[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 78 (Monday, May 6, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H2849-H2850]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                SPECIAL DISTRICT GRANT ACCESSIBILITY ACT

  Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 7525) to require the Director of the Office of Management 
and Budget to issue guidance to agencies requiring special districts to 
be recognized as local government for the purpose of Federal financial 
assistance determinations.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 7525

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Special District Grant 
     Accessibility Act''.

     SEC. 2. AGENCY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE GUIDANCE ON SPECIAL 
                   DISTRICTS.

       (a) Requirements for Agency Acknowledgment of Special 
     Districts as Grant Recipients.--
       (1) OMB guidance.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the Director shall issue 
     guidance that clarifies how an agency recognizes a special 
     district as a unit of local government for the purpose of 
     being eligible to receive Federal financial assistance.
       (2) Agency requirements.--Not later than 1 year after the 
     date on which the guidance is issued pursuant to paragraph 
     (1), the head of each agency shall implement the requirements 
     of such guidance and conform any policy, principle, practice, 
     procedure, or guideline relating to the administration of the 
     Federal financial assistance programs of the agency.
       (3) Reporting requirement.--Not later than 2 years after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director shall 
     submit to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability of 
     the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland 
     Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report that 
     evaluates agency implementation of and conformity to the 
     guidance issued pursuant to paragraph (1).
       (b) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Agency.--The term ``agency'' has the meaning given the 
     term in section 552 of title 5, United States Code.
       (2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
     the Office of Management and Budget.
       (3) Federal financial assistance.--The term ``Federal 
     financial assistance''--
       (A) means assistance that a non-Federal entity receives or 
     administers in the form of a grant, loan, loan guarantee, 
     property, cooperative agreement, interest subsidy, insurance, 
     food commodity, direct appropriation, or other assistance; 
     and
       (B) does not include an amount received as reimbursement 
     for services rendered to an individual in accordance with 
     guidance issued by the Director.
       (4) Special district.--The term ``special district'' means 
     a political subdivision of a State, with specified boundaries 
     and significant budgetary autonomy or control, created by or 
     pursuant to the laws of the State, for the purpose of 
     performing limited and specific governmental or proprietary 
     functions that distinguish it as a significantly separate 
     entity from the administrative governance structure of any 
     other form of local government unit within a State.
       (5) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several 
     States, the District of Columbia, each commonwealth, 
     territory, or possession of the United States, and each 
     federally recognized Indian Tribe.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. LaTurner) and the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia 
(Ms. Norton) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kansas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on this measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Kansas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7525, which establishes a 
definition in law for special districts and clarifies that special 
districts are eligible to receive Federal financial assistance.
  Many Americans receive essential services through special districts, 
units of local government authorized under State law to deliver 
specific services to communities. There are approximately 35,000 
special districts across the country in every single State.
  Some examples of special districts are ambulance service districts, 
drainage districts, emergency service boards, and flood control 
districts, to name a few. These special districts provide critical 
services to mostly rural communities across the Nation.
  The Office of Management and Budget already recognizes special 
districts as units of local government, similar to townships or 
villages, yet special districts often struggle to compete for or access 
Federal funding.
  The Special District Grant Accessibility Act works to solve this 
problem and ensures that special districts are on equal footing with 
other units of local government. This bill requires the Office of 
Management and Budget to issue guidance to Federal agencies, 
emphasizing how special districts should be recognized as a unit of 
local government.
  This legislation is supported by the National Special Districts 
Coalition.

