The Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) is the research arm of the Florida Legislature. OPPAGA evaluates state agencies and programs and analyzes related public policies to make government better, faster, and less expensive. State law, legislative leadership, and the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee determine OPPAGA's research issues. OPPAGA's research focuses on improving program performance, saving money, and ensuring that program activities are appropriate.[1] Since 1998, the state has saved $857 million by adopting policy options and recommendations presented in OPPAGA reports.[2] OPPAGA operates under the guidance of a director appointed by the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee and confirmed by the House and Senate.
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| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | July 1, 1994 |
| Headquarters | 111 West Madison Street, Suite 312 Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1475 |
| Agency executive |
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| Website | www.oppaga.state.fl.us |
History
In 1994, the Florida Legislature removed the program evaluation unit from the Florida Auditor General and created OPPAGA to help improve the performance and accountability of state government. Since this time, OPPAGA has provided over 1,000 reports to the Legislature.[3] During this period, the office has received several awards for improving state government.[4]
- National Legislative Program Evaluation Society Excellence in Evaluation Award (2007). The criteria for the award are making a positive impact, producing a notable body of work, and furthering the field of legislative evaluation. OPPAGA also received this prestigious award in 1997 and 1989.
- National Legislative Program Evaluation Society Methodology Award (2009). This award recognizes projects that exemplify excellent uses of evaluation methodologies. OPPAGA also won the Methodology Award in 2007 and 2000.
- Center for Accountability and Performance (CAP) Organizational Leadership Award (2001). This award recognizes an organization's outstanding application of a systems approach to performance measurement that has resulted in a culture change, sustained improvements, and demonstrated positive effects on government performance and accountability.
While Governing magazine reported that OPPAGA is "one of the most impressive legislative oversight offices in the country," the office's findings and recommendations may at times be considered controversial.[5] For example, a 2004 OPPAGA report found that a Medicaid "disease management" program the state launched in 1997 had failed to achieve its goals. Under this program, drug manufacturers received an exemption from state-mandated prescription drug discounts in exchange for providing disease management services to state Medicaid recipients with chronic conditions. OPPAGA found that the program saved the state $13.4 million, far less than the projected $108.4 million. The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, which oversaw the program, and Pfizer, one of the pharmaceutical manufacturers that provided disease management, argued with the review's methodology. However, lawmakers ultimately followed OPPAGA's recommendation to separate the disease management program from the state-mandated drug discount exemptions. Now drug manufacturers can no longer provide disease management services in order to receive an exemption from state-mandated prescription drug discounts.[6]
Products
OPPAGA provides a variety of research services.
- Reports evaluate state agencies and programs and analyze specific policy issues. Reports cover a variety of state agencies and issues, or analyze the impact of a potential program or policy.
- Progress reports follow-up on the findings and recommendations of previously issued reports. A progress report is issued no sooner than 18 months after publication of the original report.
- PolicyCasts are three to five minute narrated PowerPoint presentations that provide overviews of OPPAGA reports. PolicyCasts present the report's big picture, highlighting the most critical details.
- The Government Program Summaries (GPS) is an online encyclopedia of more than 200 major state government programs. It provides a basic program description, highlights recent issues related to the program, includes the latest budget information, and lists contact information and recent reports.
- The Florida Monitor Weekly is a free, electronic newsletter that is delivered to over 5,500 recipients per week. Issued every Friday, the newsletter provides policy makers, government administrators, and other interested parties with links to OPPAGA reports as well as publications by state and federal agencies, think tanks, and the media.
OPPAGA researches all aspects of state government and conducts work through four policy areas - Criminal Justice; Education; Government Operations; and Health and Human Services. A staff director heads each policy area.[7] The following list provides examples of recent work completed by each policy area.
- Criminal Justice: Reviewed the Department of Management Services' process for monitoring Florida's private prisons (Report 08-71 - December 2008). The review found that although the department has recently improved its monitoring of private prison contracts, it needs to further strengthen its oversight of the state’s six private prisons and improve its contracts with these vendors.
- Education: Reviewed the incentive funds the State of Florida provides to local school districts for Advanced Placement classes (Report 09-12 - February 2009). The review identified policy options that would save the state between $25 million and $30 million while providing sufficient funding to districts to pay required program costs.
- Government Operations: Evaluated the state's executive aircraft pool to identify options for meeting the travel needs of state officials and employees at a lower cost (Report 08-57 - October 2008). Options identified included selling the jet aircraft and using only turboprop planes, reducing the number of planes in the fleet, and outsourcing some or all air transportation services for officials other than the Governor.
- Health & Human Services: Examined whether the Medicaid Reform pilot program achieved its intent of providing beneficiaries better access to providers than the traditional Medicaid program (Report 08-64 - November 2008). The report concluded that the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, which administers the entire Medicaid program, uses the same contract requirements for Medicaid Reform and traditional Medicaid and should develop additional requirements to ensure that the Medicaid Reform program meets beneficiary needs.
Similar Agencies
Other states have offices similar to OPPAGA, but the organizational placement of these offices differs among the states. Nearly half of the offices performing government program evaluation operate as part of a legislative auditor general office. In another third of the states, including Florida, evaluation offices function as independent legislative units. The remaining states house their evaluation offices within a legislative oversight or another committee (such as the legal drafting and research office).[8] Similar evaluation and audit organizations are listed below:
- Hawaii State Auditor
- Maine Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability
- Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor
- Mississippi Joint Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review
- South Carolina Legislative Audit Council
- Texas Sunset Advisory Commission
- Utah Office of the Legislative Auditor General
- Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission
- Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau
State legislative evaluation offices network through the National Legislative Program Evaluation Society to share ideas for improving government operations and identify options for cost savings.
References
- ^ Barrett, K., Greene, R., Patton, Z. & Keeling, J. (2005, February). Grading the states ’05. [Electronic version]. Governing. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
- ^ Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability. (2009, March). Fiscal impact of OPPAGA recommendations. Tallahassee, FL: Author. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
- ^ Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability. (n.d.). OPPAGA Reports. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
- ^ Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability. (n.d.). Professional organization awards. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
- ^ Barrett, K. & Greene, R. (2005, November). Time for a check-up. [Electronic Version]. Governing. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
- ^ Keller, A. (2008, October). A watchdog's life. [Electronic Version]. Florida Trend. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
- ^ Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability. (n.d.). OPPAGA organizational structure. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
- ^ National Conference of State Legislatures & National Legislative Program Evaluation Society. (2008). Ensuring the Public Trust. Denver, CO: Author.