Highlights
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Eleven Federal Agencies Receive Prestigious CEAR Award at Black-Tie
Ceremony
AGA recognized the outstanding Fiscal Year 2006 Performance and
Accountability Reports (PARs) of 11 federal agencies, which were honored
Wednesday night at a black-tie ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Hear AGA Executive Director Relmond P. Van Daniker, DBA, CPA, discuss
the CEAR Program on
Federal News Radio (AM 1050).
Also, read a
letter from President George W. Bush, congratulating the recipients
of AGA's Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting (CEAR):
- U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission
- U.S. Department of the Interior
- U.S. Department of Labor
- U.S. General Services Administration
- U.S. Government Accountability Office
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
- U.S. Small Business Administration
- U.S. Social SecurityAdministration
Learn more about AGA's
CEAR Program.
Early Registration Date Extended
for PDC
The early registration date for the PDC has
been extended to Wednesday, May 30. Don't miss your chance to save $100
by registering by that date. Afterward, fees will increase to $900 for
AGA members and $1,100 for nonmembers.
With dozens of educational sessions, social events
and exhibitors available, the PDC is an authoritative source for the
knowledge and contacts you need to succeed in today’s constantly
changing environment. Don’t miss this opportunity to network with your
peers and learn from the best in the business. Show your commitment to a
more accountable future–register today! View the complete program and
list of speakers.
- Sunday, June 24
- Monday, June 25
- Tuesday, June 26
- Wednesday, June
27
You can
register online or
print the registration form to register by fax or mail.
New Hotel Added
If you still need a room for the PDC in Nashville, we’ve got great news!
For your convenience, we have added a small block of rooms at the
Holiday Inn Express Nashville-Vanderbilt Hotel to accommodate PDC
attendees. To make reservations, please call Holiday Inn Select directly
at 800.633.4427. Please be sure to mention the “AGA” to receive the
conference rate.
Read more.
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May 29, 2007•
News from the Profession
AGA Today is Brought
to You by AGA Corporate Partner Clifton Gunderson
 Clifton
Gunderson offices in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, MD and Harrisburg, PA are
looking for experienced professionals to join our public sector practice.
The ideal candidate will have 5+ yrs of Public Accounting or equivalent
audit experience along with your BA/BS in Accounting and CPA or CGFM. Duties
will include audits of Federal entities, State & Local audits (GASB), A-133
audits, and compliance auditing. To apply please e-mail
Jennifer.Busse@cliftoncpa.com
Brookings Study: States Should
Do More for Cities
Pennsylvania and other states are coming up short in help to their
struggling cities, according to a new report which suggests urban areas
are ripe to take advantage of any aid. The study by The Brookings
Institution, a Washington, D.C., research center that often focuses on
urban policy, said Rust Belt states are failing to take advantage of
their older cities' potential to draw residential and economic
development. It pointed to Pennsylvania as a prime example, with
Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Allentown, Altoona, Erie, Harrisburg,
Lancaster, Reading and Scranton identified among 65 "distressed" cities
nationally in need of help. Such Northeast-Midwest cities usually have
the kind of waterfronts, public transit, walkable streets, historic
architecture and educational, medical and cultural centers increasingly
desired by both young and old residents, the report noted. But too
often, the Brookings analysis said, the municipalities lack the
necessary support for tax financing, intergovernmental cooperation,
downtown revitalization and neighborhood improvement. Usually, more
focus has been placed on what the federal government can do to help
cities than on state initiatives. "The state is central to this -- the
cities are just creatures of the state," Bruce Katz, director of
Brookings' Metropolitan Policy Program, said in a briefing on the
report. "States, through their tax and regulatory policy and governance,
have a dramatic effect on the ability of cities to build off their
assets and strengths." The new report is called,
"Restoring Prosperity: The State Role in Revitalizing America's Older
Industrial Cities." —Gary Rotstein, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Read the entire article.
SEC Votes To Soften Scope of
Reporting Rule In Sarbanes-Oxley
Securities regulators have voted to overhaul a corporate rule covering
financial risks, reacting to intense pressure from Congress and years of
criticism from industry groups who claim the directive proved too
expensive and burdensome. In a 5 to 0 vote, the Securities and Exchange
Commission on Wednesday urged public companies to review only their most
critical financial policies for possible fraud and abuse. The agency
also cut the amount of work that outside auditors need to perform on
clients' financial controls, blamed for rising audit fees over the past
three years. The adjustment to a rule known as Section 404 after its
location in the Sarbanes-Oxley corporate accountability law is a
substantial victory for business. Regulators initially predicted that
the rule would cost an average of $91,000 per company. In the years
since, large firms racked up bills in the millions of dollars and
battled with auditors about whether they were being charged for
busywork. —Carrie Johnson, The Washington Post.
Read the entire article.
