Peters Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Support Federal Agencies’ Efforts to Meet Performance Goals
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, introduced bipartisan legislation to improve government effectiveness by making permanent and expanding the Office of Executive Councils (Office) at the General Services Administration (GSA) – which provides administrative and project management services for federal agencies to help them meet performance goals. The Office helps support government-wide councils that are critical to implementing the President’s Management Agenda– which defines management priorities for all federal agencies to improve the operations and performance of the federal government. The Office also keeps records of how congressionally appropriated funds to implement the President’s Management Agenda are being spent. Peters’f bill would ensure the Office is required to provide Congress with a greater level of transparency on how these taxpayer dollars are used to purchase services like modern information technology that improve government operations. The legislation builds on Peters’ bill– which has already advanced in the Senate – to bolster transparency and accountability for federal agency performance goals.
“In every administration, the President’s Management Agenda is critical to advancing a more efficient and accountable government for the American people. That is why we must provide federal agencies with support and resources they need to effectively implement it,” said Senator Peters. “This commonsense, bipartisan bill will also provide greater transparency and accountability on how federal agencies are using taxpayer dollars to meet their performance goals and better serve communities in Michigan and across the nation.”
The Governmentwide Executive Councils Administration and Results Improvement Act will make permanent and expand the Office of Executive Councils at the General Services Administration (GSA). The legislation increases accountability for government-wide performance goals by requiring greater transparency for the funds collected and used to support the President’s Management Agenda. The legislation also increases visibility into the council decision-making and project execution by streamlining leadership roles and responsibilities of the primary governmentwide councils. Finally, the bill also requires each council to develop strategic plans and to post those plans publicly, so Congress and the public can better understand council priorities, see how those priorities directly contribute to the President’s Management Agenda, and enable more effective oversight of critical governmentwide management challenges.
Peters has led numerous efforts to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent effectively and efficiently. He 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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