WASHINGTON-Today, Rep. Jody Hice, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, and Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, introduced The Performance Enhancement Reform Act to ensure key stakeholders and resources are not left out of the creation of federal agencies’ performance plans. The bill introduction was announced during a Subcommittee hearing to assess implementation of the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA).
“Today’s bipartisan legislation is an important step to catalyze collaboration across the executive suite of leaders at federal agencies," Chairman Connolly said. “Collaboration from key stakeholders will help improve how agencies deliver critical resources to the American public."
“You’d think the things this bill requires would be common sense - when making an agency performance plan, use the people with the right expertise and take into account what it’s going to take to set realistic performance goals and make the plan work," said Ranking Member Hice. “But that’s not always the case. This costs valuable resources, and it has to change if we want to stop wasting time and money. Today, with the Performance Enhancement Reform Act, we are taking a step forward in bringing the federal government into the modern era by requiring agencies to coordinate better with key agency leaders and best utilize resources when creating annual performance plans. This will help maximize agency human capital, technology, and time in order to better serve American families and businesses."
To ensure that these key stakeholders and resources are not left out of the creation of agency performance plans, The Performance Enhancement Reform Act would amend Section 1115 of title 31, United States Code, to:
1. Require agencies’ Chief Performance Officers, where applicable, to work in consultation with the Chief Human Capital Officer, the Chief Information Officer, the Chief Data Officer, and the Chief Financial Officer to prepare the annual performance plans;
1. Require performance plans to include descriptions of human capital, training, data and evidence, information technology, and skill sets needed for the agency to meet the agency’s performance goals; and
1. Require performance plans to include descriptions of technology modernization investments, system upgrades, staff technology skills and expertise, stakeholder input and feedback, and other resources and strategies needed to meet the agency’s performance goals.
This bill has received endorsements from the Partnership for Public Service, the Alliance for Digital Innovation, and the Information Technology Industry Council.
