‘Elite Group’ of Federal Agencies Recognized for Fiscal Accountability and Transparency

2009-05-20 13:21:04 -

The highest standards of federal fiscal accountability reporting will be recognized today when the Association of Government Accountants' (AGA) presents its prestigious Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. (CEAR) to 17 federal departments or agencies.


The CEAR is awarded to federal government entities whose Performance and Accountability Reports : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. (PARs) and the alternative PARs (known as Pilot Program Reports) achieve the highest standards of clarity in communicating financial information and demonstrating accountability.

The awards come at a time when government is widely perceived to be failing to close the gap between the types of government financial reporting that citizens expect and what they get, according to a poll : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. released by AGA in 2008. AGA will issue a similar survey and report at the end of 2009.


“Given the fiscal status of the United States government and the public perceptions about government fiscal accountability and transparency, the achievement of this year's CEAR recipients is even more significant,” said Relmond P. Van Daniker, DBA, CPA : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. , AGA's Executive Director. “The agencies and departments being honored today truly represent an elite group within the government financial management community.


“We are heartened by the numbers of agencies and departments receiving the certificate and those who participated in the program,” he continued. “Seventeen awards is a large 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.”


Of the 21 entrants for the 2008 Program : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. , the following agencies/departments will receive the award: Federal Trade Commission, Peace Corps, U.S.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission, U.S. Department of Education, U.S.

Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency, U.S.

General Services Administration, U.S. Government Accountability Office, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, U.S. Small Business Administration and U.S. Social Security Administration.


The CEAR Awards will be presented to the recipients at a black-tie dinner at the National Press Club : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpc .. in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, May 20, 2009. G.
Edward DeSeve : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. , Advisor to the President, Assistant to the Vice President and Special Advisor to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director for Implementation of the Recovery Act : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffrw .. , will deliver remarks.

If you would like to attend this event, please contact Jennifer Curtin at 410.430.1785. For more information on the CEAR Program and AGA’s Government Accountability and Transparency Poll : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. , visit www.agacgfm.org/performance/cear : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. .


About AGA: The Association of Government Accountants is a 15,000-member professional association that serves government accountability professionals by providing quality education : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. , fostering professional development : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. and certification : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. , and campaigning in the public interest to for higher standards of government accountability and transparency : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. . www.agacgfm.org : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. .


Association of Government Accountants (AGA)Jennifer

Curtin, 410-430-1785 jcurtin@agacgfm.org : mailto:jcurtin@agacgfm.org