[OSSSA218] NASACT News Highlights!! and 03.28.11 AGA Today(www.agacgfm.org/publications/agatoday/032811/index.aspx)

Mon Mar 28 08:50:43 PDT 2011

FYI…

From: Grayson, Tanya [mailto:tgrayson at nasact.org] 
Sent: Monday, March 28, 2011 8:44 AM
To: DeVore, Vandee
Subject: NASACT News Highlights!!

Good morning,

There will be no Washington update this week since Congress was on recess.

Tanya Grayson
NASACT Washington Office

NASACT News Highlights: What's Going on!

If you would like to have an article/issue highlighted for the membership, please send it to NASACT Policy Analyst Neal Hutchko at nhutchko at nasact.org. We would appreciate if you could please include the web link to your article for formatting purposes and for proper source citation.  

FLORIDA

State audit questions costs of Orange school-roofing projects
Orlando Sentinel

Nearly $300,000 in charges for school-roofing projects in Orange County are being questioned by state auditors, who found several cases in which a contractor billed the district for more square footage than actually existed on the school roofs…

MAINE

Treasurer Poliquin pushes expanded role, more voter approval for bonds
Bangor Daily News

State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin has submitted legislation to expand his role in fiscal oversight and require far more voter approval of state debt than required today, proposals that are drawing mixed reviews. “The governor feels, and I agree with him, that anytime the word Maine is attached to a bond, that the moral authority is attached to these bonds, [therefore] the voters should decide about adding that debt,” Poliquin said in an interview. “It is a very compelling argument and I agree with him.”…

MINNESOTA

LGA cuts hit tight budgets
Red Wing Republican Eagle

Budgets are already tight in local governments throughout the state, and cities again face potential cuts to Local Government Aid. In an effort to educate local residents about the topic and spur discussion, State Auditor Rebecca Otto, along with Red Wing officials, spoke about LGA and the fiscal state of cities across Minnesota at a panel Tuesday… 

MISSOURI

State Auditor Schweich Releases 2010 Statewide Single Audit
Press release

State Auditor Tom Schweich today released the completed 2010 Statewide Single Audit. The Single Audit is a review of the state's financial statements and its use of federal awards. Missouri's annual Single Audit is conducted pursuant to the Single Audit Act of 1996. To view the complete audit report and Citizens Summary, visit http://www.auditor.mo.gov/press/2011-11.htm

TENNESSEE

Mt. Pisgah Middle School parent charged with stealing PTA funds
The Commercial Appeal

A former co-president of the Mt. Pisgah Middle School parent-teacher association has been charged with theft following a state audit that found she stole more than $1,000 in PTA funds. In a letter sent Wednesday to Mt. Pisgah's PTA board, officials with the state Comptroller's Office said that co-president Kim Mason withdrew $1,110 from the association's bank account "for her own personal benefit."…

WISCONSIN

New state treasurer to kick off campaign to end his job
Madison.com

Newly elected State Treasurer Kurt Schuller is expected to announce Wednesday the first step in his farewell tour — a joint resolution that would ax his job from the state constitution. Schuller, elected in November, campaigned on the odd platform of strategic obsolescence. The office of state treasurer was simply not needed, he argued.
Schuller would not comment on the resolution Tuesday, but according to his spokesman, Ron Giordan, the bill already has a sponsor in the Legislature…

WYOMING

Wyoming may allow access to investment records
Bloomberg

A private equity fund that manages nearly $180 million in state of Wyoming investments says it will find a way to release details of those investments after The Associated Press filed an open records request with the state treasurer. Cheyenne Capital Fund of Denver is Wyoming's main private equity investment manager. Under its contract with the state, financial statements on Wyoming's investments are provided only to a select group of state officials, treasurer Joe Meyer told the AP. The AP on Monday filed a Wyoming public records act request with Meyer to inspect the statements… 

OTHER NEWS

IG uncovers ARRA reporting errors at DOD 
Government IT

Recovery Act reporting at the Defense Department lacked data quality review, allowing military services to misreport $1.7 billion worth of inaccuracies, finds the Defense Department’s inspector general...

