I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 914 

To simplify the grant process for nonurbanized areas, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 9, 2023 

Mr. C. SCOTT FRANKLIN of Florida (for himself, Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky, 

Ms. LETLOW, Mr. GRIFFITH, Mr. MOOLENAAR, Mr. FINSTAD, Mr. ADERHOLT, Mrs. CHAVEZ-DEREMER, Mr. GUEST, Mr. CARTER of Texas, Mr. 

LAMALFA, Mrs. HOUCHIN, Mr. SESSIONS, Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS, Mr. 

TIFFANY, Ms. MACE, Mr. FALLON, Ms. TENNEY, Mr. MCCORMICK, Mrs. 

STEEL, Mr. VALADAO, Mr. EZELL, Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania, Mr. 

STAUBER, Mr. KUSTOFF, Mrs. CAMMACK, Mr. FEENSTRA, Ms. 

STEFANIK, Mr. FLOOD, Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana, Mr. MANN, Mr. 

RUTHERFORD, Mr. ELLZEY, Mr. JOYCE of Ohio, and Mr. CARTER of 

Georgia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability 

A BILL 

To simplify the grant process for nonurbanized areas, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Simplifying Grants Act 

5 of 2023’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) AGENCY.—The term ‘‘agency’’ means an 

4 Executive department or independent establishment, 

5 as such terms are defined in sections 101 and 104 

6 of title 5, United States Code, respectively. 

7 (2) COVERED LOCAL GOVERNMENT.—The term 

8 ‘‘covered local government’’ means a local govern9 ment located in an area of which the population is 

10 less than the population required to be an urbanized 

11 area. 

12 (3) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

13 the Director of the Office of Management and Budg14 et. 

15 (4) LOCAL GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘‘local 

16 government’’ means a county, municipality, city, 

17 town, township, or other general purpose political 

18 subdivision of a State. 

19 (5) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means any 

20 State of the United States, the District of Columbia, 

21 and any commonwealth, territory, or possession of 

22 the United States. 

23 (6) URBANIZED AREA.—The term ‘‘urbanized 

24 area’’ means an urbanized area, as determined by 

25 the Bureau of the Census for purposes of the most 

26 recent decennial census of population. 


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1 SEC. 3. GRANT PROCESS SIMPLIFICATION. 

2 (a) EXISTING GRANT PROGRAMS.—For each grant 

3 program of an agency in existence on the date of enact4 ment of this Act under which covered local governments 

5 are eligible to receive grants, not later than 180 days after 

6 the date of enactment of this Act— 

7 (1) the Director shall— 

8 (A) conduct a review of the complexity of 

9 the requirements for a covered local government 

10 to receive funds under a grant under the pro11 gram; and 

12 (B) provide to the head of the agency in13 structions on how to simplify such require14 ments; and 

15 (2) the head of the agency, in consultation with 

16 the Director, shall simplify such requirements. 

17 (b) NEW GRANT PROGRAMS.—For each grant pro18 gram of an agency established after the date of enactment 

19 of this Act under which covered local governments are eli20 gible to receive grants, before the application for grants 

21 under the program becomes available— 

22 (1) the Director shall— 

23 (A) conduct a review of the complexity of 

24 the proposed requirements for a covered local 

25 government to receive funds under a grant 

26 under the program; and 


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1 (B) provide to the head of the agency in2 structions on how to simplify such require3 ments; and 

4 (2) the head of each agency, in consultation 

5 with the Director, shall simplify such requirements. 

6 (c) CHECKLISTS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—In accordance with para8 graph (2), the head of each agency shall make pub9 licly available a checklist for covered local govern10 ments with respect to each grant program of the 

11 agency for which covered local governments are oth12 erwise eligible that includes each requirement for 

13 each step of the grant process for a grant under the 

14 grant program. 

15 (2) DEADLINE.—The head of an agency shall 

16 make publicly available a checklist under paragraph 

17 (1)— 

18 (A) with respect to a grant program in ex19 istence on the date of enactment of this Act, 

20 not later than 180 days after the date of enact21 ment of this Act; and 

22 (B) with respect to a grant program estab23 lished after the date of enactment of this Act, 

24 on the date on which the application for the 

25 grant program becomes available. 


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1 SEC. 4. REPORTING. 

2 (a) ONE-TIME REPORT.—Not later than 270 days 

3 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall 

4 submit to Congress a report evaluating, as of the date of 

5 submission of the report— 

6 (1) the extent to which agencies have simplified 

7 the requirements for covered local governments 

8 under section 3(a); and 

9 (2) the extent to which agencies made available 

10 checklists under section 3(c)(1) for each grant pro11 gram in existence on the date of enactment of this 

12 Act. 

13 (b) ONGOING REPORT.—Not later than April 1 of the 

14 first year after the year during which this Act is enacted, 

15 and every April 1 thereafter, the Director shall submit to 

16 Congress a report evaluating— 

17 (1) the amount of technical assistance provided 

18 to covered local governments during the previous fis19 cal year by agencies relating to the preaward, award, 

20 implementation, and closeout stages of grants 

21 awarded by the agencies; and 

22 (2) the amount of funds that were awarded by 

23 agencies during the previous fiscal year to— 

24 (A) covered local governments; and 


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1 (B) local governments that are not covered 

2 local governments. 

Æ 


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