The Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990, or CFO Act, signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on November 15, 1990, is a United States federal law intended to improve the government's financial management, outlining standards of financial performance and disclosure. Among other measures, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) was given greater authority over federal financial management. For each of 23 federal departments and agencies, the position of chief financial officer was created. In accordance with the CFO Act, each agency or department vests its financial management functions in its chief financial officer.

The Act created a new position in the OMB, the Deputy Director for Management, who is the government's chief financial management official. It also created a new sub-division of the OMB, the Office of Federal Financial Management (OFFM), to carry out governmentwide financial management responsibilities. The OFFM's chief officer was designated as a the newly-created Controller position. Both the Deputy Director for Management and the Controller are appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.

The Committee on Government Reform oversees the management and infrastructure of the federal agencies, including those covered by the CFO Act.

The CFO Act also established the CFO Council, consisting of the CFOs and Deputy CFOs of the largest federal agencies and senior officials of OMB and Treasury.

The Department of Homeland Security is exempt from the CFO Act.

See also

• Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB)

External links

• Guide to the CFO Act (U.S. General Accounting Office)
• Text of the CFO Act of 1990
• Where Is The Money FAQ: Who's In Charge