This report  should provide information on the results of its progress in meeting  annual goals. The Commission Has Not Fully Complied with Key GPRA Requirements

The Commission has not updated or revised its strategic plan since   1997, as required under GPRA, and its most recent annual performance  plan and report contain weaknesses that limit the Commission’s ability to  effectively manage its operations and communicate its performance. Without revisiting its strategic goals, the  Commission does not have a firm basis on which to develop its annual  goals. However, the Commission’s fiscal  year 2005 plan does not discuss the strategies or resources needed to  achieve its goals. GPRA requires agencies to  submit information on how they plan to verify and validate the  performance measures used to assess the accomplishment of their annual  goals. The Commission’s Annual Performance Report for Fiscal Year 2003 Does Not Fulfill Several GPRA Requirements and Overall Does Not Communicate the Commission’s Performance

Although the Commission’s most recent annual performance report, for  fiscal year 2003, describes the agency’s achievements as well as reasons  for not meeting certain goals, the report does not include several elements  required under GPRA and provides little evidence and context for  evaluating the agency’s performance. The report  provides no account of the Commission’s performance for many of the  annual goals set forth in its fiscal year 2003 performance plan. While the report explains  why some goals were not met, it does not provide plans, schedules, or  recommendations for addressing these unmet goals. OMB and OPM Have Provided Oversight, and the Commission Has Made Limited Changes in Response to OPM’s Recommendations

In recent years, OMB and OPM have provided budgetary and human  capital management oversight for the Commission. OMB’s oversight of the  Commission focuses primarily on the budgetary process. In providing  oversight of its human capital management, OPM conducted reviews and  made recommendations to the Commission in the 1990s to improve the  Commission’s human capital management and overall management. In 1996 and 1999, OPM conducted  two reviews of the Commission’s human capital management systems and  made recommendations in each report for improvements. As of August 2004, we found that the  Commission had not implemented five of six broader, systemic  recommendations made by OPM. The  Commission took some actions in response to the recommendations in  our 1994 and 1997 reports. In addition, the Commission has not  implemented three of the four recommendations in our October 2003  report. Recommendations for Executive Action

To strengthen the Commission’s management practices, we recommend  that the Commission    update its 5-year strategic plan according to GPRA’s required schedule  and include all elements required under GPRA and OMB guidance;    ensure that future annual performance plans include all elements  required under GPRA and OMB guidance, reflect funding levels  requested in the President’s Budget, and are revised if necessary to  reflect actual appropriations;    ensure that annual performance reports include all elements required  implement all of the recommendations in OPM’s and GAO’s previous  reports;   include the status of the Commission’s efforts to implement OPM’s and  GAO’s recommendations in its GPRA plans and reports; and    seek the services of an existing Inspector General from another agency  to help keep the Commission and the Congress informed of problems  and deficiencies and to conduct and supervise necessary audits and  investigations. At that time, we will  send copies of this report to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and other  interested parties. 1. 3.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Chairmen of the Senate and House Committees on the Judiciary asked GAO to determine (1) the extent of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights' compliance with the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993, (2) what federal oversight is provided to the Commission, and (3) the status of the implementation of recommendations from GAO's past reviews of the Commission.

What GAO Found

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights--an independent federal agency that monitors and reports on the status of civil rights in the United States--has not fully complied with the requirements of GPRA. Under this act, agencies are required to submit strategic plans and annual performance plans that detail their long-term and annual goals as well as information on how they plan to meet these goals. GPRA also requires agencies to submit annual performance reports that provide information on their progress in meeting the goals. However, the Commission has not updated or revised its strategic plan since 1997. Without revisiting its strategic goals, the Commission lacks a firm basis on which to develop its annual goals and evaluate its performance. In addition, its most recent annual performance plan and annual performance report contain weaknesses that limit the agency's ability to effectively manage its operations and communicate its performance. For example, the performance plan does not discuss the Commission's strategies or resources for achieving its goals, does not provide budgetary information for its programs, and does not provide performance indicators for some annual goals. Similarly, the performance report does not account for the Commission's performance for many of the annual goals set forth in its performance plan and does not provide plans, schedules, or recommendations for addressing each of the Commission's unmet goals. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) have provided oversight for the Commission's budgetary and human capital operations in recent years. OMB's oversight has focused on the Commission's budget requests and GPRA plans and reports. OPM conducted two reviews of the Commission's human capital management systems in the 1990s and made recommendations for improvement, including improvements to its grievance and performance appraisal systems. Although the Commission has implemented some of OPM's earlier recommendations, it has not implemented five of six broader, systemic recommendations made in 1999 for improvement to its human capital management systems. Unlike many other executive agencies, the Commission does not have an Inspector General to provide oversight of its operations beyond OMB and OPM. GAO has conducted several reviews of the Commission's management operations in recent years. The Commission took some actions in response to the recommendations in GAO's 1994 and 1997 reports. However, the Commission has not implemented three of the four recommendations in GAO's October 2003 report for improving the agency's management and procurement practices.