,i #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #iaja ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #b1 #bjbf,ms4 ,letlow introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,agriculture ,a ,,bill ,to improve transparency1 accessibility1 and accountability in the administration of rural development grant programs at the ,department of ,agriculture1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,rural ,grants ,transparency ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,the ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,rural communities often lack staff capacity and technical expertise to navigate complex ,federal grant programs4 7#b7 ,applicants routinely report difficulty understanding eligibility for1 application steps for1 timelines under1 evaluation criteria under1 and reasons for rejection from rural development programs4 7#c7 ,providing clear1 consistent1 and centralized information improves access to such programs for small towns1 rural nonprofits1 cooperatives1 and persistent-poverty counties and parishes4 7#d7 ,increasing transparency in ,federal grant processes can be achieved without additional appropriations4 #c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,covered program ,the term covered program means any grant program administered by the ,secretary of ,agriculture through ,rural ,development1 including programs administered by-- 7,a7 the ,rural ,utilities ,service2 7,b7 the ,rural ,housing ,service2 or 7,c7 the ,rural ,business-,cooperative ,service4 7#b7 ,quarterly ,the term quarterly means not less frequently than once every #ij days4 7#c7 ,roadmap ,the term ,roadmap means1 with respect to a covered program1 the ,rural ,grant ,transparency ,roadmap developed for the program under section #d4 7#d7 ,rural development ,state office contact information ,the term rural development ,state office contact information means1 with respect to a covered program1 to the appropriate division or program contact within each ,state rural development office that is responsible for administering the covered program1 and is not solely a general hotline or switchboard number4 7#e7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,agriculture4 #d4 ,rural grant transparency roadmap 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary shall develop1 publish1 and maintain a publicly accessible ,rural ,grant ,transparency ,roadmap for each covered program4 7b7 ,required components ,the ,roadmap for a covered program shall include-- 7#a7 a plain-language description of the program2 7#b7 a step-by-step explanation of application requirements2 7#c7 a standardized checklist of materials required in applications2 7#d7 in the case of a competitive program1 a summary of the evaluation criteria used under the program2 7#e7 common reasons for ineligibility for the program1 or rejection of an application2 7#f7 electronic links to forms and guidance documents2 7#g7 rural development ,state office contact information relevant to the program2 and 7#h7 a quarterly-updated list of open and upcoming funding opportunities4 7c7 ,format and accessibility ,the ,roadmap for a covered program shall-- 7#a7 be accessible through a single1 consolidated webpage on the ,rural ,development website2 7#b7 be written in plain language suitable for small1 resource-limited rural communities2 and 7#c7 be available in formats accessible to individuals with disabilities in compliance with section #ejh of the ,rehabilitation ,act of #aigc4 7d7 ,limitations ,this ,act shall not be interpreted to-- 7#a7 require the ,secretary to create new evaluation criteria for any program2 or 7#b7 alter eligibility1 priorities1 or requirements established in statute or regulation4 7e7 ,updates ,the ,secretary shall update the ,roadmap quarterly and revise component descriptions as necessary4 #e4 ,standardized grant application notifications 7a7 ,requirement ,the ,secretary shall provide each applicant to a covered program with standardized notifications regarding-- 7#a7 confirmation of receipt of the application2 7#b7 notice of completeness of1 or deficiency in1 the application2 7#c7 notice of advancement of the application to review2 7#d7 a grant award or a denial of an application2 and 7#e7 if an application is denied1 information on whether the applicant may reapply4 7b7 ,denial explanation ,each denial of an application submitted to a covered program shall include-- 7#a7 a plain-language summary of the evaluation criteria most determinative to the outcome2 and 7#b7 guidance on how to strengthen future submissions4 7c7 ,use of existing systems ,the ,secretary shall provide notifications under this section using existing electronic or administrative systems1 and this section shall not be interpreted to require the development of new information technology systems4 #f4 ,rural grant award data accessibility 7a7 ,database ,the ,secretary shall maintain a publicly accessible1 searchable database of awards made under a covered program1 updated quarterly1 containing-- 7#a7 the name of the award recipient2 7#b7 the county or parish in which the awarded project is located2 7#c7 the amount of the award2 7#d7 the name of the program and 7#e7 a brief description of the awarded project4 7b7 ,protection of sensitive information ,the ,secretary may not disclose1 or authorize the disclosure of personally identifiable or confidential business information under this ,act4 7c7 ,use of existing resources ,the ,secretary shall utilize existing ,department of ,agriculture resources to carry out this section4 #g4 ,publication of scoring criteria 7a7 ,requirement ,for each competitive covered program1 the ,secretary shall publish-- 7#a7 all scoring factors2 7#b7 the weight assigned to each factor2 7#c7 tie-breaker rules2 and 7#d7 any statutory or regulatory priority areas4 7b7 ,limitation ,this ,act shall not be interpreted to authorize the ,secretary to create new scoring factors or modify existing statutory requirements4 #h4 ,training for ,state and local ,,usda offices 7a7 ,annual training ,the ,secretary shall ensure that ,state1 parish1 and county rural development offices receive annual training on-- 7#a7 the ,rural ,grant ,transparency ,roadmap for each covered program2 7#b7 the common challenges faced by applicants for each covered program2 and 7#c7 the procedures for providing accurate1 consistent information to applicants for a covered program who are located in a rural area4 7b7 ,use of existing resources ,this section shall be carried out by existing personnel of the ,department of ,agriculture4 #i4 ,no additional appropriations ,this ,act shall not be interpreted to authorize or require the appropriation of any funds to carry out this ,act4 #aj4 ,deadline for implementation ,the ,secretary shall implement all requirements of this ,act within #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act4