WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Enzi (R-WY), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) applauded the final passage of H.R. 150, the Grant Reporting Efficiency and Agreements Transparency (GREAT) Act. The bipartisan, bicameral bill will require the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the leading administrator of grant programs to streamline data transparency requirements for grant recipients and ultimately make data collection and dissemination to Congress faster and easier. Representatives Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) were the House co-sponsors of H.R. 150.
“Federal grants can provide critical support for programs and services that benefit communities in Michigan and around the country,” said Senator Peters, Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. “I am pleased that our House colleagues passed this commonsense, bipartisan bill to streamline the grant application process and improve transparency around how taxpayer dollars are used. I look forward to seeing this important bill signed into law soon.”
“I’m glad to see the House pass the GREAT Act to streamline grant reporting and ensure transparency is provided to taxpayers on federal grant data,” said Senator Lankford. “Federal grants are some of the most impactful ways the federal government spends money and Americans should always know where and how their tax dollars are spent. I look forward to the President’s signature on this bill in the days to come.”
“The GREAT Act would help simplify the grant reporting process and keep better track of taxpayer dollars,” said Senator Enzi. “I’m pleased the House passed this important legislation and look forward to the president signing it into law soon.”
“Our bipartisan bill helps to streamline the grant process and ensure greater efficiency and transparency—I am pleased that it’s now on its way to becoming law,” said Senator Hassan.
The US government awards more than $600 billion every year to state and local governments, agencies, and other organizations. The Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 required OMB and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct a pilot program to alleviate reporting burdens for grant recipients. The pilot program found that grant recipients are often required to enter identical data multiple times, and there is no single repository for the data. This redundancy is burdensome for grant recipients and for congressional oversight. HR 150, replaces the disconnected process with streamlined, searchable, open data for both the grantee and taxpayer.
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