve the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 by implementing a program review and evaluation process that attempts to determine the strengths and weaknesses of Federal programs with a particular focus on the results produced by individual programs; (2)to use the information gathered in the review and evaluation process to build on the groundwork laid in the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 to help the executive branch make informed management decisions and evidence-based funding requests aimed at achieving positive results; and (3)to provide congressional policy makers the information needed to conduct more effective oversight, to make better-informed authorization decisions, and to make more evidence-based spending decisions that achieve positive results for the American people.

4.

Program Review and Evaluation

(a)

Requirement for Program Reviews

Chapter 11 of title 31, United States Code, as amended by the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

1120.

Program review and evaluation

(a)

Review

The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall conduct a review of each program activity at least once every 5 fiscal years. (b)

Review requirements

In conducting a review of a program activity under subsection (a), the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall— (1)consult with the relevant agency; and (2)evaluate the purpose, design, strategic plan, management, and results of the program, and such other matters as the Director considers appropriate. (c)

Criteria for Identifying Programs To Review

The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall develop criteria for identifying program activities to be reviewed each fiscal year. In developing the criteria, the Director shall take into account the advantages of reviewing during the same fiscal year any program activities that are performing similar functions or have similar purposes. (d)

Criteria for more frequent reviews

The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall make every effort to review program activities more frequently than required under subsection (a) in cases in which program activities are determined to be of higher priority, special circumstances exist, improvements have been made, or the head of the relevant agency and the Director determine that more frequent review is warranted. (e)

Report

The results of the reviews conducted during a fiscal year shall be submitted in a report to Congress at the same time that the President submits the next budget under section 1105 of this title after the end of that fiscal year.

. (b)

Guidance

Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall prescribe guidance to implement the requirements of section 1120 of title 31, United States Code, as added by subsection (a). (c)

Conforming Amendment

Section 1115(g) of title 31, United States Code, is amended by striking 1119 and inserting 1120.

5.

Strategic Planning Amendments

(a)

Change in Deadline for Strategic Plan

Subsection (a) of section 306 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by striking Not later than September 30, 1997, and inserting Not later than September 30 of each year following a year in which an election for President occurs, beginning with September 30, 2005, . (b)

Change in Period of Coverage of Strategic Plan

Subsection (b) of section 306 of title 5, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: (b)Each strategic plan shall cover the 4-year period beginning on October 1 of the year following a year in which an election for President occurs..