Federal Agency Performance Act of 2024

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 709) to improve performance and accountability in the Federal Government, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, the Federal Agency Performance Act, which provides additional transparency, accountability, and priorities for the Federal Government.

Federal agencies have many different missions. To meet these missions, they are required to develop goals and objectives. Developing the goal is an important first step toward progress. However, we know that more must be done to ensure that these goals and objectives are being achieved.

The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, as later modernized in 2010 by a reform act known as GPRAMA, collectively established a solid foundation of reforms to improve the overall performance and outcomes of Federal agencies.

GPRAMA addressed a number of issues, such as focusing attention on crosscutting management issues, enhancing the usefulness of performance information, increasing transparency, and ensuring leadership commitment and attention to improving the performance of Federal agencies.

S. 709 builds upon existing law to codify the performance management practices that have shown the most positive results.

This bill requires agencies to proactively assess their progress toward achieving their strategic goals and objectives. It ensures that merely developing the goal is not enough.

Agencies would be required to track their progress and develop plans to address identified risks to not achieving their stated goals. This bill also requires agencies to determine whether they need more evidence to better assess their progress.

Agencies would also be required to assign senior leadership attention to completing these efforts, a commonsense reform that ensures that the work gets done, Mr. Speaker.

I thank Oversight Committee members William Timmons and Ro Khanna for leading the House companion to this bill.

I urge all my colleagues to support this important, sensible, and bipartisan legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Timmons), my dear friend.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of the Federal Agency Performance Act. I also thank my colleagues, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Timmons) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna), for leading this bill to modernize the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, which we refer to as GPRA, I believe.

I am pleased to support this bipartisan legislation. I thank Senator Peters, the chair of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, for his leadership of the bill on the Senate side.

GPRA established a performance management framework in 1993 for Federal Government agencies. It was last modernized in 2010, so we are overdue serious attention to make sure the framework is operating as effectively and smoothly as it can.

This bill would promote both accountability and transparency. It would codify OMB's practice of conducting regular strategic reviews of Federal agency performance goals, and it would also set new requirements to improve publicly available data on performance.gov, allowing the public greater transparency into agency progress toward the goals that have been set forth.

The bill makes commonsense updates to ensure agencies are providing services to the people as efficiently and as effectively as possible, which is why we have a government, to serve the people.

I encourage all my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I urge everybody to pass this, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of S. 709, the Federal Agency Performance Act.

I also thank my colleague, Mr. Khanna, for partnering with me on the House companion version of this important bill and Chairman Comer for his support.

The Federal Agency Performance Act will help the incoming Trump administration root out waste, fraud, and abuse within many Federal agencies. The Government Performance and Results Modernization Act of 2010 already made important strides in improving agency performance. This bill builds on those reforms by introducing new proven practices that will reduce frivolous spending of taxpayer dollars.

Specifically, the bill requires agencies to develop clear strategic plans for how taxpayer money is allocated. Just as importantly, though, it holds agency employees accountable by requiring them to report their progress toward achieving those goals. By establishing a more rigorous strategic review process, improving access to publicly available data, and incorporating evidence-based practices into planning, we create a stronger framework for how taxpayer money is spent. This leads to greater transparency and accountability, not just for individual agencies, but across the government as a whole.

To increase government efficiency and demand accountability, I urge all of my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation.

Madam President, I understand that the Senate has received the House message to accompany S. 709.

I ask that the chair lay before the body the House message to accompany S. 709.

The Presiding Officer laid before the Senate the following message from the House of Representatives:

Resolved, That the bill from the Senate (S. 709) entitled

``An Act to improve performance and accountability in the

Federal Government, and for other purposes.'', do pass with

an amendment.

Motion to Concur

I move to concur in the House amendment to S. 709.

I know of no further debate on the motion to concur.

I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent during the time of votes. Had I been present, I would have voted: YEA on Roll Call No. 484; S. 709; YEA on Roll Call No. 485; H.R. 9598; YEA on Roll Call No. 486; H.R. 9600; YEA on Roll Call No. 487; Velazquez of New York Part B Amendment 1; YEA on Roll Call No. 488; Motion to Recommit; NAY on Roll Call No. 489; On Passage; H.R. 7198; NAY on Roll Call No. 490; Motion to Refer; H. Res 1068, and NAY on Roll Call No. 491; Motion to Refer; H. Res 1609.

personal explanation