ETA has underway two broad sets of activities to improve
compliance assistance to its fund recipients: (1) an initiative
to improve grant and contract administration; and (2) an initiative
to eliminate program guidance that is inconsistent, conflicting,
outdated or overly burdensome. In addition, ETA has planned or underway
numerous specific activities related to its individual programs
that will strengthen compliance assistance.
Improving Grant and Contract Administration
One of ETA's top priorities in FY 2002 has
been to improve ETA grant and contract administration. In addition,
since grants and contracts are a major part of ETA's mission, improving
grants and contracts management will improve not only our financial
management position, but the DOL as well. The ETA convened a high
level workgroup to review and make recommendations on the four phases
of ETA's grant and contract administration, Pre-Award, Award, Post-Award
Grant Management, and Audit Resolution and Closeout.
The recommendations are intended to lead to
a more results-oriented, effective and quality-driven administration
of grants and contracts with greater public accountability. Many
of the recommendations incorporate input from the Office of the
Inspector General (OIG) and the Office of the Solicitor (SOL).
The President's Management Agenda for FY 2002
asks agencies to: focus on results, impose consequences, and demand
evidence. The President's agenda outlines three principles guiding
efforts to improve the management and performance of programs in
the federal government and therefore, our compliance efforts. They
must be:
- Citizen-centered;
- Results-oriented; and
- Market-based, promoting innovation through
competition.
The Management Agenda also described five
government-wide initiatives: strategic management of human capital,
competitive sourcing, improved financial performance, expanded electronic
government, and budget and performance integration. Three of the
President's five government-wide initiatives provide important guidance
for this project:
Improved Financial Performance: ETA's
budget submissions must include baseline data on the extent of erroneous
payments to set goals for reducing such payments. The Agency's financial
systems must produce accurate and timely information to support
operating, budget, and policy decisions.
Expanded Electronic Government: Public
Law 106-107, the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement
Act of 1999, in conjunction with the electronic government goals
of the President's Agenda, necessitates electronic processing options
in the administration of grant programs. Therse two directives mandate
a government-wide e-grants initiative intended to insure strong
fiscal management for federal grant funds, eliminate redundant grant
processes across the government and reduce the burden on grantees.
Budget and Performance Integration:
Performance reviews are being formally integrated with budget decisions.
ETA will identify high quality outcome measures, accurately monitor
programs' performance, and integrate this presentation with associated
costs.
Program Guidance
By direction of the Deputy Secretary, ETA
initiated a Regulatory Cleanup Initiative designed to eliminate
regulations and other forms of guidance that are inconsistent, conflicting,
outdated, or overly burdensome. This report included specific actions
and timelines for each of the major programs administered by ETA
that will help ETA fund recipients comply with Federal requirements
applicable to the respective programs.
Several key statutes authorizing ETA-administered
programs were recently reauthorized (the Older Americans Act, the
Work Opportunity and Welfare-to-Work Tax Credits, Trade Adjustment
Assistance); or will be up for reauthorization in the coming year
(the Workforce Investment Act).
This initiative identified regulations and
guidance that is outdated, inconsistent and in need of revision.
These regulations and guidance will be revised following up plan
submission to the Deputy Secretary.
Planned Program-Specific Compliance
Assistance Activities
ETA has planned or underway numerous specific
activities related to its individual programs that will strengthen
compliance assistance. For information about compliance assistance
activities pertinent to a specific program please refer to the program-specific
office website at http://www.doleta.gov/etaindex.cfm.
