Highlights
CPE
Opportunities
Looking
for a Job?
See You
in San Diego!
Make plans now to attend AGA’s
55th Annual Professional Development Conference & Exposition (PDC).
With the theme “Navigating the Way to Citizen-Centered
Government,” the PDC promises to be an excellent learning and
networking opportunity for government financial managers and
accountability professionals.
Education sessions will provide technical training, emerging trend
snapshots and leadership secrets from the best in the business.
Speakers will explain current regulations, describe future challenges,
and share lessons learned in disaster recovery and finance, among many
other topics.
In addition to an outstanding technical program, AGA’s PDC
provides unparalleled opportunities to network, exchange ideas with
your peers and meet new friends.
Register today and secure your place at the government financial
management education event of the year!
• Register online.
• Print
registration form to send by fax/mail (Adobe PDF)
• Visit
the conference website
March 1 Audio Conference on SOX, Auditing Set
AGA, in conjunction with the
National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers
(NASACT), and the National Association of Local Government Auditors
(N.A.L.G.A.), is offering this audio conference, worth 2 CPE hours, at
2-3:50 p.m. EST Wednesday, March 1. Speakers will
cover the status of audit and internal control
efforts for state and local governments and the possible effects of
additional requirements. NASACT Executive Director Kinney Poynter and
Nancy A. Valley, CGFM, Partner and National Industry Leader, KPMG LLP,
will discuss these issues and the results of a joint AGA/NASACT
research project on this topic. Click here for more information. If you have any
questions regarding registration, please contact Julie Cupp Questions regarding the
program should be directed to Raymond Harris, CGFM.
Submit Your
Work to AGA's Journal
This year, The Journal of
Government Financial Management is focusing on four areas of
critical concern to the government financial management profession. The
Spring issue, out in March, will cover Human Capital. The Summer issue
looks at Education & Research with a sub-theme of Technology.
Articles for the Summer issue are due to Marie Force, editor, by
March 1. If you plan to submit for the Summer issue,
please contact Marie. A Performance Reporting issue is on the calendar
for the Fall (writing deadline June 1) and Citizen-Centric Government
for the Winter (writing deadline September 1). Click here to find out more about any of the
2006 theme issues, and click here for complete author guidelines.
Articles in areas other than the themes are certainly
welcome!
AGA Advertising
Opportunities!
Advertise in AGA's electronic
newsletters—TOPICS and AGA Today! Get maximum
exposure and build your brand. Click here for all the information you need to
run your ad! Or, you can contact AGA's Director of Communications,
Marie Force.
Time to
Apply
for 2006 AGA Scholarships
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 six $1,000 full-time merit
scholarships to AGA members and their family members,
—Up to two $500 part-time merit scholarships to AGA members and
their family members, and
—One $1,000 community service scholarship.
The deadline for receipt
of applications is March 31, 2006. Apply now and take
full advantage of your AGA membership. Click here for high school applications. Click here for undergraduate/graduate
applications. Questions? Contact Rosanna Ortiz.
|
February 27, 2006
• News from the Profession
AGA Today is Brought to You by AGA
Corporate Partner Clifton Gunderson
 Clifton
Gunderson's DC office is 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
FMSB
Comments
to International Standard-Setter
The AGA Financial Management Standards
Board (FMSB) has sent the International Public Sector Accounting
Standards Board its comments on two proposed statements of accounting
standards.
ED 27 is an Exposure Draft of a Proposed International Public Sector
Accounting Standard (IPSAS)—Accrual Basis and Cash Basis,
Presentation of Budget Information in Financial Statements.
The FMSB found it appropriate to require that general purpose financial
statements of entities (that are required to make their approved
budgets publicly available) include a comparison of budget and actual
amounts. Members thought such comparisons are necessary for the
“complete” demonstration of accountability and implementing
the recommendations in this ED would allow for more consistent and
comparable financial information for organizations. They did have
certain specific comments on requirements in the ED, click
here to read more.
The second, ED 28, is an Accrual Basis Standard on Disclosure of
Financial Information about the General Government Sector. In its
letter, the FMSB stated that it is logical and appropriate to disclose
“key basic” information (such as that described in
paragraph 34) on the primary government entity (i.e., the general
government sector or GGS as described in this international standard).