GASB Offers $5K Grants to Stimulate Research on Standards 
Journal of Accountancy

GASB issued its 2011 request for research through the Gil Crain Memorial Research Grant. The board offers grants of up to $5,000 annually to encourage academic research relevant to the board’s standard-setting activity. The board intends to award at least one $5,000 research grant and possibly more, depending on the proposals the board receives. Submissions are due May 27, and GASB expects to announce grant recipients by June 17…

FYI…

From: AGA National Office [mailto:postmaster12 at 303media.net] 
Sent: Monday, March 28, 2011 6:06 AM
To: DeVore, Vandee
Subject: 03.28.11 AGA Today (www.agacgfm.org/publications/agatoday/032811/index.aspx)

Highlights 

Upcoming Audio Conferences 
March 30―Program Integrity―Innovation and Approaches for 21st Century Oversight and Accountability
April 20― Mortgage Fraud and Beyond―Looking Toward the Future
May 11―The Apprehension of Being Ethical
2011 Audio Conference Schedule

Top-Quality Speakers Lined Up for Federal Performance Conference
With the new demands for openness on government financial managers comes a renewed responsibility to run government programs as efficiently and effectively as possible. A growing chorus--seeking guidance, insight and leadership on these important issues--prompted AGA to gather a stellar lineup of speakers for AGA's Second Annual Federal Performance Conference (FPC).
Join us on May 3-4, 2011 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Crystal City, VA, and hear from top authorities on government performance and efficiency. Participate in discussions about how to analyze results and communicate government performance to many stakeholders. Engage in information-sharing, gain top-quality education and earn 15 valuable CPE hours.
Show your commitment to a more accountable future and improved government performance. Learn more. 
Speakers include:
Dustin S. Brown, Deputy Assistant Director for Management, Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget
Patricia Bush, Division Director, Agency Performance Management, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Amy Culbertson, Assistant Director, Performance Management, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Paul Doremus, Assistant Administrator, Program Planning and Evaluation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
William Englehaupt, Senior Executive, Accenture
Jennifer Fiedelholtz, Chief, Budget and Performance Coordination Branch, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Claude Freaner, Life Cycle Cost Engineer, Science Mission Directorate, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Pamella Haze, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Budget, Finance, Performance and Acquisition, U.S. Department of the Interior
Jay Hoffman, Director, Program Analysis and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Energy
Timothy Kiang, Director, Office of Planning, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Jitinder Kohli, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress
Christopher Mihm, Managing Director, Strategic Issues, Government Accountability Office
Shelley Metzenbaum, Ph.D., Associate Director of Performance and Personnel Management, Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget
Special Bonus: Group Discount to FPC Available for AGA Members
Are you an AGA member? Are there other AGA members in your office? Submit two registration forms at the full price and get the third registration free. For more information about this special deal for AGA members, contact Evie Barry.

Register online
Print the registration form

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Visit AGA on GovLoopMarch 28, 2011 . News from the Profession

AGA Today is Brought to You by AGA Corporate Partner Clifton Gunderson 
Clifton Gunderson, ranked as one of the nation's largest certified public accounting and consulting firms, is a leader in providing assurance, risk management, IT security, financial accounting and management, and management advisory services for federal, state and local government agencies. Visit our website at www.cliftoncpa.com for more information.

Point of Contact
Patrick Byer, MBA, CGFM, CPA, CISA, CISM
301-931-2050
Pat.Byer at cliftoncpa.com

