What This Bill Does
This bill makes federal grant applications simpler for small local governments in rural areas. The bill requires federal agencies to review how complicated their grant requirements are and then make them easier to understand. Each agency must also create checklists showing every step needed to apply for grants.
Who It Affects
Covered local governments (counties, cities, towns and townships in areas with smaller populations than big cities) eligible to receive federal grants. Federal agencies that manage grant programs. Congress.
Key Provisions
• For existing grant programs, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (a federal agency that oversees government spending) must review how complex the grant requirements are for small local governments within 180 days of this law taking effect, then tell each agency how to simplify them. (Sec. 3(a))
• For new grant programs created after this law passes, the Director must review the proposed requirements for complexity before applications open and instruct agencies on simplifying them. (Sec. 3(b))
• Every agency must create and publicly post a checklist for small local governments showing every requirement needed at each step of applying for their grants. For existing programs, this must happen within 180 days. For new programs, this must happen when applications open. (Sec. 3(c))
• The Director must report to Congress within 270 days about how well agencies simplified their requirements and made checklists available. (Sec. 4(a))
• The Director must report to Congress every April 1st about how much help agencies gave to small local governments and how much grant money went to small versus larger local governments. (Sec. 4(b))
What Changes
Federal agencies must make their grant applications less complicated for small rural local governments. Agencies must provide clear checklists explaining each step of the grant process. The government must track and report whether this simplification is actually happening.
Important Definitions
• Covered local government: A county, city, town, township or similar local government in an area with a smaller population than what counts as an urbanized area (determined by the Census Bureau).
• Local government: A county, municipality, city, town, township or other general purpose political subdivision of a state.
• Agency: An Executive department (cabinet-level agency) or independent establishment (standalone federal agency).
• Director: The head of the Office of Management and Budget.
• State: Any U.S. state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory or possession.
Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 375
To simplify the grant process for nonurbanized areas, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
FEBRUARY 9, 2023
Mr. RUBIO (for himself, Mr. RISCH, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. WICKER, Mr. SCOTT
of Florida, and Mr. TUBERVILLE) introduced the following bill; which was
read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs
A BILL
To simplify the grant process for nonurbanized areas, and
for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Simplifying Grants Act
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of 2023’’.
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SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
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In this Act:
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(1) AGENCY.—The term ‘‘agency’’ means an
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Executive department or independent establishment,
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•S 375 IS
as such terms are defined in sections 101 and 104
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of title 5, United States Code, respectively.
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(2) COVERED LOCAL GOVERNMENT.—The term
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‘‘covered local government’’ means a local govern-
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ment with jurisdiction over an area of which the
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population is less than the population required to be
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an urbanized area.
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(3) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means
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the Director of the Office of Management and Budg-
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et.
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(4) LOCAL
GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘‘local
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government’’ means a county, municipality, city,
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town, township, or other general purpose political
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subdivision of a State.
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(5) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means any
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State of the United States, the District of Columbia,
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and any commonwealth, territory, or possession of
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the United States.
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(6) URBANIZED AREA.—The term ‘‘urbanized
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area’’ means an urbanized area, as determined by
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the Bureau of the Census for purposes of the most
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recent decennial census of population.
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SEC. 3. GRANT PROCESS SIMPLIFICATION.
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(a) EXISTING GRANT PROGRAMS.—For each grant
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program of an agency in existence on the date of enact-
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•S 375 IS
ment of this Act under which covered local governments
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are eligible to receive grants, not later than 180 days after
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the date of enactment of this Act—
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(1) the Director shall—
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(A) conduct a review of the complexity of
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the requirements for a covered local government
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to receive funds under a grant under the pro-
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gram; and
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(B) provide to the head of the agency in-
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structions on how to simplify such require-
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ments; and
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(2) the head of the agency, in consultation with
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the Director, shall simplify such requirements.
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(b) NEW GRANT PROGRAMS.—For each grant pro-
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gram of an agency established after the date of enactment
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of this Act under which covered local governments are eli-
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gible to receive grants, before the application for grants
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under the program becomes available—
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(1) the Director shall—
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(A) conduct a review of the complexity of
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the proposed requirements for a covered local
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government to receive funds under a grant
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under the program; and
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(B) provide to the head of the agency in-
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structions on how to simplify such require-
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ments; and
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(2) the head of each agency, in consultation
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with the Director, shall simplify such requirements.
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(c) CHECKLISTS.—
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(1) IN
GENERAL.—In accordance with para-
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graph (2), the head of each agency shall make pub-
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licly available a checklist for covered local govern-
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ments with respect to each grant program of the
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agency for which covered local governments are oth-
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erwise eligible that includes each requirement for
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each step of the grant process for a grant under the
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grant program.
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(2) DEADLINE.—The head of an agency shall
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make publicly available a checklist under paragraph
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(1)—
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(A) with respect to a grant program in ex-
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istence on the date of enactment of this Act,
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not later than 180 days after the date of enact-
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ment of this Act; and
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(B) with respect to a grant program estab-
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lished after the date of enactment of this Act,
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on the date on which the application for the
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grant program becomes available.
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SEC. 4. REPORTING.
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(a) ONE-TIME REPORT.—Not later than 270 days
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after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall
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submit to Congress a report evaluating, as of the date of
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submission of the report—
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(1) the extent to which agencies have simplified
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the requirements for covered local governments
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under section 3(a); and
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(2) the extent to which agencies made available
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checklists under section 3(c)(1) for each grant pro-
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gram in existence on the date of enactment of this
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Act.
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(b) ONGOING REPORT.—Not later than April 1 of the
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first year after the year during which this Act is enacted,
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and every April 1 thereafter, the Director shall submit to
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Congress a report evaluating—
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(1) the amount of technical assistance provided
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to covered local governments during the previous fis-
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cal year by agencies relating to the preaward, award,
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implementation, and closeout stages of grants
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awarded by the agencies; and
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(2) the amount of funds that were awarded by
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agencies during the previous fiscal year to—
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(A) covered local governments; and
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(B) local governments that are not covered
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local governments.
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