Frequently Asked Questions
The Cash Management Improvement Act of 1990 (CMIA) was passed to improve the transfer of federal funds between the federal government and the states, territories, and the District of Columbia.
Specifically, two recurrent intergovernmental problems needed attention:
- States were drawing federal funds in advance of need.
- The federal government was providing late grant awards to states.
The program applies to the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The term "State" will be used hereafter to refer to these 56 entities.
All federal funds transfers to the States are covered. However, only major assistance programs (large-dollar programs) are included in a written Treasury-State Agreement (TSA), which specifies how the federal funds transfers will take place.
In FY 1994, the first year of CMIA, 20 major programs were covered under TSAs. Today, more than 100 different Federal programs are included in TSAs with an average of approximately 20-25 programs per State.
The key entities involved in making CMIA work are the U.S. Treasury, the federal granting agencies, and the states.
- Efficiency — To minimize the time between the transfer of funds to the States and the payout for program purposes.
- Effectiveness — To ensure that federal funds are available when requested.
- Equity — To assess an interest liability to the federal government and/or the States to compensate for the lost value of funds.
Annual Treasury-State Agreements (based on the State's fiscal year), which include:
- Covered programs
- Funding techniques
- Clearance pattern methodologies
- Interest calculation methodologies
- Projected reimbursements for direct costs
Annual Reports (submitted by December 31 of each year), which report on:
- Federal interest liabilities
- State interest liabilities
- State direct cost claims
Annual Interest Exchange (accomplished no later than March 31 of each year) to disburse:
- Federal and State interest liabilities
- Approved direct cost payments to States
No. For more information see: https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/Coronavirus-Relief-Fund-Frequently-Asked-Questions.pdf