CAP Goals – A New Government Acronym Is Born (Part 1)

CAP Goals with John Kamensky by cdorobek

The FY 2013 budget includes a new acronym, “CAP Goals,” which stands for Cross-Agency Priority Goals. These goals stem from a new statutory requirement that the Office of Management and Budget identify and manage a small handful of cross-agency priority goals, covering both mission and mission-support functions.

OMB identified 14 CAP Goals. Seven focus on mission-related functions. Seven focus on mission-support. Some are new, others have been existing initiatives but now have a higher profile.

The statutory requirement, as part of the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010, directs OMB to designate a senior government official to serve as the lead for each of the goals and to conduct quarterly reviews on the progress toward these goals, which are supposed to span a two- to four-year timeframe. These goals are not supposed to represent new policy initiatives or require new monies but are rather a focus on implementing existing policies within existing monies. OMB is required by the new law to consult with selected congressional committees in advance, which they say they has been done.

The FY 2013 goals are technically “interim” goals, since the CAP Goal cycle is supposed to be co-terminus with a presidential term. The “real” CAP Goals are not due until February 2014, and will appear in the FY 2015 budget.

OMB posted the new CAP Goalson its performance.gov website. The goal statements are accompanied by a description that provides some context for the goal, the name of the goal leader, a summary of the action plan, and a list of the agencies and programs that will contribute to the action plan.

CAP GOALS FOR MISSION-RELATED FUNCTIONS:

CAP Goal 1: Exports: Double U.S. exports by the end of 2014.

Goal Leader: Michael Froman, assistant to the president for international economics

CAP Goal 2: Entrepreneurship and Small Business. Increase federal services to entrepreneurs and small businesses with an emphasis on 1) startups and growing firms and 2) underserved markets.

Goal Leaders: Jason Furman, deputy director, White House National Economic Council, and Tom Kalil, deputy director for policy, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

CAP Goal 3: Broadband. As part of expanding all broadband capabilities, ensure 4G broadband coverage for 98 percent of Americans by 2016.

Goal Leader:U.S. chief technology officer, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (position is vacant)

CAP Goal 4: Energy Efficiency. Reduce Energy Intensity (energy demand/$ real GDP) 50 percent by 2035 (with 2010 as the base year).

Goal Leader: Heather Zichal, deputy assistant to the President for energy and climate change, Domestic Policy Council.

CAP Goal 5: Veteran Career Readiness. By September 30, 2013, increase the percent of eligible service members who will be served by career readiness and preparedness programs from 50 percent to 90 percent in order to improve their competitiveness in the job market.

Goal Leader: Matt Flavin, White House director of veteran and wounded warrior policy.

CAP Goal 6: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Education. Work with education partners to improve the quality of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education at all levels to help increase the number of well-prepared graduates with STEM degrees by one-third by 2022, resulting in an additional 1 million graduates with degrees in STEM subjects.

Goal Leaders: Carl Wieman, associate director for science, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Steve Robinson, special assistant, White House Domestic Policy Council.

CAP Goal 7: Job Training. Ensure our country has one of the most skilled workforces in the world by preparing 2 million workers with skills training by 2015 and improving the coordination and delivery of job training services.

Goal Leader: Portia Wu, senior policy advisory for mobility and opportunity, White House Domestic Policy Council.

Interestingly, some existing cross-cutting initiatives, such as food safety, were not on the list. This might be because these functions were seen as well-underway and did not need the prominence of being named a CAP Goal.

In part 2, I’ll highlight the seven CAP Goals for mission-support functions, and then in a later post, describe the agency-specific priority goals, also required by the new GPRA law.

For the full interview with Chris Dorobek head over toInsights.