State and Local News 
Public Employees Rush to Retire; Pay Cuts, Fear of Losing Benefits Trigger Exodus
Public employees are retiring at a quickening pace around the U.S., providing a mixed blessing for state and local governments seeking to save money. The retirements mean employers can shelve some planned layoffs. And some of the departing workers, generally more senior and higher paid, are being replaced by lower-paid employees with less-generous retirement benefits, government officials say. But the loss of veterans threatens to erode the quality of public services that make communities attractive, they say. The exodus of public employees is an unintended consequence of states' financial struggles. Some workers have been required to take unpaid furlough days, and many fear they'll lose benefits at the center of political battles. In Wisconsin, where lawmakers voted in mid-March to end workers' collective bargaining for future employment contracts, 3,362 people have applied to retire this year, a 73 percent jump from last year. And 10,975 people since the beginning of the year have taken the first step toward retirement―flooding the Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds with requests for estimates of their potential benefits. That's up 134 percent. ―Ianthe Jeanne Dugan, The Wall Street Journal. Read more. 
State Hiring Freezes Tend to Melt Away 
Oklahoma state government has been under a hiring freeze since 1991. At least technically, it has. The degree of frozenness has varied enormously from agency to agency. Some departments have brought in huge numbers of people while the freeze has been in effect. The directive hasn't been lifted because no governor wants to see a front-page headline, "Governor Ends Hiring Freeze." It doesn't sound fiscally conservative. "We all know it's silly, but it's one of those political realities. And if I were governor, I, too, would not want to end the hiring freeze because of the fallout you'd get," says Hank Batty, deputy administrator for programs in the Oklahoma Office of Personnel Management. While Batty says "I'm not proud of this," he notes that the freeze has had some effect. For example, "it has added a bureaucratic process through which you have to get the approval of a cabinet secretary to hire a correctional officer." Oklahoma's freeze is unusual in its duration, but hiring freezes, at least nominal ones, have become a way of life for many state governments. In a January 2010 survey of personnel managers by the Center for State & Local Government Excellence, hiring freezes were found to be the most common cost-cutting measure, with more than 65 percent of those surveyed indicating that their state or locality had implemented some kind of freeze in recent years. In contrast, 40 percent said they had laid off employees and 30 percent had implemented furloughs. ―Melissa Maynard, Stateline.org. Read more. 

AGA Today is Brought to You by AGA Corporate Partner Cotton & Company LLP
Cotton & Company LLP, a recognized leader in public accounting, is seeking a Manager of Contract, Grant & Litigation Support with experience in auditing federal contract/grant financial and compliance audits, forensic accounting or litigation support services. Visit our website at www.cottoncpa.com. 
Point of contact:
Leslie Sims
703-836-6701
lsims at cottoncpa.com 

Federal News
Cracking Down on Improper Payments Requires a Fine Balance
The government faces a challenging task in preventing and recovering improper payments while simultaneously ensuring that money is disbursed in a timely manner to those entitled to it, a panel of federal officials said on Wednesday. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), for example, reduced its improper payments from 17 percent to 3 percent during the past decade, said David Sidari, HUD's deputy chief financial officer, but efforts to improve internal controls and institute reform slowed the rate of payments to people who were eligible for assistance, he added. Sidari noted agencies must individually measure their own risk as it relates to preventing and recovering improper payments while ensuring that proper payments are processed expeditiously. "Do you let the money flow to achieve your mission, or slow it down while you retool?" he asked. Other panelists agreed that the pressure to improve financial management while efficiently serving customers can be a fine line to walk. George Mills, director of the provider compliance group in the office of financial management at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, described a typical day in his job. "You've got the Office of Management and Budget and Capitol Hill saying, 'Stop these improper payments,' " he said. But rooting out improper payments takes time, and agencies can be accused of hassling folks in an effort to recover money, he added. ―Kellie Lunney, Government Executive. Read more. 
Cyber Attacks on Federal Networks Up 40 Percent
Cyber attacks against the federal government increased almost 40 percent last year, according to government data. Federal agencies suffered 41,776 cyber attacks in 2010, up from 30,000 the previous year, according to the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), which is tasked with defending the dot-gov domain and sharing information with industry and local governments. The data is included in an annual report on federal cybersecurity efforts by the Office of Management Budget. Of the attacks reported last year, 12,864 ― or 31 percent ― were classified as malicious code. Another 11,336 (27 percent) are under investigation or labeled as "other." Unauthorized access, denial of service, improper usage and scans probes and attempted access made up the remaining incidents. Those numbers will continue to increase as new technologies and access to mobile devices and social networking sites expands. ―Nicole Blake Johnson, Federal Times. Read more.
Private Sector News
Minimize Personality Conflicts in Your Workplace
The motherly instruction to "play well with others" doesn't always travel from the playground to the workplace, a new Accountemps survey suggests. Managers interviewed said they spend, on average, 18 percent of their time―more than seven hours a week or nine weeks per year―intervening in employee disputes. Resolving staff conflicts is an ongoing issue faced by supervisors. Past Accountemps studies from as far back as 1991 show similar results. Managers were asked, "What percentage of management time is wasted resolving staff personality conflicts?" The mean response was 18 percent. "Although staff management is part of the job for supervisors, too much time spent handling disputes gets in the way of business priorities and often signals a larger issue needs to be addressed," said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps. "For example, being chronically short-staffed can cause friction among employees, as can an overly competitive work environment." ―AccountingWEB. Read more. 
Accounting Standards News
GASB Issues 2011 Request for Research, Research Brief on Timeliness
The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) has issued a request for research for its 2011 Gil Crain Memorial Research Grant. Also, GASB has released a research brief examining how long it takes state and local governments to issue financial reports, and how the passage of time affects the usefulness of the reports for users. 
FASAB Seeks Comments on its Annual Report
During 2010, the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board  (FASAB) worked with the American Institute of CPAs to develop practices that would provide the public more information about the board's operations. The board committed to publishing an annual report summarizing key information about its governance, resources, and results. We are very interested in your feedback on the report. Please send any suggestions to fasab at fasab.gov or by calling 202.512.7350.

