[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 128 (Tuesday, September 23, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1826-E1828]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   GAO'S OUTSTANDING RESULTS ACT WORK

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. RICHARD K. ARMEY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 23, 1997

  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, the Government Performance Results Act, 
popularly known as the Results Act, holds the promise of achieving a 
smaller, smarter, commonsense Federal Government. It provides the tools 
we need to comprehensively evaluate Federal programs and agencies in 
order to determine what's working, what's wasted, what needs to be 
improved, and what needs to be rethought. It will help us ferret out 
fraud, waste, error, and redundancy in current programs.
  For these reasons, effective implementation of the Results Act is a 
high priority for the Congress. Indeed, we have already devoted much 
attention to ensuring that the act achieves its full potential. We 
recently completed extensive congressional consultations on draft 
agency strategic plans through a coordinated effort that involved 
virtually all House committees and featured outstanding teamwork across 
jurisdictional and party lines. Our September 4 interim report, 
entitled ``The Results Act: It Matters Now,'' provides an overall 
assessment of the agency draft plans based on our consultations.
  Our evaluations and feedback on agency draft plans drew heavily on 
analyses done for us by the General Accounting Office. I want to take 
this opportunity to commend the GAO and its many dedicated employees 
for their superb work on this project.
  At our request, GAO conducted comprehensive reviews of draft 
strategic plans for 28 departments and agencies. In order to meet the 
need to complete congressional consultations promptly, GAO reported to 
us within 30 days following receipt of each agency's draft plan. The 
reports were uniformly thorough and insightful. Their detailed analyses 
and constructive criticisms provided invaluable assistance to us, to 
our committee teams, and to the agencies. In addition to issuing 
written products, the GAO staff responsible for each report provided 
oral briefings to our committee teams.
  GAO's ability to produce so much outstanding work in such a short 
time period is a tribute to the breadth of knowledge, expertise, and 
commitment of its outstanding staff. Each of the individuals involved 
in this project can rightly be proud of his or her accomplishment. This 
project reflects the highest standards of GAO's service to the Congress 
and to the American taxpayers.

[[Page E1827]]

  Mr. Speaker, I wish to insert in the Record letters of commendation 
that we sent to Jim Hinchman, the Acting Comptroller General, and to 
Chris Mihm, who coordinated the entire GAO project. I would also like 
to insert in the Record the names of all the other fine GAO employees 
who made major contributions to this project. A special commendation is 
in order for Henry Wray, who is a detailee to the Congress from GAO who 
is a tireless, professional optimist who has given of this time and 
talents on behalf of Government reforms in which he believes.
  My hearty thanks to all those with GAO who have provided such a solid 
support for the Congressional effort to get to a smaller, smarter, more 
commonsense government using all the tools, laws, and resources 
available to us.

                                Congress of the United States,

                               Washington, DC, September 22, 1997.
     Mr. J. Christopher Mihm,
     Acting Associate Director, General Government Division, U.S. 
         General Accounting Office, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chris: On behalf of ourselves and many others in the 
     Congress, we wish to commend you for your superb 
     contributions to effective implementation of the Government 
     Performance and Results Act.
       For the past several years, you have spearheaded a number 
     of excellent GAO efforts in support of the Results Act. They 
     include the following products, among many others: Executive 
     Guide: Effectively Implementing the Government Performance 
     and Results Act, GAO/GGD-96-118 (June 1996); Agencies' 
     Strategic Plans Under GPRA: Key Questions to Facilitate 
     Congressional Review, GAO/GGD-10.1.16 (May 1997); and The 
     Government Performance and Results Act: 1997 Governmentwide 
     Implementation Will Be Uneven, GAO/GGD-97-109 (June 1997).
       Most recently, you played a key role in producing the 28 
     reports on agency draft strategic plans that GAO provided to 
     us, each of which was done within a 30-day deadline. The 
     reports were uniformly thorough and insightful. Their 
     detailed analyses and constructive criticisms of each plan 
     provided invaluable assistance to us and to our Results Act 
     consultation teams. You coordinated GAO's overall effort to 
     produce these reports and personally reviewed and contributed 
     to the substance of many of them. On September 4, we issued 
     an Interim Report on implementation of the Act, entitled 
     ``The Results Act: It Matters Now,'' which provides an 
     overall assessment of agency draft strategic plans and draws 
     heavily on the GAO analyses.
       In addition to these efforts, you have been a constant and 
     invaluable source of informal assistance on Results Act 
     issues to many members of Congress and Congressional staff in 
     both the House and the Senate and on both sides of the aisle. 
     you have demonstrated outstanding expertise on the Results 
     Act and government management issues in general, remarkable 
     energy and enthusiasm, and an unfailing spirit of 
     cooperation. You should take great pride in all of these 
     efforts. They reflect the highest standards of public 
     service.
       Once again, thank you for all of your outstanding support 
     of Results Act implementation. As you know, we view effective 
     implementation of the Act as a high priority. We look forward 
     to continuing to work with you to ensure that this vitally 
     important law achieves its full promise.
           Sincerely,
     Dick Armey,
       House Majority Leader.
     Dan Burton,
       Chairman, House Government Reform and Oversight Committee.
     John Kasich,
       Chairman, House Budget Committee.
     Bob Livingston,
       Chairman, House Appropriations Committee.


