The Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting (CEAR) was given to the highest number awarded since the program began in 1997. The program's aim is to impove financial and program accountability by streamlining and improving the effectiveness of government reports.

The fiscal year 2006 recipients include: U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; U.S. Department of the Interior; U.S. Department of Labor; U.S. General Services Administration; U.S. Government Accountability Office; U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; U.S. Small Business Administration; and U.S. Social Security Administration.

Through the CEAR program, AGA advises agencies on how to prepare integrated and user-friendly Performance and Accountability Reports (PARs) that clearly show what an agency accomplished with taxpayer dollars and the challenges that remain. The CEAR Program was established in conjunction with the federal Chief Financial Officers Council and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

Harold Steinberg, CEAR technical consultant, noted some trends from the past 10 years. Steinberg said the agencies are doing a better job of communicating accomplishments and their reports reflect comments made by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) related to the Performance Assessment Rating Tool (PART). The reports are also more consistent in their organization and content, less dense, more informative and easier to prepare, as agencies are submitting their reports to OMB 45 days after the fiscal year has ended.

Agencies that participate in AGA's CEAR Program submit their PAR to a five-member review team for an in-depth evaluation. These five individuals assess the report using the CEAR Reviewer Guidelines and then provide detailed recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the report. Agencies with reports considered excellent are awarded the Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting.
 
AGA represents 15,000 members.