MAPS Act of 2021

To direct the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to standardize the use of core-based statistical area designations across Federal programs, to allow between 120 and 180 days for public comment on any proposed change to such designations, and to report on the scientific basis and estimated impact to Federal programs for any proposed change to such designations, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Metropolitan Areas Protection and Standardization Act of 2021 MAPS Act of 2021 2. Requirements for modification of CBSA standards (a) Definitions In this section: (1) Core-based statistical area The term core-based statistical area 2010 Standards for Delineating Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas (2) Director The term Director (b) Requirements (1) In general Before the Director recommends, adopts, or implements any change to the standards for a core-based statistical area, the Director shall— (A) require the complete reporting of the use of core-based statistical area designations as standardized by the Office of Management and Budget in accordance with the amendments made by subsections (c) and (d); (B) allow for public comment on any proposed change to the standards for a core-based statistical area for a period of not less than 120 days and not more than 180 days; and (C) submit a public report, produced in accordance with paragraph (2), to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Oversight and Reform of the House of Representatives on— (i) the scientific basis, criteria, and methodology for any such change to existing standards, including clear quantitative thresholds for determining any future statistical redesignations; and (ii) the complete list of Federal programs that would be impacted by any such change to existing standards, including the estimated impact on a county level to Federal services, opportunities, and funding of these programs, which shall be made available in a searchable format and consistent with the reporting described in subparagraph (A). (2) Required consultation The Director shall— (A) for purpose of reporting the information described in paragraph (1)(C)(i), consult with domestic and international experts in statistics and demographics, including government experts at the Bureau of the Census and other relevant agencies, to assess and justify what scientific basis, criteria, and methodology should determine a region's descriptive status as metropolitan or nonmetropolitan, including any other necessary categories; and (B) for purpose of reporting the information described in paragraph (1)(C)(ii), consult with program staff and other relevant entities, such as representatives from State, local, and tribal governments, as well as representatives from the business community. (c) Agency use of statistical standards Section 3504(e) of title 44, United States Code, is amended— (1) in paragraph (8)(B)(ii), by striking and (2) in paragraph (9)(B), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and (3) by adding at the end the following: (10) collaborate with Federal agencies to study and disclose any impact to Federal programs based on implementation of paragraph (3), including agencies that use statistical standards for both statistical and non-statistical purposes. . (d) Standardization (1) Program information requirements Section 6102(a)(2) of title 31, United States Code, is amended— (A) by redesignating subparagraph (G) and subparagraph (H); (B) in subparagraph (F), by striking and (C) by inserting after subparagraph (F) the following: (G) use of core-based statistical area designations (as chosen from a standardized list determined by the Office of Management and Budget), for purposes including prime recipient eligibility for, and distribution of, the funding; and . (2) Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 ( 31 U.S.C. 6101 (A) in section 2(b)(1)— (i) by redesignating subparagraph (G) as subparagraph (H); (ii) in subparagraph (F)(ii), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and (iii) by inserting after subparagraph (F) the following: (G) use of core-based statistical area designations (as chosen from a standardized list determined by the Office of Management and Budget), for purposes including prime recipient and subrecipient eligibility for, and distribution of, the funding; and ; and (B) in section 3(b)— (i) in paragraph (3)(B), by striking and (ii) in paragraph (4)(B), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and (iii) by adding at the end the following: (5) for each program activity, the use of core-based statistical area designations (as chosen from a standardized list determined by the Office of Management and Budget), for purposes including prime recipient and subrecipient eligibility for, and distribution of, the funding. . 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Metropolitan Areas Protection and Standardization Act of 2021 MAPS Act of 2021 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Federal programs use core-based statistical area delineations to determine the delivery of Federal services, benefits, and funding to people in the United States, such as in criteria for eligibility or distribution. (2) Core-based statistical area delineations provide a nationally consistent set of standards for collecting, tabulating, and publishing Federal statistics for geographic areas, and they are not intended for any public or private sector non-statistical uses such as program administration or service delivery. (3) Updates to core-based statistical area delineations may cause widespread disruption to the delivery of Federal services, benefits, and funding to people in the United States based on the reliance of Federal programs on these delineations. (4) There does not exist any comprehensive list of Federal programs that rely on core-based statistical area delineations. Such a list is valuable for the study of how Federal services, benefits, and funding are distributed to people in the United States. (5) Increased transparency on the impacts of any update to core-based statistical area delineations may be overly burdensome due to the anticipated variety of Federal programs that rely on these delineations. Any requirement for complete disclosure of these impacts prior to implementation of new delineations may unintentionally cause the existing delineations to ossify. (6) In order to prevent any disruption to service delivery of Federal programs based on updates to core-based statistical area delineations, and ensure the independence of Federal statistical policymaking, Congress must sever the link between future updates to core-based statistical area delineations and any automatic impact on Federal programs that rely on these delineations. 