II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 375 

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

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 9, 2023 

Mr. 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 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’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

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

9 Executive department or independent establishment, 


DMWilson on DSKJM0X7X2PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 375 IS

1 as such terms are defined in sections 101 and 104 

2 of title 5, United States Code, respectively. 

3 (2) COVERED LOCAL GOVERNMENT.—The term 

4 ‘‘covered local government’’ means a local govern5 ment with jurisdiction over an area of which the 

6 population is less than the population required to be 

7 an urbanized area. 

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

9 the Director of the Office of Management and Budg10 et. 

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

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

13 town, township, or other general purpose political 

14 subdivision of a State. 

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

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

17 and any commonwealth, territory, or possession of 

18 the United States. 

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

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

21 the Bureau of the Census for purposes of the most 

22 recent decennial census of population. 

23 SEC. 3. GRANT PROCESS SIMPLIFICATION. 

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

25 program of an agency in existence on the date of enactVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:36 Feb 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S375.IS S375

DMWilson on DSKJM0X7X2PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 375 IS

1 ment of this Act under which covered local governments 

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

3 the date of enactment of this Act— 

4 (1) the Director shall— 

5 (A) conduct a review of the complexity of 

6 the requirements for a covered local government 

7 to receive funds under a grant under the pro8 gram; and 

9 (B) provide to the head of the agency in10 structions on how to simplify such require11 ments; and 

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

13 the Director, shall simplify such requirements. 

14 (b) NEW GRANT PROGRAMS.—For each grant pro15 gram of an agency established after the date of enactment 

16 of this Act under which covered local governments are eli17 gible to receive grants, before the application for grants 

18 under the program becomes available— 

19 (1) the Director shall— 

20 (A) conduct a review of the complexity of 

21 the proposed requirements for a covered local 

22 government to receive funds under a grant 

23 under the program; and 


DMWilson on DSKJM0X7X2PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 375 IS

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. 


DMWilson on DSKJM0X7X2PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 375 IS

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 


DMWilson on DSKJM0X7X2PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 375 IS

1 (B) local governments that are not covered 

2 local governments. 

Æ 


DMWilson on DSKJM0X7X2PROD with BILLS