[[Page H2850]]

  I thank Representative Fallon and Representative Pettersen for their 
work on this important bipartisan bill, which impacts nearly every 
congressional district in our Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill and 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7525.
  The Special District Grant Accessibility Act is a bipartisan measure 
that takes a positive step forward toward ensuring that Federal policy 
better reflects the complexities of local governments and how they 
work.
  Congress confronted these complexities when it acted to send aid to 
local governments during the coronavirus pandemic. This included 
committee Democrats' historic work with the Biden-Harris administration 
to provide $350 billion in direct financial assistance to more than 
30,000 governments across the country, the vast majority of which were 
small local governments, and many of whom received significant 
assistance for the first time.
  This bill would provide further clarity around special districts, a 
special unit of local government. According to the National Special 
Districts Coalition, there are roughly 35,000 such special districts 
across the Nation that play an important role in delivering essential 
government services, like wastewater treatment and fire protection, to 
millions of Americans.
  Special districts have reported challenges when trying to access 
Federal funding opportunities and have indicated that a unified Federal 
definition of ``special district'' would help clarify how entities can 
best assist local communities through Federal assistance programs.
  To address these concerns, H.R. 7525 would codify a definition of the 
term and direct OMB to clarify how Federal agencies can recognize 
special districts as units of local government for the purpose of being 
eligible for Federal grants and other Federal assistance.
  Congress and the Federal Government must continually work to ensure 
Federal assistance programs are authorized, funded, and implemented to 
best address the needs of local communities. This should include 
careful consideration of the intricacies of local governments and a 
rigorous commitment to ensuring Federal assistance promotes equal 
opportunity for everyone.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate subcommittee Chairman Pat Fallon and 
Representative Brittany Pettersen for their excellent bipartisan work 
and support of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Fallon), my friend.
  Mr. FALLON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. LaTurner), my good friend, for yielding time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7525, the Special 
District Grant Accessibility Act, introduced by myself and my 
colleague, Representative Pettersen, from the Centennial State of 
Colorado.
  Mr. Speaker, special districts are a type of local government 
authorized by State law, which deliver specialized services to specific 
communities that would otherwise not be provided. In rural areas, for 
instance, special districts may provide fire protection, mosquito 
control, ambulatory services, et cetera. Special districts also occur 
in urban areas and can provide airport, road, and transit services.
  According to the National Special Districts Coalition, as my 
colleague from Kansas (Mr. LaTurner) said, there are about 35,000 
special districts in the country, and they are in every State.
  In Texas, we have over 3,300 special districts providing all manner 
of government goods and services. Yet, as these lesser-known units of 
government, special districts have struggled to consistently access 
Federal financial assistance.
  H.R. 7525 would remedy that and would emphasize that special 
districts are units of local government and are, therefore, eligible 
for Federal financial assistance by establishing a definition in law 
for special districts and requiring the Office of Management and Budget 
to issue guidance to Federal agencies, as well as grant-issuing 
agencies.

  This bill also requires an OMB report to Congress on the agency's 
implementation and conformity to the guidance.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Pettersen and the bipartisan 
coalition of Members who cosponsored this bill, and I encourage a 
``yes'' vote.
  Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Colorado (Ms. Pettersen).
  Ms. PETTERSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Special 
District Grant Accessibility Act, and I thank my colleague, 
Representative Fallon, for his leadership and bipartisan collaboration 
on this bill. I also thank the advocates who raised this concern with 
our office and give a huge shout-out to my team for doing the work to 
get it to this point.
  Special districts are local governments that are created by the 
people for a community to deliver specialized services. There are 
35,000 special districts across the country, and this includes 
providing services ranging from drinking water and wastewater 
management to healthcare, transit, natural resource conservation, and 
much more.
  This bipartisan bill will ensure Federal policies better reflect the 
complexities of local government by creating a Federal definition. I 
didn't realize that there were so many barriers at the local level to 
actually drawing down those Federal funds when it comes to community 
block grants, childcare services, and even transportation needs.
  We also saw significant barriers when it came to the pandemic and the 
ARPA funding that was going down to help support communities through 
that difficult time. We know that this is a very important and small 
step forward, but it is going to make a big difference for people 
across Colorado and the Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am 
prepared to close.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 7525, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this 
bipartisan bill to emphasize that special districts are eligible for 
Federal financial assistance.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bost). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. LaTurner) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 7525.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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