Ernst, Heitkamp Program Management Bill Heads to President’s Desk

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) released the following statements on their bipartisan legislation, the Program Management Improvement and Accountability Act heading to the President’s desk.

“Congress has come together in a bipartisan manner to eliminate waste, and make government more effective and efficient,” said Senator Ernst. “Our legislation takes an important step forward in making the federal government more productive and cost-effective by streamlining management procedures to increase accountability, and preventing cost overruns and lax oversight. Taxpayers deserve a more efficient use of their hard-earned taxpayer dollars, and I encourage the President to sign this bill into law, and put these reforms into action.”

“Good management leads to efficient, effective federal programs – and our bipartisan bill will promote improved management across federal agencies,” said Senator Heitkamp. “After working hard with Senator Ernst to get this bipartisan bill across the finish line, it will now go to the president’s desk to be signed into law. The goal of our bill is to reduce waste and save taxpayers money. That’s something we can all agree on. Better managed federal programs that deal with agriculture, energy, and so much more are good news for communities and businesses across North Dakota.”

Click here to read the bill text.

About Program Management Improvement and Accountability Act:

• Establishes a leader within each agency that is focused on program management.
• Creates an inter-agency Program Management Council to drive improvements through portfolio reviews of agency programs and encourages communications between agencies and program management professionals.
• Requires the development of a specific job category with distinct qualification for project managers.
• Requires the federal government to adopt widely-accepted program management best practices and standards.
• Requires the Government Accountability Office to issue a report three years after the bill’s enactment on its overall effectiveness and impact on program management in the federal government.
• Works directly with the Department of Defense to improve their current procedures while making sure to not duplicate existing efforts.

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