Civil Rights Commission management falls short, report says

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights suffers from persistent management problems and has failed to comply with past recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office, according to a new report by the watchdog agency.

The commission, which was created by the 1957 Civil Rights Act, is charged with studying discrimination and inequality in voting rights, education, employment and other areas. The report (GAO-05-77) found that the agency has not reviewed its goals or updated its strategic plan since 1997, and that it is not in compliance with the 1993 Government Performance and Results Act, which requires agencies to outline their annual and long-term goals in performance reports.

In a letter attached to the report, Les Jin, staff director of the commission, disagreed with GAO's findings. He suggested the agency had rushed to finish the report and, as a result, reached inaccurate conclusions. Jin also cited the relatively small size of the agency, which has an annual budget of about $9 million, as a factor.

"Given the nature of the commission's work and its small size and budget, the commission's GPRA processes do comply with the material requirements that the OMB expects," Jin wrote. The commission did not respond to repeated phone calls seeking comment.

While GPRA does not require agencies with budgets of less than $20 million to submit performance reports, the reports are considered standard management tools for all agencies. "GPRA requirements are actually good management practices that high-performing organizations use, regardless of their size… Their size makes it more important, perhaps. If you have limited resources, you have to use them well," said a GAO official who asked not to be named.

Submitting strategic plans also helps agencies persuade Congress to meet their budget requests, said Tabetha Mueller, spokeswoman for the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Efficiency and Financial Management. "We want them to see GPRA as a management tool, not a burden," she said.

Earlier this year at a GPRA hearing, Rep. Todd Platts, R-Pa., chairman of the subcommittee, said GPRA requirements should be considered "an integral part of doing business the right way. Particularly in this time of budget constraints, an effective strategic plan becomes all the more important as agencies try to do more with less."

In addition to the current problems, the report found that the commission has not implemented previous GAO recommendations, including monitoring project costs and increasing commissioners' involvement in projects and reports.

Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which requested the report with the Senate Judiciary Committee, blamed the commission's leadership for the continued management problems.

"Rather than acknowledge its problems and embrace these nonpartisan recommendations, the USCCR leadership continues to defiantly dismiss any constructive criticism and rejects offers to improve the commission's work," Sensenbrenner said. A spokesman for the Senate Judiciary Committee declined to comment and said the committee had not yet reviewed the report.

Carl DeMaio, president of the Performance Institute, a think tank that studies government management, said it was "absurd" that the commission has not updated its strategic plan since 1997. "For every mission area, particularly civil rights, as things change, such as case law … to not update for seven years is really shocking," he said. He said Congress should hold hearings and hold the agency's leaders accountable.