Tuesday, May 15, 2001

WASHINGTON- Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Fred Thompson (R-TN) announced that he will join in a press conference announcing the Mercatus Center’s grades for federal agency performance reports. In what is becoming an annual rite of spring, the Mercatus Center’s analysis will tell the American people which federal agencies are providing the best information about what it is they are achieving.

Senator Thompson will be joined by Congressman Steve Horn (R-CA), Chairman of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Financial Management and Intergovernmental Relations, in announcing the results of the Mercatus Center study. The Honorable Maurice McTigue, Director of Government Accountability at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center, and Dr. Jerry Ellig, Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center, will brief the press in detail on their findings.

Agencies are required to report annually on how well they are accomplishing their missions. The Mercatus Center analyzes the reports to determine:

• if the agency reports its accomplishments clearly in a way that people can understand
• if the report discloses the tangible benefits the agency produced, rather than simply what activities it conducted             
• if the report shows how the agency is looking ahead at how it can improve

The Mercatus Center’s study found that while some performance reports improved, many agencies are still behind the curve when it comes to communicating the bottom line to their shareholders – the American public.

Video of the press conference will be streamed live on the Governmental Affairs Committee website beginning at 12:15 P.M. EST. To view the live feed, please visit and click on the link marked "Live Webcast of Press Conference on Federal Agency Performance Report Grades."

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