[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 20, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E86]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  INTRODUCTION OF THE FEDERAL FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 
                                  1999

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ROB PORTMAN

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 19, 1999

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to day with my colleague, Mr. Hoyer, 
to introduce the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement 
Act of 1999. Mr. Speaker, this bill is identical to legislation 
sponsored by Senator Glenn and Thompson that passed the Senate in the 
unanimous consent in the waning hours of last Session.
  Mr. Speaker, I often hear from state and local governments and 
constituents involved in non-profit organizations who, in an attempt to 
gain assistance for many worthy programs, are frustrated by the miles 
of red tape, regulations and duplicative procedures they encounter. 
Applying for the grant is not the only problem. The administrative and 
reporting requirements attached to certain grants often makes these 
entities question the cost effectiveness of entering the program in the 
first place.
  To address this concern we have introduced this short and straight 
forward legislation. It requires relevant Federal agencies, with 
oversight from OMB, to develop plans within 18 months that do the 
following: streamline application, administrative, and reporting 
requirements; develop a uniform application (or set of applications) 
for related programs; develop and expand the use of electronic 
applications and reporting via the Internet; demonstrate interagency 
coordination in simplifying requirements for cross-cutting programs; 
and set annual goals to further the purposes of the Act. Agencies would 
consult with outside parties in the development of the plans. Plans and 
follow-up annual reports would be submitted to Congress and the 
Director and could be included as part of other management reports 
required under law.
  In addition to overseeing and coordinating agency activities, OMB 
would be responsible for developing common rules that cut across 
program and agency lines by creating a release form that allows grant 
information to be shared by programs. The bill sunsets in five years 
and The National Academy for Public Administrators (NAPA) would submit 
an evaluation just prior to its sunsetting.
  The bill builds on past efforts to improve program performance 
through the Government Performance Results Act and to reduce Federal 
burdens through the Paperwork Reduction & Unfunded Mandates Acts. It 
has been endorsed by state and local organizations such as the National 
Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislators, 
the National Association of Counties, and the National League of 
Cities. I want to thank the gentleman from Maryland, Mr. Hoyer and the 
other original cosponsors for joining me in this effort and I encourage 
my colleagues to join in support of this bipartisan effort.




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