[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 110 (Monday, September 18, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S8658]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      Mr. VOINOVICH (for himself and Mr. Durbin):
  S. 3062. A bill to modify the date on which the Mayor of the District 
of Columbia submits a performance accountability plan to Congress, and 
for other purposes; to the Committee on Governmental Affairs.


district of columbia performance accountability plan amendments act of 
                                  2000

  Mr. VOINOVICH. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation 
to improve upon the District of Columbia's process for measuring and 
reporting on its performance. This legislation derives directly from a 
letter sent to me by the Mayor of the District of Columbia, in which he 
requested that Congress consider making minor changes to the District's 
reporting requirements so that the city can take one step closer to 
establishing a system of performance budgeting, in which the city's 
budget can be linked directly to the performance goals set by the 
city's agencies. I am pleased that Senator Durbin joins me as an 
original cosponsor of this bill.
  Similar to the intent of Congress in passing the Government 
Performance and Results Act of 1993, which re-engineered the management 
practices at federal agencies, the District of Columbia Financial 
Responsibility and Management Assistance Act of 1995 (DCFRMA) mandates 
that the District begin submitting performance accountability plans to 
Congress preceding each fiscal year. These plans are to establish 
objective, measurable performance goals for all agencies and 
departments within the government of the District of Columbia. The 
legislation also requires the District to submit to Congress a 
performance accountability report, following each fiscal year, that 
evaluates the city's ability to meet the performance goals it laid out 
in the performance accountability plan for that fiscal year.
  For the past three fiscal years since the DCFRMA legislation took 
effect, the performance plans and reports have provided the District 
with a valuable tool to establish a system of accountability in its 
operations. The Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, 
Restructuring, and the District of Columbia, which I chair, has held 
two oversight hearings on the District's progress in improving 
performance, and we are scheduled to hold another hearing in the coming 
weeks to evaluate the District's progress in accomplishing the goals it 
set out in its FY2000 performance accountability plan.
  Although the performance accountability plan legislation has provided 
the District with an effective framework for establishing a system of 
performance budgeting, our bill proposes minor changes to the law to 
improve the utility and relevance of this strategic planning exercise. 
First, current law provides that the performance accountability plan is 
due no later than March 1st preceding each fiscal year. However, in 
order to tie together the city's budget with the performance goals for 
each year, the Mayor requested that we consider harmonizing the 
submission deadline for the performance plan with the city's budget to 
Congress. In order to align the submission requirements, this 
legislation we are introducing today would change the submission 
deadline for the performance accountability plan from its current March 
1st deadline, to a deadline that is concurrent with the submission of 
the District of Columbia budget to Congress. By making this change, we 
hope to align the budget and the performance measures more closely, and 
help guide the city toward a system of performance budgeting.
  The second change made by this legislation is to streamline the 
performance goal requirements that were initially established in the 
DCFRMA. The current law mandates that, for every goal, the District 
must establish both an acceptable level of performance and a superior 
level of performance. Our bill proposes that the multiple levels of 
performance goals by replaced by one set of ambitious performance 
targets. This would clarify the goals District managers are expected to 
meet and align congressional mandates on the District with what is 
required of federal agencies.
  Senator Durbin and I hope these technical amendments to the 
performance plan requirements will allow the District to reform its 
management system more efficiently, and the subcommittee intends to 
actively monitor the city's progress in this regard.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a copy of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 3062

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY 
                   PLAN.

       Section 456 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act 
     (section 47-231 et seq. of the District of Columbia Code) is 
     amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)--
       (A) in paragraph (1) by striking ``Not later than March 1 
     of each year (beginning with 1998)'' and inserting 
     ``Concurrent with the submission of the District of Columbia 
     budget to Congress each year (beginning with 2001)''; and
       (B) in paragraph (2)(A) by striking ``that describe an 
     acceptable level of performance by the government and a 
     superior level of performance by the government''; and
       (2) in subsection (b)--
       (A) in paragraph (1) by striking ``1999'' and inserting 
     ``2001''; and
       (B) in paragraph (2)(A) by striking ``for an acceptable 
     level of performance by the government and a superior level 
     of performance by the government''.

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