The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) was enacted by the United States Congress in 1993 and later amended in 2010 by the GPRA Modernization Act. This legislation aims to improve federal government management by focusing on:
- Setting program goals
- Measuring performance
- Reporting on the degree to which these goals are met
History and Context
The GPRA was signed into law by President Bill Clinton as part of his efforts to streamline government operations and ensure accountability. Here are key milestones:
- 1993: GPRA is signed into law, requiring federal agencies to develop strategic plans, performance plans, and performance reports.
- 1997: Agencies were required to submit their first performance plans.
- 2000: The first full set of performance reports was due.
- 2010: The GPRA Modernization Act was passed, enhancing the original act with more comprehensive requirements for performance management.
Key Components
The Government Performance and Results Act includes several core components:
- Strategic Planning: Agencies must develop strategic plans covering at least five years, outlining their mission statements, general goals, and objectives, as well as describing how they will achieve these goals.
- Annual Performance Plans: These plans set out measurable goals for each program activity and are submitted to Congress as part of the budget process.
- Performance Reports: Agencies must report annually on the results achieved against the performance goals set in their plans. This includes explanations for not meeting goals and plans for improvement.
- Program Evaluation: Agencies are encouraged to use systematic studies to assess program effectiveness and inform decision-making.
Impact and Implementation
The implementation of the GPRA has led to:
- Greater transparency in government operations.
- Improved decision-making based on performance data.
- Increased accountability of federal agencies to Congress and the public.
However, challenges have included:
- Difficulty in setting meaningful and measurable performance goals.
- Ensuring that performance data is accurate and useful.
- Balancing performance measurement with the need for flexibility in government operations.
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