U.S. Government Standard General Ledger Board and
Issues Resolution Committee Meeting Minutes

October 2, 2003

GENERAL ITEMS

Judy Yuran (FMS) opened the meeting and reminded everyone that agencies could test fourth-quarter edits in FACTS II instead of waiting for the official fourth-quarter reporting period to open. Judy also mentioned that USSGL representatives should try to resolve agency policy issues before requesting USSGL guidance. Attendees introduced themselves and the meeting proceeded.

Handouts

• Trust Fund and Special Fund Nonexpenditure "Non-Allocation" Transfers of Invested Balances
  
  
• Accounting for Expired and Cancelled Authority for Other Than Special and Trust Funds
  
  
• Accounting for Closing Miscellaneous Receipts

Agenda Items

Trust Fund and Special Fund Nonexpenditure "Non-Allocation"

Karen Metler (FMS) explained that the scenario was developed to account for a specialized group of appropriation transfers that involve invested accounts. USSGL 4171, "Non-Allocation Transfers of Invested Balances - Receivable" and USSGL 4172, "Non-Allocation Transfers of Invested Balances - Payable" are proposed to allow the invested accounts to maximize earnings while still providing necessary budget authority to the receiving accounts. In addition, USSGL 4173, "Non-Allocation Transfers of Invested Balances - Transferred" is proposed to account for the actual transfer of fund balance that satisfies the established transfer-receivable and transfer-payable. To distinguish these accounts from other transfer accounts, the following criteria must be met:

1. An allocation account cannot be involved in the transfer.
   
   
2. The transferring account must have investment authority.
   
   
3. The transfer must be between the following fund types: trust and trust, special and special, or special and another Federal fund.

The definition for USSGL 4170, "Transfers - Current-Year Authority" is proposed for modification. The definition is proposed to specifically exclude the transfers of invested balances in USSGL 4173.

Karen also pointed out that USSGL account 4173 will be available for both unexpired and expired accounts. Although it may seem odd to permit transfers in expired accounts, this particular situation is acceptable because the budget authority was originally transferred through the transfer-payable and transfer-receivable. The settlement of the receivable and payable accomplished by the actual movement of fund balance via an SF 1151 can therefore occur in an expired account.

Karen mentioned that a matrix is available on the GWA NET (FMS system for on-line processing of SF 1151: Nonexpenditure Transfers). This matrix crosswalks the NET transaction types to USSGL accounts and may be helpful for choosing the proper NET and USSGL transactions to follow.

Karen and Judy discussed an implementation date for the proposed changes with the IRC. Although it is not generally the USSGL's policy to create new accounts so close to year-end, Karen asked for an exception for these accounts. Karen indicated she had spoken with the affected agencies and found them anxious to use the new accounts for FY 2003 reporting. After further discussion within the meeting, Karen agreed to confirm the "go ahead" with those agencies. Look for the accounts to be included in the next release of the TFM and to be effective for FY 2003. A formal vote will be conducted at the next USSGL Board meeting.

Judy then mentioned that the USSGL staff will be working on a project to ascertain if agencies are reporting all receipts as part of their FACTS I submissions. In order to reconcile FACTS I submissions to Treasury generated Receipt Account Trial Balances, USSGL will need to know what receipt accounts agencies use to compile data for FACTS I submissions to the 5000 and 5500 rollups. After a general discussion by IRC representatives about competing priorities, Judy agreed to make the data request after agencies had completed most yearend requirements.

Accounting for Expired and Cancelled Authority for Other Than Special and Trust Funds

Toni Clark, FMS, then reviewed only the recent changes that have been made to the scenario titled "Accounting for Expired and Cancelled Authority for Other Than Special and Trust Funds." Toni reviewed the scenario in its entirety at previous IRC meetings. The Draft version of this scenario has been available for review on the USSGL Web site for several months. The order of occurrence for some transactions was changed to better highlight the distinction between transactions using general fund appropriations and those using reimbursable appropriations. Also, transaction number 24 was added to highlight the transaction for returning an advance. Transaction 39 was changed so the payable would be the same as that used for miscellaneous receipts. Eileen Parlow, DoD, asked if USSGL account 2980 could crosswalk to Accounts Payable instead of Other Liabilities. Toni agreed to research this question.

The scenario will be posted on the USSGL Web site as an "Approved Scenario."

Accounting for Closing Miscellaneous Receipts

Kathy Winchester, FMS, presented a change to Section III of the USSGL. The proposed change moves transaction F124 from the Yearend - Pre-closing section to F229 the Yearend - Closing Entries section of the TFM. Kathy explained that although the amounts deposited by agencies into miscellaneous receipts ultimately belong to the General Fund of the Treasury, agencies must keep these amounts on their books and report the balance as part of the yearend FACTS I submissions. Therefore, the balance of miscellaneous receipts should not be cleared at pre-closing but instead during the closing entry process. Although some agency representatives expressed concern that they could not accomplish this change for closing FY 2003, the entry was approved and will be updated in the next release of the TFM. FMS encourages agencies to use this update as soon as possible, but the next TFM is officially for use in FY 2004.

ATTENDEES

Judy Yuran, FMS
Shadonna Broaddus, FMS
Christine Chang, FMS
Toni Clark, FMS
Karl Foltz, FMS
Gwen Marshman, FMS
Karen Metler, FMS
Keith Mertz, FMS
Melinda Pope, FMS
Keith Stith, FMS
Kathy Winchester, FMS
Cheryl Dixon, FMS/BRD
Don McKay, FMS/AS
Jacquelin Brown, FMS
Marilyn Evans, DHS
Lodi Holzbaur, DOC
Christine Kent, DoT
Su-Fang Stevens, DoJ
Eileen Parlow, DoD
Barbara Hill, DoD
Audrey Clark, DOD
Wanching Yu, DOD
Barbara Harbell, DOE
Cindy Scharf, LoC
Jim Brady, EPA
Jacqueline Harvey, FCC
Leslie Liu, NRC
Teresa Tancre, OMB
Jeanette Kuendal, PTO
Britt Fucito, PTO
Letha Holliday, SSA
Stephen Hull, SSA
Christopher Long, SSA
John Reisinger, SSA
Marge Barnes, SSA
Barbara Ricks, SSA
Junghee Gogue, SSA
Joe Keady, USAID
David Surti, USDA
Janet Winchester, VA