Taxpayer Funds Oversight and Accountability Act

Taxpayer Funds Oversight and Accountability Act

This bill requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to take certain actions to improve financial management systems across the federal government and expands the responsibilities of federal agency Chief Financial Officers (CFOs).

The bill requires OMB to submit a four-year governmentwide financial management plan to Congress within 12 months of enactment and thereafter with the budget submitted in the first full fiscal year following the start of a presidential term. Such plans must address certain topics, including strategies for (1) improving financial management systems; (2) strengthening the financial management workforce; and (3) reporting performance and cost information. OMB must annually submit related status reports to Congress and the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Each agency CFO is assigned new responsibilities, including

• preparing the agency plan to implement OMB's governmentwide financial management plan;
• overseeing and, unless otherwise specified in law, providing leadership in the areas of budget formulation and execution, planning and performance, risk management, internal controls, financial systems, accounting, and other areas designated by OMB;
• coordinating with relevant senior agency personnel on the strategic planning, performance measurement and reporting, and risk management functions of the agency;
• managing the formulation and financial execution of the agency budget;
• coordinating with the responsible agency official to ensure performance and cost information are linked; and
• preparing annual reports on progress in implementing the governmentwide financial management plan and transmitting such reports to the agency head, OMB, GAO, and Congress.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov