A message to the taxpayers

ike private companies' annual reports to stockholders, federal

Under the Results Act, agencies had until March 31 to issue the reports, which explain whether or not agencies met performance goals for fiscal 1999. Agencies set the goals upon which they are measuring their performance back in 1998.

Several agencies beat the Results Act deadline, but each took a different approach to presenting its performance report. The Defense Department, for example, released its report in February as part of Defense Secretary William Cohen's annual report to Congress. The Pentagon reported it met 29 of the 41 goals laid out in the department's annual report, for a success rate of 70 percent.

The Social Security Administration issued its performance report five months early as part of the agency's annual accountability report. That report was released on Nov.18, well before any other agency.

The Health and Human Services Department included its 1999 performance results in its fiscal 2001 budget request.

The release of the annual performance reports for 1999 marks the end of the first full cycle of the Results Act. Under the act, passed in 1993, agencies in 1997 released their first five-year strategic plans, which broadly explained their missions. Then in 1998, agencies drafted their first one-year performance plans, setting out specific goals to be accomplished in fiscal 1999.

Later this year, agencies will update their five-year strategic plans. The plans and performance reports are compiled at www,govexec.com/results.