AGA Today is Brought to You
by AGA Corporate Partner The Graduate School, USDA
 The
Graduate School, USDA provides professional training and
educational services to auditors and financial managers in all levels of
government. We offer a wide range of studies in accounting, budgeting,
financial management and performance auditing, as well as customized
services to help you create training that meets your organization’s unique
needs. Stop by and see us in Booth # 18 at the AGA 56th
Annual Professional Development Conference on June 24-27, 2007, at the
Nashville Convention Center.
For more information about
our programs, call (888) 744-GRAD or visit
www.grad.usda.gov.
New Job Search Site Aims to Enhance Federal Recruitment
An online job search company has unveiled a website dedicated to
matching job seekers with opportunities in the federal government.
WorkforAmerica.com, launched May 7 by CareerBuilder.com, aims to
help expedite the federal government's recruitment process by connecting
job candidates interested in public service with key federal agencies.
To develop the site, CareerBuilder worked with the nonprofit Partnership
for Public Service, which provides content and information to help
prospective employees not only learn about the opportunities in
government but also work through the federal hiring system, said Max
Stier, president of the Partnership. "We need to see more information
out about job opportunities in the federal government," Stier said.
"Lots of quality people who are looking for jobs go to the CareerBuilder
site ... this is information about government service that is sorely
needed across the board." The move comes as the government faces a
potential wave of exits over the next decade, as about 60 percent of
federal workers overall and 90 percent of senior executives become
eligible for retirement. —Brittany R. Ballenstedt, Government
Executive.
Read the entire article.
Governors Ask Congress
to Probe Gas Prices
A bipartisan group of 21 governors lashed out at record-high
gasoline prices and called for a congressional investigation into
whether oil companies are artificially limiting fuel supplies by
shutting down refineries. "We are beyond frustrated. We are angry. We
want answers as to why prices at the pump continue to escalate in the
absence of new seasonal, weather or world events," said Connecticut Gov.
M. Jodi Rell, who along with 15 Democratic and 5 Republican governors
suggested that Congress might need to consider new laws or regulations
to ensure reliable fuel supplies. The governors’ May 22
letter to Democratic and GOP congressional leaders turns up the
political heat on a pocketbook issue already fueling calls in some state
capitols to give consumers a break by lowering state gasoline taxes.
—Eric Kelderman, Stateline.org.
Read the entire article.
McCain Pledges to
Reorganize Federal Work Force
Republican presidential contender John McCain outlined a
comprehensive platform for government management reforms, describing
steps he would take to boost federal pay and speed firings, tie program
funding to yearly evaluations and toughen acquisition rules. Citing
projections that 40 percent of the federal work force is slated to
retire in the next 10 years, McCain said in a speech in Oklahoma City
last week, "This is an opportunity to reorganize the entire federal work
force. We can instill in the next generation of public servants higher
aspirations and a greater sense of purpose. I'll devote the necessary
resources to it. We can use this opportunity to make sure that
government pay scales allow us to attract the finest public servants,
equip them with the newest technologies, target replacements
judiciously, and change government to make it smaller, less expensive,
better skilled, and more dedicated to the national interest." The
candidate said a "new bargain" with federal employees would include more
speedy firings, as seen in the private sector. On federal programs,
McCain promised to directly tie funding decisions to annual evaluations.
—Jenny Mandel, Government Executive.
Read the entire article.
FASAB Issues Exposure Draft on
Oil and Gas Resources
 The
Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB) has announced it is
is seeking input on an Exposure Draft (ED),
Accounting for Federal Oil and Gas Resources. This ED proposes
standards that would result in recognition of the estimated value of
royalties from federal oil and gas leases and changes in those values
over time as well as the amount of royalties designated for distribution
to other entities such as state governments. If the proposal is adopted,
federal financial reports would also provide information about revenues
and depletion expense attributable to production during the reporting
period, related trend information, estimated quantities of federal oil
and gas resources, and the estimated value of royalty relief on
production during the period. Currently, there are no specific
accounting standards for federal oil and gas resources and no federal
financial reporting about the quantity or value of these assets.
Comments are requested by Sept. 21, 2007. —FASAB
Tell Us What You're Interested In!
AGA is running a brief survey to gauge member buying patterns, so we can
improve our efforts to get you the information you want to have. The survey
will take just a few minutes and will ask your preferences about things such
as which hotels and rental car companies you prefer. If you wish to give us
your e-mail address at the end, we'll enter you into a drawing for a $50
American Express Gift Card to thank you for taking the time to reply.
Take the survey.
AGA Advertising Opportunities!
Advertise in AGA's electronic newsletters—TOPICS and AGA Today!
Get maximum exposure and build your brand.
Find out what's available in an upcoming issue.
Click here for all the information you need to run your ad. Or, you can
contact April Pardoe.
Case Challenge Effort Under Way
The AGA National Office will begin marketing its first-ever Government Finance
Case Challenge to colleges and universities from May through October. AGA aims
to educate colleges about career options in government financial management;
inform colleges about AGA; and invite them to participate in this free event. We
need your assistance with this effort. If your chapter has a connection with a
local college or university, please consider contacting the institution to
introduce this competition. Find more information on
AGA's website.
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