The FMSB thought, however, that a reconciliation of items disclosed in
GPFS prepared in accordance with IPSASs to the statistical reporting
base may be presented but should not be required. Click
here to read the comment letter.
AICPA: Women Making
Strides in Public Accounting
Women now account for 19 percent of all public accounting firm
partners, up from 12 percent a decade ago, according to a new study by
the American Institute of CPAs. More than 2,600 CPAs took part in the
study, A Decade of Changes in the Accounting Profession: Workforce
Trends and Human Capital Practices, including those working both
in firms and in business and industry. The survey found that women
increasingly are attaining leadership positions in public accounting
firms. In addition, many more women, as well as men, are taking
advantage of alternative career paths offered by an increasing number
of firms. Many CPA firms are moving beyond the up-or-out philosophy of
the past. They recognize that choosing an alternative career path is
often a solution for some individuals to help them cope with children,
aging parents or other issues. The study reported, however, that only
38 percent of the firms surveyed offered some kind of alternative
career path that does not lead to partner, such as choosing to stay as
a senior manager or moving into an area like recruiting that is less
client service driven. —SmartPros. Click here to read
the article.
Click
here to read the entire report.
AGA Today is Brought to You by Datawatch Corporation,
Makers of Monarch Software
 KEEP THE DATA, LOSE THE PAPER. If you find it
difficult to get needed accounting data, you owe it to yourself to
check out Monarch. Monarch transforms existing reports, PDF files,
etc. into actionable data for analysis, Excel export, and more, with no
programming. No more struggling with complex database tools, no more
re-keying data from paper reports into spreadsheets. Click here to view a 5 minute Monarch demonstration, and
read a case study featuring County of Orange, CA's new accounting and
reporting benefits with Monarch.
The Formation Of Enron Jurors' Opinions
Is Under Scrutiny
Everybody, it seems, has an opinion
about
Enron Corp. But the one that counts will be reached by 12 people who
will decide the fate of the energy trader's former leaders, former
chairman Kenneth L. Lay and former chief executive Jeffrey K. Skilling.
The jurors are an eclectic bunch: eight women and four men, three
self-identified Hispanics and one Asian. It is a well-educated panel
that includes an engineer, a courtroom manager, and employees of oil
industry giants Royal Dutch Shell Group and Schlumberger Ltd. The trial
is likely to extend at least four months.The way the Enron panel goes
about its work will fuel a long-running debate about the ability of
average citizens to assess responsibility for complex business
frauds—and will carry powerful implications for the way
prosecutors bring future white-collar cases, according to experts on
corporate crime. "Juries can understand lies, cheating and
stealing," said Ellen S. Podgor, a visiting law professor at
Stetson University and co-author of a blog on white-collar cases.
"What they can't understand is complex accounting practices. You
have to simplify it for the jury." That is exactly where the
prosecution has focused its efforts. "It is not about accounting.
It is about lies and choices," Assistant U.S. Attorney John C.
Hueston told the jurors in opening arguments. In contrast, defense
lawyers have attempted to lead the jury down circuitous paths of
accounting treatment, introducing audio and video clips full of arcane
detail about complex business issues.—Carrie Johnson, The Washington Post.
Click here to read the entire article.
Pay Discrepancies May
Be Dissuading Career Civil Servants From Rising in IG Ranks
Nikki L. Tinsley, a member of AGA's Northern Virginia Chapter,
and inspector general at the Environmental Protection Agency, believes
that the career civil service can provide presidents with experienced
and nonpartisan appointees for the IG ranks. But Tinsley, a 35-year
public servant who will retire in early March, is concerned that pay
inequities will discourage members of the career Senior Executive
Service from seeking IG jobs. Because of compensation policy changes
made in fiscal 2004, inspectors general who choose to retain their
career status are paid $142,500, but other members of the SES can
receive annual salaries of up to $165,200. In Tinsley's office, the top
SES aide earns $23,000 more than she does, Tinsley said. In addition to
the pay comparability issue, IGs drawn from the ranks of the SES have
not been eligible for bonuses since 1984. The double whammy can be
costly, as much as $80,500 a year, she estimated. "When you talk
to career people about could I recommend you . . . to be the IG, they
say, 'Why? Why would I want to do that?' " she said.—Stephen
Barr, The Washington Post. Click here to read the entire article.
