Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner today was appointed Chair of the U.S. Senate Budget Committee’s new Task Force on Government Performance. Chairman Kent Conrad announced creation of the Task Force today, and asked Senator Warner to lead this examination of the federal government’s management framework and identify opportunities to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of federal programs and services.

“I am very pleased to announce the formation of the Senate Budget Committee Task Force on Government Performance,” said Chairman Conrad. “As a former Governor and business leader, Senator Warner has tremendous insight and knowledge in this area and is the ideal person to lead this effort. This bipartisan group of Budget Committee members will focus on making our government run more efficiently and effectively, and ensuring that we get the most out of the investment of taxpayer dollars.”

The Task Force on Government Performance will examine current federal program measurement systems that have been designed to ensure that policies are implemented efficiently and achieve the intended result. The Task Force will also examine how performance and program evaluation information is used during the budget process and draw on best practices from public, private, and non-profit experience, and from previous federal performance reform efforts.

“I am very grateful to Chairman Conrad for the opportunity to lead this Task Force on Government Performance,” said Senator Warner. “I strongly believe that ‘what gets measured gets done.’ We have put together a terrific bipartisan group of senators to take on the difficult challenge of making our government agencies and programs perform better through better measurements, enhanced transparency and greater accountability.”

The Senate Budget Committee is responsible for drafting the annual budget plan for Congress, monitoring action on the budget, and recommending changes in the budget process for the federal government. The new Task Force on Government Performance will assist the Committee in its monitoring and oversight capacity. The Committee has established special Task Forces before to assist it in its work. For instance, in the 105th Congress (1997-1998), the Committee created separate Task Forces on Education, International Affairs, and Social Security.

The Budget Committee members serving on the bipartisan Task Force include:

• Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), Chair
• Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD)
• Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
• Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY)
• Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID)
• Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND), ex officio
• Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Judd Gregg (R-NH), ex officio

The Government Performance Task Force will convene government decision-makers and other experts to evaluate the effectiveness of current efforts and identify needed improvements. The Task Force will produce research and recommendations that will help the Budget Committee and Congress focus resources on program areas with higher efficiencies and returns, as well as highlight improvements in service delivery.

The Task Force will hold its first hearing on Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. This hearing will explore opportunities for improvement to federal program evaluation and performance initiatives and provide updates on current executive branch efforts. It will also explore lessons learned from past performance reform efforts in the U.S. and the United Kingdom and how to generate more meaningful performance information in Congress.

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