Bipartisan Bill Pushes for Greater Leadership Input as Agencies Create Performance Goals

Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Jody Hice (R-GA), who lead the House Subcommittee on Government Operations, announced the introduction of the Performance Enhancement Reform Act.

The legislation aims to improve the performance plans federal agencies issue each year by involving more leadership officials in the decision-making process.

The current federal statute only requires that chief human capital officers (CHCOs) develop performance plans, but this legislation would add chief information officers, chief data officers, and chief financial officers to the process of creating these plans. The legislation would require agencies to create milestones to attain workforce, data, and IT goals as well as identify specific organizations, program activities, regulations, and policies that would help them achieve their goals. Stakeholder input and investment lists would also be incorporated on an agency to agency basis.

Ranking Member Hice said of the bill, “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. 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.”

The one-pager put out by Representatives Connolly and Hice stated that performance plans help Congress ensure agencies are remaining accountable and doing the work they set out to accomplish. By defining clear goals, objectives, and milestones, federal leaders will be better able to allocate resources and serve the American public.

Chairman Connolly said of the legislation, “Today’s bipartisan legislation is an important step to catalyze collaboration across the executive suite of leaders at federal agencies. Collaboration from key stakeholders will help improve how agencies deliver critical resources to the American public.”