AGA Today is Brought
to
you by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector
General
Deputy Assistant Inspector General
(AIG)
for Financial Management Audits. Washington, DC – Salary Range
$109,808 – $165,200. If selected for this senior executive
position, you will be responsible for managing and directing the
auditing (evaluating and reviewing) of financial, procurement, and
acquisition management activities within the Department. The vacancy
announcement contains specific information regarding the position and
application process. Click
here to view a copy of the announcement. All applications must be
received no later than c.o.b. March 3, 2006.
State Surpluses a Boon to
Education
State leaders, flush with projected budget
surpluses in most states this year, are considering their boldest
education spending agendas since before the economic downturn of 2001,
including the first hints of college tuition cuts. While President
Bush's latest budget proposal would cut federal education funds 5.5
percent to help reduce the national deficit, state governors are
outlining major plans for investing in higher education and raising
salaries for public school teachers. With 36 states electing governors
and 46 states electing legislators in November, education spending is
shaping up as a popular political issue this year. For example,
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), who is up for re-election
this November, has made campaign promises to cut tuition for state
college students and invest billions of dollars in K-12 education.
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) said last week he is planning to scale
back proposed tuition hikes for the state university system thanks to a
budget surplus that is expected to exceed $3.2 billion. And Minnesota
higher education officials approved a plan this month to offer four
years of free tuition to qualifying low-income college students.
—Kavan Peterson, Stateline.org. Click here to read the
entire article.
GASB Staff Proposes
Technical Bulletin on Medicare Part D Payments
 After review by the Governmental Accounting
Standards Board (GASB), the GASB staff has issued a proposed Technical
Bulletin that would provide guidance to state and local governments
about how to account for payments from the federal government related
to the Medicare Part D prescription drug program. In the proposed
Technical Bulletin, the GASB staff concludes that the Medicare Part D
payment from the federal government is a separate transaction from the
exchange between governments and their employees for salaries and
benefits. Consequently, the payment would be recognized separately as
revenue, and payments would not reduce actuarial measurements of
liabilities for other postemployment benefits (OPEB), nor the expenses
or expenditures associated with those benefits. If a Medicare Part D
payment is made directly to a defined benefit OPEB plan that a
government participates in, the payment would be considered an
on-behalf payment for fringe benefits, the government would recognize
revenue for the payment, and would make the appropriate note
disclosures for such transactions according to GASB Statement 24. The
government also would recognize expenses or expenditures in accordance
with the requirements for OPEB accounting in GASB Statement 45, without
reduction for the federal payment. AGA members are encouraged to
respond to the proposal by April 17, 2006. Read the GASB news
release. Download the
proposed Technical Bulletin
Final Call for National Awards
Nominations
Don't miss your chance to submit
nominations for those leaders advancing our profession and setting the
standards of excellence.These awards will be presented during AGA's
Professional Development Conference & Exposition in San Diego, CA,
June 18-21, 2006. In many cases, individuals do not have to be members
of AGA to be eligible. All nominations are due by Friday, March
3, 2006. Click here for all
nomination forms or for more information contact Rosanna Ortiz
Help Design Case Competition for
Accounting Students
To promote careers in government, AGA is looking
for interested individuals who would like to build a case competition
to be showcased at major colleges and universities across the country.
The case competition will feature an actual government financial
management issue that an entity is currently facing. The finished case
will be presented to college students on a weeknight with presentations
by the students on the following Saturday. Prizes will be awarded by
AGA to the top finalists. The competition will be open to all students
considering a career in the government financial management industry.
This competition will create exposure to numerous college students. All
those interested in developing this case competition may be involved in
such activities as: researching other successful case competitions,
developing the actual case, contacting universities and colleges to
present the case competition, judging the cases, awarding prizes, or
acting as ambassadors for AGA and their own governmental agency. If you
are interested in this project, or if you have any questions, please
contact Jennifer I. Curtin,
MPA, or call 800.AGA.7211, ext. 340. |
