What This Bill Does
This bill requires federal agencies to make grant applications simpler for small towns and rural areas. Agencies must review how complicated their grant requirements are and then reduce that complexity. The bill also requires agencies to create and share checklists showing what small towns need to do to apply for grants.
Who It Affects
Counties, municipalities, cities, towns, townships and other local governments located in areas smaller than officially designated urbanized areas (as defined by the Census Bureau). Federal agencies that give grants to these local governments.
Key Provisions
• The Director of the Office of Management and Budget must review how complex grant requirements are for small rural local governments within 180 days of the law taking effect, and tell agencies how to simplify them (Sec. 3(a)).
• Each federal agency must simplify grant requirements for small rural local governments, working with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (Sec. 3(a)).
• Agencies must create and share public checklists for each grant program showing every requirement and step involved in applying for grants. For existing programs, agencies must do this within 180 days of the law taking effect; for new programs, agencies must do this when applications become available (Sec. 3(c)).
• The Director must report to Congress within 270 days of the law taking effect on whether agencies simplified requirements and created checklists (Sec. 4(a)).
• Starting the April 1 after this law is enacted, the Director must report to Congress yearly about technical help given to small rural local governments and how much grant money went to them versus larger areas (Sec. 4(b)).
What Changes
Federal grant requirements for rural local governments will become simpler. Public checklists will become available showing the steps and requirements for grant applications. Agencies will need to review and update their grant processes.
Important Definitions
"Covered local government" means a local government in an area with a smaller population than an urbanized area. "Urbanized area" means an area designated as urbanized by the Census Bureau in the most recent population count. "Local government" means a county, municipality, city, town, township or similar general purpose local political division of a state. "Agency" means a federal executive department or independent agency. "Director" means the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 914
To simplify the grant process for nonurbanized areas, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 9, 2023
Mr. C. SCOTT FRANKLIN of Florida (for himself, Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky,
Ms. LETLOW, Mr. GRIFFITH, Mr. MOOLENAAR, Mr. FINSTAD, Mr. ADER-
HOLT, Mrs. CHAVEZ-DEREMER, Mr. GUEST, Mr. CARTER of Texas, Mr.
LAMALFA, Mrs. HOUCHIN, Mr. SESSIONS, Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS, Mr.
TIFFANY, Ms. MACE, Mr. FALLON, Ms. TENNEY, Mr. MCCORMICK, Mrs.
STEEL, Mr. VALADAO, Mr. EZELL, Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania, Mr.
STAUBER, Mr. KUSTOFF, Mrs. CAMMACK, Mr. FEENSTRA, Ms.
STEFANIK, Mr. FLOOD, Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana, Mr. MANN, Mr.
RUTHERFORD, Mr. ELLZEY, Mr. JOYCE of Ohio, and Mr. CARTER of
Georgia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Oversight and Accountability
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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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 located in an area of which the population is
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less than the population required to be an urbanized
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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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•HR 914 IH
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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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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•HR 914 IH
(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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•HR 914 IH
(B) local governments that are not covered
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local governments.
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Æ
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