A Report to President Bill Clinton the Best Kept Secrets in Government
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A Report to President Bill Clinton The Best Kept Secrets In Government VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE National Performance Review, September 1996 A Report to President Bill Clinton The Best Kept Secrets In Government VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE National Performance Review, September 1996 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Putting this little book together is a big job. A flood of facts and narratives come in from all over government, all around the country. Inspiration and skill turns all that into something that we hope is readable and interesting enough to begin to do justice to the reinvention story itself. Research, data tables, and drafts came from the NPR staff and reinventors work- ing on the report in dozens of federal agencies. I am grateful to all. The greatest debt of all is due the thousands of federal employees, state and local officials, private citizens, businesses, non-profits, and other organizations who are changing how government works. Day in and day out, with marvelous creativity, they are finding new ways to do things that make government work better and cost less. They are redefining public service, giving us all a reason for optimism. ii CONTENTS Introduction....................................................................................................1 Reinvention Highlights ................................................................................5 Secret One: Common Sense Has Come to the Federal Government ........9 Procurement Reform ..................................................................................12 Management Systems and Structure............................................................15 Reinvention Labs ........................................................................................18 Personnel Reform........................................................................................19 Common Sense Job Applications ............................................................19 Less Red Tape..........................................................................................19 Labor-Management Partnerships ............................................................19 Family-friendly Workplaces ....................................................................20 Performance Appraisals............................................................................20 New Civil Service Legislation ..................................................................20 Reinforcing Success: The Hammer Award ..................................................21 Franchise Funds ..........................................................................................21 Our Secret Weapon ....................................................................................22 Secret Two: Government Is Serving People Better ......................................23 President Clinton’s Marching Orders ..........................................................26 Who Is the Customer? ................................................................................29 Ask Customers What They Want................................................................30 Setting Standards ........................................................................................31 The Convenience of the Customer..............................................................32 Phones ........................................................................................................33 Number, Please ..........................................................................................35 Computers..................................................................................................35 Just A Little Common Sense ......................................................................37 Training......................................................................................................38 Secret Three: Government Is In Partnership With Business......................41 Forming Partnerships ..................................................................................44 The Environment ......................................................................................44 Medicine ....................................................................................................45 Worker Safety ............................................................................................46 Pensions......................................................................................................47 Health Care ................................................................................................47 iii Meat and Poultry ........................................................................................48 Consumer Products ....................................................................................48 Drug Interdiction........................................................................................49 Helping our Partners ..................................................................................49 Who’s the Enemy? ......................................................................................51 Secret Four: Government Is Partnering With Communities ......................53 Cities, Counties, States—Partners ..............................................................56 The Oregon Option....................................................................................57 Performance Partnerships ............................................................................57 The Environment ......................................................................................58 Connecticut Neighborhood Revitalization Partnership................................59 Addressing Unfunded Mandates..................................................................60 Welfare and Health Care Reform ................................................................60 Fighting Crime ..........................................................................................61 Education ..................................................................................................62 Conclusion ....................................................................................................65 Notes ............................................................................................................67 Appendices A: Status of Reinvention Efforts in Departments and Major Agencies ........73 Department of Agriculture by Secretary Dan Glickman ....................74 Department of Commerce by Secretary Mickey Kantor ....................77 Department of Defense by Secretary William J. Perry........................80 Department of Education by Secretary Richard W. Riley ..................84 Department of Energy by Secretary Hazel R. O’Leary ......................87 Environmental Protection Agency ....................................................90 by Administrator Carol M. Browner Federal Emergency Management Agency ..........................................92 by Director James Lee Witt General Services Administration ........................................................95 by Acting Administrator David Barram Department of Health and Human Services ......................................98 by Secretary Donna E. Shalala iv Department of Housing and Urban Development ............................101 by Secretary Henry Cisneros The Intelligence Community ............................................................104 by Director of Central Intelligence John Deutch Department of the Interior by Secretary Bruce Babbitt ......................107 Department of Justice by Attorney General Janet Reno ....................110 Department of Labor by Secretary Robert Reich................................113 National Aeronautics and Space Administration ................................115 by Administrator Daniel S. Goldin National Science Foundation by Director Neal Lane..........................118 Office of Personnel Management by Director James B. King ............121 Small Business Administration by Administrator Philip Lader ..........124 Social Security Administration by Commissioner Shirley S. Chater ..127 Department of State by Secretary Warren Christopher ......................129 Department of Transportation by Secretary Federico Peña ................132 Department of the Treasury by Secretary Robert Rubin ....................135 U.S. Agency for International Development ......................................138 by Administrator J. Brian Atwood United States Information Agency by Director Joseph Duffey............141 Department of Veterans Affairs by Secretary Jesse Brown ..................144 B: Status of Major Recommendations Affecting Governmental Systems......149 C: Summary of Savings to Date ..................................................................167 D:Status of Regulatory Reform Initiatives ..................................................173 E: Presidential and Congressional Actions Taken to Date............................187 F: Progress in Downsizing the Federal Government....................................207 G: Contractors Are Not Replacing Departing Federal Workers....................213 H:Progress in Streamlining Management Control Positions........................217 I: List of Hammer Awards as of August 1, 1996 ........................................223 Additional Resources ....................................................................................237 Index ............................................................................................................239