Summary: GAO discussed the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Intergovernmental Personnel Act Mobility Program. GAO noted that: (1) the act was intended to strengthen state and local government personnel resources and encourage intergovernmental cooperation, and allowed temporary assignments of personnel between federal, state, and local government agencies; (2) although federal agencies initially primarily used the program to send personnel to state and local agencies, since 1975, federal agencies have primarily used the program to bring college and university personnel into the federal government; (3) since about 1980, OPM has reduced its involvement with the program in terms of resource commitment, administrative and oversight personnel, and government-wide direction, oversight, and guidance; (4) OPM has not evaluated the program or reported to Congress on it since about 1980; and (5) OPM did not always ask for or receive the information it needed from agencies to effectively monitor the program. GAO believes that Congress may wish to: (1) reassess and clarify the primary purpose of the program, given its change in character and usage over the years; and (2) redefine OPM program monitoring and reporting to Congress.
