A Publication of the Georgia Merit System Volume 1, Number 4 November 15,1998 A Forum for Georgia Government Leaders Most Agencies Closer to RBB Accountability Requirements W ith three years of work and learning be~ind them, most state agenCles are now much closer to developing results-based budget (RBB) documents that meet the requirements of the 1993 Budget Accountability and Planning Act. All RBB documents submitted this year have been analyzed; and while all agencies again needed to make some changes, most documents are significantly better than those submitted last year, according to Ron Jackson, director of strategic planning for the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget (OPB). The number of agencies needing to make major changes in their RBB document has been fewer each year Mr. Jackson said. The first year RBB documents consisted mainly of a list of the agency's programs. The second year agencies defined the purpose of programs and about 50 percent were able to identify good desired results. He said that this year more agencies -about 30 percent more-were in the ballpark in identifying desired results. This leaves only about 20 percent of agencies that are still having difficulty with identifying these objectives. Mr. Jackson said that OPB analysts review each REB document for certain factors. If any of these factors is inadequate, the analyst will recommend the necessary changes. "First, each program's purpose must be clearly defined. The purpose is the foundation on which the budget rests, and it must tell why the program exists. Next, the analyst looks at the goals to see if they accomplish the program's purpose. Goals say how programs will look if they are effective. Then the analyst checks to see if the desired results are stated in a way that allows measurement of progress toward the goals. And finally, he or she reviews the way the agency plans to collect and analyze data to see that it is a valid proof of a result," he said. Collecting and building data bases to show, for example, a reduction in teen pregnancies or a reduction in the number of high school graduates needing remedial study to enter college is the next level of REB, according to Mr. Jackson. Because some agencies have been able to generate a data stream to show results for some programs, this year the governor's budget report to the General Assembly will include graphs to illustrate results. Other information will continue to be presented in table form. "Results-based budgeting is a subset of the new standard of performance management in state government," Mr. Jackson said. "And Georgia, like many other states embracing fiscal accountability, is looking for ways to show that the taxpayer money we spend is accomplishing what we, as taxpayers, want it to accomplish. It is our job at OPB to help the 85 agencies and budget entities submitting budget proposals produce documents that show how the quality of life of citizens is being improved rather than simply listing activities on which money is spent." 2 viewpoint Working Together for Y2K Solution By State Auditor Claude Vickers Department of Audits and Accounts Most state agencies rely on computer technology to process the massive amounts of data they must handle. Reliance on technology has, however, led all of us into a box known as the "millennium bug" or the "Y2K" problem. Efforts to bring the personnel, payroll, purchasing, and accounting systems used by most state agencies into Y2K compliance fell short because of the inability to recruit and retain the qualified personnel necessary to rewrite the programs. Therefore, in late 1997 the decision was made to purchase new software systems to keep us operating through the year 2000 and beyond. A steering committee, of which I am a member, oversees the "Phoenix Project," as the Y2K compliance effort has become known. The committee quickly established one guiding principle: modification of the software would not be considered until it was clearly demonstrated that the same results could not be obtained by simply changing operating procedures or policies. This rule was necessary for two reasons. First, there is not enough time or resources. And second, if the software is modified significantly, we cannot take advantage of future upgrades without further expensive modifications. Virtually all agencies that now use the current systems have lent some of their most capable personnel to the effort, most of See next column FMLA Controversy Continues Proponents of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which allows workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave, say it is functioning properly. Business groups, however, complain that the five-yearold law is vaguely worded, costly, and difficult to administer, according to an article in HRWire, a publication for the human resource industry. According to the article, employers struggle with FMLA in three main areas: the definition of serious health condition, the meaning of intermittent leave, and the fact that even though workers are not paid, it still costs. Surveys show business response to FMLA has been to shift one person's vacated responsibilities to others. A report from the U.S. Commission on Leave says employers adapted to leave-taking by assigning work to other employees more than two thirds of the time. When employees don't or cannot work harder for free, businesses must either lose productiVity or subsidize the costs through overtime, temporary help or new hires. A recent tally taken by the Society for Human Resource Management found coworkers picking up the slack for those using leave 92 percent of the time. Despite the controversy, there are four bills now before Congress to whom actually volunteered. These individuals comprise numerous teams to address the decisions necessary to implement the new system. The most gratifying part of this project from my view has been the way all agencies and individuals have recognized a serious threat to state government and have demonstrated the willingness to work together for the benefit of the state. Each of these individuals knew considerable additional commitment would be required, and they volunteered anyway. If it is possible to have this system ready for implementation by July 1999, this is the group that can do it. Then, of CQurse, our challenge will be to learn and adapt to the new system. I am confident that we will meet the challenge. expand the scope of FMLA. These would reduce from 50 to 25 the number of employees needed to be covered by FMLA and provide parents with up to three days of unpaid leave to participate in a child's education or for routine doctor appointments. In its current form FMLA covers about two thirds of the nations private and public employees, and about 20 million workers have taken advantage of the law since its inception in 1993. There is also current legislation, (H.R. 3751, Family and Medical Leave Clarification Act), that would restore FMLA to its original intent by codifying the definition of a serious health condition. The term was expanded under a U.S. Department of Labor administrative letter stating that under certain conditions colds, flu, or headache could qualify under FMLA. Further, employees may now take leave in increments as small as 15 minutes and in some cases as small as six minutes. H.R. 3751 would not cover shortterm conditions for which treatment and recovery are very brief, because such conditions fall within the most modest sick leave policies. Action is not expected on any of the legislation until 1999. Report Says Worker WellBeing Never Higher The third annual report on The American Workplace by the Employment Policy Foundation (EPF) says strong economic gains for virtually all workers and their families is the most important conclusion of 1998. The report says that for most American workers and their families, in stark contrast to most of the rest of the developed and developing world, 3 newshriefs material well-being has never been higher and prospects for future improvements have never appeared brighter-provided, of course, that public policy supports and encourages the kinds of workplace changes that will facilitate rapid overall economic and productivity growth. The first of the two sections of the report discusses four long-term trends in the workplace and workforce that should shape employment policy. These trends are (1) increasing returns to skill and education, (2) slower productivity and wage growth, (3) changing work patterns among families, and (4) the growing importance of nonstandard employment arrangements. These trends suggest a rethit:ti