But experts say agencies still need to do a better job of showing the impact of their programs and using valid data to measure their success in meeting performance goals. Agencies were required by the 1993 Government Performance and Results Act to submit their first annual performance reports to Congress on March 31. The law requires agencies to set specific program goals annually, to measure their success in meeting those goals and to report on the impact of those programs. For agency performance reports to be useful, the Office of Management and Budget must promote the reports in its daily discussions with lawmakers. Va. A major concern is the validity of the data some agencies are relying on in their initial reports, and we will need to ensure that improvements are made, said Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., the ranking Democrat of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee.
Some agencies claim to have met most of the goals they set for themselves.
Similarly, the Transportation Department, which had objectives ranging from decreasing highway fatalities to increasing drug seizure rates, reports that it attained or saw a positive trend in 77 percent of its performance goals. We ve held ourselves to rigorous performance standards. We ve set stretch goals, said Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater. But at least one key lawmaker harshly criticized the administration s first round of performance reports. We ve got our work cut out for us, said Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn.