House Government Reform Committee Approves Platts Bill to Make Government More Results-Oriented

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Government Reform Committee approved a bill Thursday to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Federal government - the Program Assessment and Results Act, or PAR Act, H.R. 3826.

Building on reforms established by the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), the PAR Act requires the Office of Management and Budget, working with agencies, to assess the performance of all Federal programs at least once every five years.

"Unless we take an empirical, systematic look at programs, the results they produce, and the way they are managed, we will never know whether we are meeting goals or providing services to the public in the most effective way possible.  Congress and the Executive Branch need to work together to ensure that information gleaned from program reviews empowers us to make timely, well-informed decisions," said Rep. Todd R. Platts (R-PA-19), who introduced the measure. 

Earlier this year, the Government Reform Subcommittee on Efficiency and Financial Management, chaired by Rep. Platts, held a series of hearings to look at management reforms, including how best to codify a requirement for program assessments.  As one of the six elements in a strategic plan, GPRA directs Federal agencies to include "a description of the program evaluations used in establishing or revising general goals and objectives."  In its study of the effects of GPRA, the Government Accounting Office cited program evaluation as the one area where agencies government-wide consistently did not meet expectations.  The PAR Act seeks to strengthen this and other aspects of GPRA.
 
"This process - evaluating effectiveness program-by-program - is necessary to ensure taxpayers dollars are being used wisely and to make sure the federal government is being both effective and efficient," said Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis (R-VA), an original co-sponsor of the measure, which passed by voice vote.