Highlights
Training Opportunities
Looking for a Job?
Procurement Fraud Subject of Next Audio Conference
AGA, in conjunction with the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT), and the Association of Local Government Auditors (ALGA), is offering a March 28 audio conference, "Procurement Fraud - A Cost of Doing Business We Can Live Without." Speakers include Bruce N. Crandelmire, CPA, Senior Consultant, EAM, Inc./Mosley & Associates and Former Acting Inspector General, U.S. Agency for International Development; Russell W. Hinton, CGFM, CPA, State Auditor, State of Georgia; and Janet McHard, MBA, CPA, CPE, CFD, Manager, Meyners & Company, LLC. Earn 2 CPE hours at the audio conference, set for 2 - 3:50 pm EDT, March 28. Cost is $249 per site (unlimited attendance) if you register on or before Friday, March 23, 2007 and $299 thereafter. Register online. Read the audio conference schedule.
Registration Now Open for PDC Golf Tournament
Start AGA's 56th Annual Professional Development Conference & Exposition (PDC) by treating yourself to a relaxing game of golf. This year's tournament takes place on Saturday, June 23 at the Hermitage Golf Course-–President's Reserve. The PDC starts the next day and runs through June 27 at the Nashville Convention Center.
Fee is $35 per person – Includes greens fees, golf cart, gratuities, range balls, breakfast, lunch and transportation. The tournament begins at 8 a.m., shotgun start. Prizes will be awarded at the end of play. Space is limited to 100 players, so sign up early!
Register for the PDC today and secure your place at the government financial management education event of the year!
|
March 5, 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
Lawmaker Urges Higher Pay for Acquisition Workers at AGA Event
 Agencies should recruit more acquisition workers, and give them better compensation and training, a key member of Congress said last Thursday. During a discussion hosted by AGA's Corporate Partner Advisory Group, U.S. Rep. Tom Davis, R-VA, said contracting experts provide one of the best returns on federal investments in hiring. "You've got a lot of good [acquisition] people in government, but if you're not training them on an ongoing basis, you're losing out," Davis told the auditors. "I would pay them, I would bonus them." Davis, who serves a Northern Virginia district heavy with government-oriented firms, said such a boost would help industry and would mitigate some of the "big contracting problems" stemming from management weaknesses. —Jenny Mandel, Government Executive. Read the entire article.
View photos from the event.
AGA's FMSB Favors GASB Proposals on Pension Disclosures
AGA's Financial Management Standards Board (FMSB) has come out in favor of proposed revised disclosures in the exposure draft, Pension Disclosures, by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). The FMSB believes that the proposed guidance will be beneficial to users of financial statements, especially given the heightened publicity on public pension plans since the issuance of Statements 43 and 45. Board members think the convergence of disclosures for pension benefits with that of other post-employment benefits (OPEB) to be appropriate. Read the entire comment letter.
Looking for a Route to Better Government
It's apparently not too early to start thinking up ideas for how the next administration can improve the government's management practices. With the presidential campaign field taking shape, think tanks and public service and business groups are preparing to develop policy proposals and ideas for the winning candidate. —Stephen Barr, The Washington Post. Read the entire article.
States Get Extra Time On Launch of 'Real ID'
The Bush administration will allow states to postpone the planned May 2008 launch of a program to toughen security requirements for driver's licenses by up to 19 months, in response to complaints about the projected $11 billion cost and potential disruptions, congressional and Department of Homeland Security officials said yesterday. The retreat came as the White House and the Democratic Congress headed for a showdown over a broad counterterrorism bill to implement many of the remaining recommendations of the Sept. 11 commission, which called for ways to make it more difficult to obtain fraudulent identification. —Spencer S. Hsu and Stephen Barr, The Washington Post. Read the entire article.
Accusations of Agency Error in Hurricane Disasters
Last September, the Small Business Administration, which provides most long-term rebuilding aid to disaster victims, accelerated its lending to homeowners and businesses in the Gulf Coast, responding to criticism that it had been slow to respond to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. But now federal investigators are looking into accusations that in speeding up its work, the agency made thousands of loans without following its own rules to avoid fraud. Current and former employees of the agency have told investigators that agency workers failed to secure proper proof that borrowers owned the houses they were supposed to rebuild or had the required insurance. —Ron Nixon and Leslie Eaton, The New York Times. Read the entire article.
SmartPros Salary Survey Results
Respondents who participated in the recent SmartPros Salary Survey reported an average salary of $83,614. Most reported receiving bonuses in recent months, the vast majority have healthcare and retirement plans through their employers, and more than two-thirds can receive continuing professional education reimbursement. However, 37 percent said they are looking for a new job. —SmartPros. Read the entire article.
Budgeting Needs Sharper Tools than Spreadsheets
The federal budget process is stuck in an era of convoluted Excel spreadsheets, and could benefit from more sophisticated planning and analysis technology to meet the growing demand for integration with data on program performance, according to two budget scholars. In a new book on "the budget office of tomorrow," Jonathan Breul, a senior fellow with the IBM Center for the Business of Government and a member of AGA's Washington, D.C. Chapter, and Carl Moravitz, a managing consultant with the center, argued that Internet-based "performance scoreboards" and "dashboards" that give instant, dynamic readouts of key business information are the kinds of budget tools needed to inform federal officials' day-to-day decisions. —Jenny Mandel, Government Executive. Read the entire article.
Deadline Approaching to Comment on GASB Proposal
 The deadline to submit comments on the GASB Exposure Draft, Accounting and Financial Reporting for Intangible Assets, is March 23, 2007. The proposed standards would establish the definition of an intangible asset and answer questions the GASB has received about whether and when they should be considered capital assets for financial reporting purposes. Comments can be submitted through an Internet-based comment form, emailed to director@gasb.org, Project No. 9-4, or sent via regular mail to: Director of Research and Technical Activities, Governmental Accounting Standards Board, 401 Merritt 7, P.O. Box 5116, Norwalk, CT 06856-5116. The board also plans to hold a public hearing during its regular meeting on April 3, 2007, in Norwalk, CT. AGA members may participate in person or by telephone. If you are interested in participating you must provide, by March 23, a written notice of intent to participate and a copy of your written comments. The Exposure Draft and additional information about the proposal can be found at the GASB website.
Social Insurance: Call for Public Comment; Public Hearing Set
 In October 2006, the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB) released a Preliminary Views document presenting two perspectives regarding appropriate liability recognition for obligations arising in social insurance programs, which are key programs such as Social Security and Medicare. In addition, the Preliminary Views document includes an alternative view proposing to require a Statement of Fiscal Sustainability for the government's consolidated financial report that would provide projections for the entire government, including information necessary to assess the sustainability of social insurance programs and information on intergenerational equity. Comments are due April 16, 2007. In addition, the board plans to hold a public hearing on the Preliminary Views document at the May 23, 2007 FASAB meeting.
AGA Accepting Scholarship Applications
Are you or a family member pursuing undergraduate or graduate studies in disciplines such as accounting, auditing, budgeting, economics, finance, information technology, public administration, etc.? If so, consider applying for an AGA National Academic Scholarship today. Each year, AGA National awards up to four $3,000 full-time merit scholarships to AGA members and their family members; one $1,000 part-time merit scholarships to AGA members and their family members; and one $3,000 community service scholarship.The deadline for receipt of applications is March 30, 2007. Apply now and take full advantage of your AGA membership. Contact Michiyo Wheeler with questions.
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 AGA's Director of Communications, Marie Force. |
