Peters Bipartisan Bill to Bolster Transparency and Accountability for Federal Agency Performance Goals Advances in Senate

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senators Gary Peters (MI) to bolster the performance of federal agencies and ensure they are effectively carrying out their mission for the American people has advanced in the Senate. The Federal Agency Performance Act updates existing performance management laws by requiring regular strategic reviews of federal agencies’ performance goals and improving the data that is publicly available regarding how agencies are achieving those goals. This will improve transparency and accountability on how federal agencies are working to save taxpayer dollars and improve delivery of essential services across the nation. The bill was approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, where Peters serves as Chair.

“Giving Congress and the Administration more tools and data to measure how federal agencies are performing will help us ensure government is working effectively for taxpayers,” said Senator Peters. “This commonsense, bipartisan legislation will help lawmakers ensure federal agencies can meet long-term performance goals. I urge my colleagues to pass it out of the Senate.”

“Federal agencies must have transparent goals and effective strategies for measuring performance to meet the needs of the American public,” said James-Christian Blockwood, Executive Vice President for the Partnership for Public Service. “The Federal Performance Accountability Act of 2022 will help modernize agencies' strategic planning processes, reporting frameworks and performance accountability. The Partnership for Public Service commends this bipartisan action to create an integrated, whole of government approach to improving federal performance and reporting.”

The Federal Agency Performance Act would update the Government Performance and Results Act for the first time since 2010 to require the White House Office of Management and Budget to regularly conduct strategic reviews of agencies’ performance goals and ensure they are following through with strategic plans. The bill would also improve the quality and amount of data on performance.gov – the federal government’s central website to track agency-specific and government-wide performance.

Peters has led numerous efforts to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent effectively and efficiently. He recently convened a hearing to ensure pandemic emergency relief funds have been effectively used to help Americans affected by COVID-19. Peters’ bipartisan bill to save taxpayer dollars by ensuring federal property assets are disaster resilient has advanced in the Senate. As a part of the American Rescue Plan, Peters secured $1 billion for the Technology Modernization Fund to modernize federal government systems that deliver critical services, like unemployment insurance, to Americans. Peters’ provision to help save billions of federal taxpayer dollars by curbing erroneous payments to deceased individuals was signed into law last Congress.  A law written by Peters to reduce duplicative software purchases called the MEGAByte Act has saved taxpayers more than $450 million since 2016.

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