{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=A917EA91-ECFF-43A9-B999-E146C610A6A4", "Heitkamp, Ernst Announce House Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Improve Federal Efficiency", "2016-10-04", "2016", "2016-10", "Democrat", "House", "ND", "Heidi Heitkamp", "H001069", "www.heitkamp.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp and Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa released the following statements after their bipartisan Program Management Improvement and Accountability Act passed in the U.S. House of Representatives:\r\n\u201cMaking sure federal programs are well managed is key to creating effective and helpful relationships among federal agencies, communities and businesses, whether it\u2019s in energy, agriculture, or any other field,\u201d said Heitkamp. \u201cThis bipartisan bill aims to give federal agencies a framework for better managing their programs, helping us reduce waste and promote effective management practices. Now that my bipartisan bill with Senator Ernst has passed in the House, we\u2019ll continue to work to send it to the president\u2019s desk to be signed into law.\u201d\r\n\u201cI am pleased that the House of Representatives passed our bipartisan legislation that will help put a stop to the billions of wasted taxpayer dollars that fall victim to mismanagement throughout the federal government,\u201d said Ernst. \u201cBy requiring the government to streamline and adopt commonsense management standards, I am confident our bill can help prevent lax oversight, cost overruns, and deficiencies, while also raising the level of accountability for those that manage large federal programs. This is an important step toward making government more cost-effective and efficient. I look forward to continuing to work together with Senator Heitkamp and Congressmen Young and Connolly to ultimately send this much-needed government reform to the President\u2019s desk.\u201d\r\nOnly two weeks\u00a0after Heitkamp and Ernst introduced their bill in 2015, the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs passed their bipartisan legislation. The full U.S. Senate passed a version of the bill in November 2015.\r\nBy increasing oversight of government agencies, providing a better review process for best practices, and improving training and standards for federal managers, Heitkamp and Ernst\u2019s bipartisan bill sets a template that raises the bar for the management of the federal programs communities need \u2013 and that taxpayers are counting on to run efficiently and effectively.\r\nThe Program Management Improvement and Accountability Act would:\r\n \r\nEstablish a leader within each agency that is focused on program management.\r\n \r\n \r\nCreate an inter-agency Program Management Council to drive improvements through portfolio reviews of agency programs and encourages communication between agencies and program management professionals.\r\n \r\n \r\nRequire the development of a specific job category with distinct qualifications for project managers.\r\n \r\n \r\nRequire the federal government to adopt widely accepted program management best practices and standards.\r\n \r\n \r\nRequire the Government Accountability Office to issue a report three years after the bill\u2019s enactment on its overall effectiveness and impact on program management in the federal government.\r\n \r\n \r\nWork directly with the Department of Defense to improve its current procedures while making sure to not duplicate existing efforts.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=A917EA91-ECFF-43A9-B999-E146C610A6A4"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9871539659798145, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}