U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on the Judiciary
F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., Chairman
_______________________________________
News Advisory
For immediate release Contact: Jeff Lungren/Terry Shawn
October 27, 2004 202-225-2492
GAO Highlights More Management Problems at U.S. Civil Rights Commission
GAO Recommends Legislation Providing an IG to
Oversee Troubled Commission
WASHINGTON, D.C. - House Judiciary Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R- Wis.) today released a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report finding more management problems at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR). Among GAO's recommendations is for Congress to consider legislation providing an Inspector General (IG) watchdog to "enhance oversight of the Commission."
GAO finds that the USCCR has not updated or revisited its strategic goals since 1997 - as required by law - and "lacks a firm basis on which to develop its annual goals and evaluate its performance." The GAO also found that the Commission's most recent annual performance report "contain weaknesses that limit the agency's ability to effectively manage its operations and communicate its performance."
Chairman Sensenbrenner stated, "Rather than acknowledge its problems and embrace these non-partisan recommendations, the USCCR leadership continues to defiantly dismiss any constructive criticism and rejects offers to improve the Commission's work. I fear the Commission will fail to fulfill its laudatory goals as long as this defensive and destructive attitude continues to be exhibited by the USCCR leadership."
Although highly unusual, the GAO again was forced to include 23 detailed rebuttals to the response to the report from USCCR Staff Director Les Jin. GAO also was forced to do this in last November's report that found gross mismanagement at the USCCR, to rebut the ridiculous assertion made by USCCR Staff Director Jin that "GAO's suggestions for future changes do not reveal any current deficiencies."
Today's report finds that the USCCR has not fully complied with the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), a law aimed at improving the management and performance of government agencies by requiring the submission of strategic plans and annual performance plans to evaluate an agency's progress in fulfilling its mission.
GAO's report is available at www.house.gov/judiciary/gao102704.pdf.