       
                                  ____
                                Congress of the United States,

                               Washington, DC, September 22, 1997.
     Mr. James F. Hinchman,
     Acting Comptroller General of the United States, U.S. General 
         Accounting Office, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Hinchman: On September 4, we issued an Interim 
     Report on implementation of the Government Performance and 
     Results Act. The report, entitled ``The Results Act: It 
     Matters Now,'' provides an overall assessment of agency draft 
     strategic plans based on Congressional consultations on those 
     plans as mandated by the Act. The report draws heavily from 
     the analyses of agency draft plans done for us by the General 
     Accounting Office as part of our consultations. We wish to 
     take this opportunity to commend the GAO and its many 
     dedicated employees for this superb work.
       By letter dated June 12, 1997, we requested that the GAO 
     assist us and our Results Act consultation teams by 
     conducting comprehensive evaluations of agency draft 
     strategic plans. Our request included all of the 24 
     departments and major independent agencies covered by the 
     Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act, as well as several other 
     agencies. Given the need to complete Congressional 
     consultations promptly, we further requested that GAO report 
     to us within 30 days following receipt of each agency's draft 
     plan.
       In response to our request, GAO submitted a total of 28 
     reports on agency strategic plans. All of these reports were 
     issued within the 30-day deadline. We understand that this 
     project as a whole involved staff from all of GAO's program 
     divisions and virtually all of its issue areas. The reports 
     were uniformly thorough and insightful. Their detailed 
     analyses and constructive criticisms provided invaluable 
     assistance to us and to our teams. In addition to issuing 
     written products, the GAO staff responsible for each report 
     provided oral briefings to our consultation teams.
       GAO's ability to produce so much outstanding work in such a 
     short time period is a tribute to the breadth of knowledge, 
     expertise, and commitment of its outstanding staff. You can 
     rightly take great pride in this effort. It reflects the 
     highest standards of GAO's service to the Congress and to the 
     American taxpayers.
       In addition to incorporating much of GAO's analysis in our 
     feedback to the agencies, we shared the GAO reports with the 
     agencies and OMB. We hope and expect that the GAO reports, 
     along with other Congressional input, will lead to much 
     improved final strategic plans by September 30. The 
     development of strategic plans is the first major phase of 
     the Results Act's implementation. The success of the Act's 
     upcoming phases will, in large part, turn on the viability 
     and quality of agency strategic plans. We intend to ask GAO 
     to follow up on its excellent work for us by analyzing the 
     final plans.
       We also wish to commend GAO and express our full support 
     for all of the many other excellent projects it has 
     undertaken to support the Results Act. As you know, we view 
     effective implementation of the Results Act as a high 
     priority. We look forward to continuing to work with you to 
     ensure that this vitally important law achieves its full 
     promise.
           Sincerely,
     Dick Armey,
       House Majority Leader.
     Dan Burton,
       Chairman, House Government Reform and Oversight Committee.
     John Kasich,
       Chairman, House Budget Committee.
     Bob Livingston,
       Chairman, House Appropriations Committee.


       
                                  ____
                           Major Contributors

       The following individuals were major contributors to GAO's 
     reviews, reports, and briefings on agency draft strategic 
     plans under the Results Act:


             Accounting And Information Management Division

       David B. Alston, Linda F. Baker, Ronald B. Bageant, Jack L. 
     Brock, Jr., Mark Connelly, Michael J. Curro, Kay Daly, Thomas 
     L. Davies, John DeFerrari, Franklin W. Deffer, Cheryl 
     Driscoll, Denise M. Fantone, John P. Finedore, Geoffrey B. 
     Frank, James Hamilton, Laura E. Hamilton, Joan B. Hawkins, 
     Mark E. Heatwole, Gloria L. Jarmon, Anastasia P. Kaluzienski, 
     Nancy W. Kong, Linda D. Koontz, Dianne Langston, Danny R. 
     Latta, Elizabeth M. Mixon, Christie M. Motley, Paul L. 
     Posner, Mark D. Shaw, Brian C. Spencer, and Deborah A. 
     Taylor.


