S. 375 — Introduced in Senate

II 118th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 375 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 9, 2023Mr. 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. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Simplifying Grants Act of 2023. 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) Agency The term agency means an Executive department or independent establishment, as such terms are defined in sections 101 and 104 of title 5, United States Code, respectively. (2) Covered local government The term covered local government means a local government with jurisdiction over an area of which the population is less than the population required to be an urbanized area. (3) Director The term Director means the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. (4) Local government The term local government means a county, municipality, city, town, township, or other general purpose political subdivision of a State. (5) State The term State means any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, and any commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States. (6) Urbanized area The term urbanized area means an urbanized area, as determined by the Bureau of the Census for purposes of the most recent decennial census of population. 3. Grant process simplification (a) Existing grant programs For each grant program of an agency in existence on the date of enactment of this Act under which covered local governments are eligible to receive grants, not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act— (1) the Director shall— (A) conduct a review of the complexity of the requirements for a covered local government to receive funds under a grant under the program; and (B) provide to the head of the agency instructions on how to simplify such requirements; and (2) the head of the agency, in consultation with the Director, shall simplify such requirements. (b) New grant programs For each grant program of an agency established after the date of enactment of this Act under which covered local governments are eligible to receive grants, before the application for grants under the program becomes available— (1) the Director shall— (A) conduct a review of the complexity of the proposed requirements for a covered local government to receive funds under a grant under the program; and (B) provide to the head of the agency instructions on how to simplify such requirements; and (2) the head of each agency, in consultation with the Director, shall simplify such requirements. (c) Checklists (1) In general In accordance with paragraph (2), the head of each agency shall make publicly available a checklist for covered local governments with respect to each grant program of the agency for which covered local governments are otherwise eligible that includes each requirement for each step of the grant process for a grant under the grant program. (2) Deadline The head of an agency shall make publicly available a checklist under paragraph (1)— (A) with respect to a grant program in existence on the date of enactment of this Act, not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act; and (B) with respect to a grant program established after the date of enactment of this Act, on the date on which the application for the grant program becomes available. 4. Reporting (a) One-Time report Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall submit to Congress a report evaluating, as of the date of submission of the report— (1) the extent to which agencies have simplified the requirements for covered local governments under section 3(a); and (2) the extent to which agencies made available checklists under section 3(c)(1) for each grant program in existence on the date of enactment of this Act. (b) Ongoing report Not later than April 1 of the first year after the year during which this Act is enacted, and every April 1 thereafter, the Director shall submit to Congress a report evaluating— (1) the amount of technical assistance provided to covered local governments during the previous fiscal year by agencies relating to the preaward, award, implementation, and closeout stages of grants awarded by the agencies; and (2) the amount of funds that were awarded by agencies during the previous fiscal year to— (A) covered local governments; and (B) local governments that are not covered local governments.