Agencies recognized for performance reporting

Seventeen agencies that produced clear annual performance reports have received Certificates of Excellence in Accountability Reporting from the Association of Government Accountants. AGA recognizes agencies whose Performance and Accountability Reports or alternative Pilot Program Reports achieve the highest standards of clarity in communicating financial information and demonstrating accountability.Those agencies represent an elite group in the government financial management community, said Relmond Van Daniker, executive director of AGA, an organization of federal, state and local government finance professionals.The public widely views the government as failing to provide the type of financial reporting they expect, he said, citing results from an AGA poll earlier this year.With the awards program, AGA, the Chief Financial Officers Council and the Office of Management and Budget seek to improve financial and program accountability by streamlining reporting and making the reports more readable and usable.“Seventeen awards is a record number, and we welcome it as evidence not only of continuous improvement but also of a real commitment to accountability and transparency among federal government financial managers and their agencies,” Van Daniker said.The award winners are:* Commodity Futures Trading Commission* Education Department* Energy Department* Federal Aviation Administration* Federal Trade Commission* General Services Administration* Government Accountability Office* Housing and Urban Development Department* Interior Department* Labor Department* Nuclear Regulatory Commission* Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight* Peace Corps* Securities and Exchange Commission* Small Business Administration* Social Security Administration* U.S. Patent and Trademark Office