                      General Government Division

       Teresa Anderson, James M. Blume, Michael Brostek, Lessie M. 
     Burke, James H. Burow, Donna J. Byers, Samuel A. Caldrone, 
     Curtis W. Copeland, Charlie W. Daniel, Clifton G. Douglas, 
     Jr., William J. Dowdal, Bryon S. Gordon, Mary B. Hall, 
     Kenneth E. John, Michael H. Little, Robert B. Magnum, Jr., 
     Thomas J. McCool, J. Christopher Mihm, John F. Mortin, John 
     K. Needham, Michael J. O'Donnell, Norman J. Rabkin, David E. 
     Sausville, Dorothy L. Self, Richard M. Stana, Gerald 
     Stankowsky, Alan M. Stapleton, L. Nye Stevens, Bernard L. 
     Ungar, Joseph S. Wholey, Michelle Wiggins, Lynda D. Willis, 
     and Steven J. Wozny.


             Health, Education and Human Services Division

       Barbara D. Bovbjerg, Lisanne Bradley, Kay E. Brown, Cynthia 
     M. Fagnoni, Harriet C. Ganson, Richard L. Hembra, Charles A. 
     Jeszeck, Carlotta C. Joyner, Marsha Lillie-Blanton, Thomas 
     N. Medvetz, Valerie C. Melvin, Sigurd R. Nilsen, Lori 
     Rectanus, Valerie A. Rogers, Jane L. Ross, Debra B. 
     Sebastian, Vernette G. Shaw, Bernice Steinhardt, Helene 
     Toiv, Karen A. Whiten, and Greg Whitney.


          National Security and International Affairs Division

       Sharon Chamberlain, Adam Cowles, Frank Degnan, Yolanda C. 
     ElSerwy, Jess T. Ford, David T. Genser, Diana M. Glod, 
     JayEtta Z. Hecker, Jerry Herley, John P. Hutton, Harold J. 
     Johnson, Jr., Kenneth R. Knouse, Jr., Allen Li, James B. 
     Michels, Lynn B. Moore, F. Earl Morrison, Benjamin F. Nelson, 
     Charles L. (Bud) Patton, Jr., Jeffrey D. Phillips, Jean-Paul 
     Reveyoso, Elizabeth Sirois, Lawrence L. Suda, David C. 
     Trimble, David R. Warren, and Barbara L. Wooten.


                       Office of General Counsel

       Alan N. Belkin, George Bogart, Richard P. Burkard, Robert 
     Crystal, M. Rachel DeMarcus, Helen Desaulniers, Carlos E. 
     Diz, Herbert I. Dunn, Lynn H. Gibson, Jackie A. Goff, Robert 
     J. Heitzman, David Hooper, Julian P. Klazkin, John McGrail, 
     Susan Michal-Smith, Jan B. Montgomery, Maureen A. Murphy, 
     James M. Rebbe, Scott Riback,

[[Page E1828]]

     Jill P. Sayre, Richard Seldin, Dayna Shah, Mark Speight, Adam 
     Vodraska, Michael Volpe, Mindi G. Weisenbloom, Stefanie 
     Weldon, and William T. Woods.


        Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division

       John H. Anderson, Jr., Janet Barbee, Nancy Boardman, Gary 
     R. Boss, Paul Bryant, Carole Buncher, Dennis S. Carroll, 
     Stephen M. Cleary, Eileen M. Cortese, Stanley J. Czerwinski, 
     Sharon Dyer, Judy A. England-Joseph, Larry Goldsmith, Peter 
     F. Guerrero, Jeffrey Heil, Barry T. Hill, Susan D. Kladiva, 
     J. Erin Lansburg, Anu K. Mittal, Philip A. Oleon, Victor S. 
     Rezendes, Stan Ritchick, Robert A. Robinson, Phyllis 
     Scheinberg, Marlene S. Shaul, Nancy Simmons, Teresa Spisak, 
     James R. Sweetman, Jr., John Thomson, and Dave Wood.


                          Atlanta Field Office

       Linda P. Garrison, Diane G. Handley, and Thanomsri S. 
     Piyapongroj.


                        Kansas City Field Office

       Dale A. Wolden.


                          Seattle Field Office

       Lacinda Baumgartner.


                          Dallas Field Office

       Jeanni B. Davis.

       

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