Win a FREE PDC 2011 Conference Registration and Hotel Room 
Grab your digital video camera and produce a creative and entertaining two-minute video to share your views on the value of attendance at AGA's 60th Professional Development Conference & Exposition in Atlanta, GA.One grand prize winner will receive complimentary registration to PDC 2011 or PDC 2012 in San Diego, CA PLUS five nights hotel accommodations. Two runner-ups will receive complimentary registration to the PDC11 or 
PDC12. What are you waiting for? Show us what you've got! Make sure to e-mail the link to your video to Jerome Bruce by May 20. 
Complete an entry form
Read video contest information and rules
NASACT Sets Yellow Book Webinar for May 4
The National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT), in conjunction with AGA and the Association of Local Government Auditors, has scheduled a webinar for 2－3:50 p.m. EDT May 4 titled, "2011 Government Auditing Standards: Changes You Need to Know." The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is currently revising Government Auditing Standards, the first major revision to the standards since 2007. Final release of the 2011 edition is expected in early summer. This webinar will highlight the key revisions from the 2007 Yellow Book and the changes and comments received on the 2010 exposure draft. Speaker is Marcia Buchanan, CGFM, CPA, assistant director, GAO's Financial Management and Assurance Team. Learn more and register. 
Register for AGA's First Graduate-Level Government Finance Case Challenge
The best graduate students in accounting, business, financial management or public administration are invited to compete in the first graduate-level Government Finance Case Challenge, sponsored by AGA. Student teams will collaboratively analyze and offer a written response to a case centered on the creation of a citizen-centric report for a U.S. city government. 
The registration deadline is April 29. The competition begins on May 2. All members of the three highest-scoring teams will receive a free registration to AGA's Professional Development Conference, set for July 10-13, in Atlanta. Learn more. 
AICPA Seeks Outstanding CPA in Government Award Nominations 
The American Institute for Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) encourages state CPA societies and their members to celebrate CPAs who have made a significant contribution to local, state or federal government organizations. The nomination period for the AICPA Outstanding CPA in Government Award is now through May 14, 2011. Contact Cortney McCullough for more information.
AGA Advertising Opportunities! 
Advertise in AGA's electronic newsletters--TOPICS and AGA Today! Get maximum exposure and build your brand. Find out what's available in an upcoming issue. Click here for all the information you need to run your ad. Or, you can contact April Pardoe.

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Oregon State Social Security Coordinator
Oregon PERS
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SL2

Please note my office hours are Monday thru Thursday 6 am to 4:30 pm

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