Financial Management: Persistent Financial Management Systems Issues Remain for Many CFO Act Agencies

The ability to produce the financial information needed to efficiently and effectively manage the day-today operations of the federal government and provide accountability to taxpayers continues to be a challenge for many federal agencies. To help address this challenge, the Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996 (FFMIA) requires the 24 Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act agencies to implement and maintain financial management systems that comply substantially with (1) federal financial management systems requirements, (2) federal accounting standards, and (3) the U.S. Government Standard General Ledger (SGL). FFMIA also requires GAO to report annually on the implementation of the act. This report, primarily based on GAO and inspectors general reports and agencies' performance and accountability reports, discusses (1) the reported status of agencies' systems compliance with FFMIA and overall federal financial management improvement efforts and (2) the remaining challenges to achieving the goals of FFMIA.