[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 170 (Monday, November 18, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H6032-H6033]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
GRANT TRANSPARENCY ACT OF 2023
Mr. FRY. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 5536) to require transparency in notices of funding opportunity,
and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5536
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 ``Grant Transparency Act of
2023''.
SEC. 2. NOTICES OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TRANSPARENCY.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Agency.--The term ``agency''--
(A) has the meaning given the term ``Executive agency'' in
section 105 of title 5, United States Code; and
(B) does not include the Government Accountability Office.
(2) Competitive grant.--The term ``competitive grant''
means a discretionary award (as defined in section 200.1 of
title 2, Code of Federal Regulations) awarded by an agency--
(A) through a grant agreement or cooperative agreement
under which the agency makes payment in cash or in kind to a
recipient to carry out a public purpose authorized by law;
and
(B) the recipient of which is selected from a pool of
applicants through the use of merit-based selection
procedures for the purpose of allocating funds authorized
under a grant program of the agency.
(3) Evaluation or selection criteria.--The term
``evaluation or selection criteria'' means standards or
principles for judging, evaluating, or selecting an
application for a competitive grant.
(4) Notice of funding opportunity.--The term ``notice of
funding opportunity'' has the meaning given the term in
section 200.1 of title 2, Code of Federal Regulations.
(5) Rating system.--The term ``rating system''--
(A) means a system of evaluation of competitive grant
applications to determine how such applications advance
through the selection process; and
(B) includes--
(i) a merit criteria rating rubric;
(ii) an evaluation of merit criteria;
(iii) a methodology to evaluate and rate based on a point
scale; and
(iv) an evaluation to determine whether a competitive grant
application meets evaluation or selection criteria.
(b) Transparency Requirements.--Each notice of funding
opportunity issued by an agency for a competitive grant shall
include--
(1) a description of any rating system and evaluation and
selection criteria the agency uses to assess applications for
the competitive grant;
(2) a statement of whether the agency uses a weighted
scoring method and a description of any weighted scoring
method the agency uses for the competitive grant, including
the amount by which the agency weights each criterion; and
(3) any other qualitative or quantitative merit-based
approach the agency uses to evaluate an application for the
competitive grant.
(c) Applications; Data Elements.--
(1) In general.--The Director of the Office of Management
and Budget, in coordination with the Executive department
designated under section 6402(a)(1) of title 31, United
States Code, shall develop data elements relating to grant
applications to ensure common reporting by each agency with
respect to applications received in response to each notice
of funding opportunity of the agency.
(2) Contents.--The data elements developed under paragraph
(1) shall include--
(A) the number of applications received; and
(B) the city and State of each organization that submitted
an application.
(d) Rule of Construction.--With respect to a particular
competitive grant, nothing in this Act shall be construed to
supersede any requirement with respect to a notice of funding
opportunity for the competitive grant in a law that
authorizes the competitive grant.
(e) No Additional Funds.--No additional funds are
authorized to be appropriated for the purpose of carrying out
this Act.
(f) Effective Date.--
(1) In general.--This Act shall take effect on the date
that is 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
(2) No retroactive effect.--This Act shall not apply to a
notice of funding opportunity issued before the date of
enactment of this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
South Carolina (Mr. Fry) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms.
Porter) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from South Carolina.
General Leave
Mr. FRY. Madam 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 South Carolina?
There was no objection.
Mr. FRY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, before serving in Congress, I served in the South
Carolina State legislature. Now, here in Washington, I am passionate
about ensuring that State, local, and Federal Governments all work
together and work together well.
During my time in office, I have heard from many of our local
governments, and particularly in my district in those rural
communities, that applying for Federal grant money can be a complicated
and often confusing process.
In big cities, you often have professional staff that do this. In a
small town, it is the mayor or his spouse that is doing this.
After putting time and effort into filling out a competitive grant
application, applicants are left wondering why
[[Page H6033]]
they were not chosen to be awarded Federal grant money, especially if
they met all of the criteria listed when applying. This leads to grant
applicants feeling as though the decisions are made behind closed
doors. I think we can all agree that navigating the bureaucratic
labyrinth known as Washington, D.C., can be complicated for local
governments and for organizations.
Grant writers and applicant staff may even be unaware of which
selection criteria are weighted more heavily when filling out
applications.
The Grant Transparency Act requires Federal Government agencies to
shine a light on their decisionmaking process when awarding competitive
Federal grant money. With this legislation, Federal Government agencies
would be required to disclose their selection methods when awarding
competitive grants.
Specifically, the bill requires that notice of funding opportunities
for all Federal competitive grants to have: one, a description of any
rating system, evaluation, and selection criteria the agency uses to
assess the grant application; two, a statement on whether the agency
uses a weighted scoring method and a description of that method; and,
three, any other qualitative or quantitative merit-based approach the
agency may use to evaluate applications.
State and local governments across South Carolina's Seventh
Congressional District and nationwide compete for Federal grant money
on a continual basis. Federal grant money allows investment to come to
our communities and improve the daily lives of our constituents,
ranging from sewer and wastewater systems to airports, fire stations,
and recreational facilities.
These are all things that Americans rely on and utilize in their
daily lives. The Grant Transparency Act would help out our local
governments and organizations when they fill out applications to
compete for that funding. They deserve this transparency from their
Federal Government.
Today, let's empower grant applicants to put their best foot forward
and bring those Federal dollars home. I thank my Oversight Committee
colleague Jasmine Crockett for co-leading on this bill. This simple
bill has the potential to make a very meaningful impact in countless
communities and nonprofits nationwide.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this straightforward,
bipartisan bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. PORTER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 5536 and applaud Representatives Russell
Fry and Jasmine Crockett for their bipartisan leadership on this bill.
H.R. 5536 aims to increase transparency in the Federal grantmaking
review and award process. It does so by strengthening agency compliance
with title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations, which describes the
contents that notices of funding opportunities must include.
It requires that each notice of funding opportunity for a competitive
Federal grant to include specific information about how applications
will be assessed, providing all applicants with greater access to the
information they need to submit competitive applications.
The Biden-Harris administration has taken important steps to
strengthen transparency in and improve accessibility to the Federal
grantmaking process.
For example, in April 2024, the Office of Management and Budget
announced significant updates to the Uniform Grants Guidance, which
governs how agencies make grants and provide other forms of financial
assistance. The updates focused on reducing compliance costs, removing
barriers to entry and accessibility, and making Federal funds easier to
track.
H.R. 5536 is aligned with these goals, and I urge my colleagues to
support it today.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FRY. Madam Speaker, I encourage all my colleagues to support this
commonsense and bipartisan bill to make the application process for
competitive grants much more transparent on our local governments and
nonprofits.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. PORTER. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Fry) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5536, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________