3. Purpose This purpose of this Act is to ensure— (1) transparency in how core-based statistical area delineations are used in domestic assistance programs; and (2) independence of the Office of Management and Budget in establishing and updating core-based statistical area delineations. 4. Definitions In this Act: (1) Agency The term agency (2) Comptroller general The term Comptroller General (3) Core-based statistical area The term core-based statistical area 2020 Standards for Delineating Core-Based Statistical Areas (4) Director The term Director (5) Domestic assistance program The term domestic assistance program (6) Open government data asset The term open Government data asset 5. Non-propagation of core-based statistical area delineations (a) Amendment Chapter 63 6309. Non-propagation of core-based statistical area delineations (a) In general Beginning on the date of enactment of the MAPS Act of 2021 (1) shall not propagate automatically for any non-statistical use by any domestic assistance program, including any such use as required through— (A) statutory reference to any core-based statistical area delineation; or (B) administrative or regulatory reference to any core-based statistical area delineation; and (2) shall propagate for any non-statistical use by any domestic assistance program only— (A) if a relevant agency determines that such a propagation— (i) supports the purposes of the program; and (ii) is in the public interest; and (B) through affirmative adoption through notice-and-comment rulemaking pursuant to section 553 of title 5. (b) Definitions The definitions in section 4 of the MAPS Act of 2021 . (b) Technical and conforming amendment The table of sections for chapter 63 section 6308 6309. Non-propagation of core-based statistical area delineations. . 6. Transparency of non-statistical uses of core-based statistical area delineations (a) In general Section 6102(a)(2) of title 31, United States Code, is amended— (1) by redesignating subparagraph (G) as subparagraph (H); (2) in subparagraph (F), by striking and (3) by inserting after subparagraph (F) the following: (G) uses of core-based statistical area (as defined in section 4 of the MAPS Act of 2021 . (b) Content requirements In collecting and reviewing the information required under section 6102(a)(2)(G) of title 31, United States Code, as amended by subsection (a) of this section, the Director shall include as standardized categories— (1) whether the most current core-based statistical area delineation has been affirmatively adopted pursuant to section 6309 of title 31, United States Coded, as added by this Act; (2) which historical core-based statistical area delineation was maintained, in cases where an updated delineation has not been affirmatively adopted pursuant to section 6309 of title 31, United States Coded, as added by this Act; (3) what purpose the core-based statistical area delineation serves, including— (A) to determine eligibility for any Federal service, benefit, or funding; (B) to determine distribution of any Federal service, benefit, or funding; and (C) any other standardized category of purpose determined by the Director; (4) whether the use of core-based statistical area delineation directly concerns any— (A) prime recipient of any Federal service, benefit, or funding; and (B) subrecipient of any Federal service, benefit, or funding; and (5) the date when the information collected in this subsection was last updated. (c) Accessibility requirements The Director shall ensure that the information collected and reviewed under section 6102(a)(2)(G) of title 31, United States Code, as amended by subsection (a) of this section, shall be— (1) publicly accessible as an open Government data asset; (2) presented in a user-friendly visual format with search and download capabilities; (3) easily discoverable by the public on relevant government websites; and (4) updated not less frequently than once every year. (d) Implementation timeline The requirements of this section shall be fully implemented not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act. 7. Independence, integrity, and accountability of core-based statistical area delineations Section 3504(e) of title 44, United States Code, is amended by— (1) in paragraph (8)(B)(ii), by striking and (2) in paragraph (9)(B), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and (3) by adding at the end the following: (10) ensure that any change to the standards of core-based statistical area (as defined in section 4 of the MAPS Act of 2021 (A) be accompanied by a public report that explains— (i) the scientific basis, criteria, and methodology for such change to existing standards, including clear quantitative thresholds for determining any future statistical re-delineations; and (ii) the opinions of domestic and international experts in statistics and demographics, including government experts at the Bureau of the Census and other relevant agencies, who were consulted regarding such change to existing standards; (B) not be influenced by any non-statistical considerations such as impact on program administration or service delivery; and (C) not propagate automatically for any non-statistical use by any domestic assistance program (as defined in section 4 of the MAPS Act of 2021 . 8. Comptroller general report Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Oversight and Reform of the House of Representatives a report that— (1) assesses the completeness, timeliness, quality, accuracy, accessibility, and usefulness of the information reported pursuant to section 6 and the amendment made by section 6; and (2) identifies any Federal programs, including any domestic assistance programs or other programs, that— (A) use core-based statistical area delineations for any non-statistical purpose; and (B) as of the date of the report, are not reported pursuant to section 6 and the amendment made by section 6; and (3) if appropriate, includes any recommendations for Federal agencies or Congress based on the findings described in paragraphs (1) and (2). April 27, 2022 Reported with an amendment

Summary: Metropolitan Areas Protection and Standardization Act of 2021 or the MAPS Act of 2021 This act limits the automatic application of, and directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to provide information about, changes to the standards for designating a core-based statistical area (CBSA). The standards are used to delineate metropolitan and micropolitan areas for statistical purposes. Specifically, any change to the standards of CBSA delineations (1) shall not apply automatically for any nonstatistical use by any domestic assistance program, and (2) shall apply for such uses only if a relevant agency determines that the change supports the purposes of the program and is in the public interest and the change is adopted through rulemaking procedures. The OMB must ensure that any change to the standards of CBSA delineations are accompanied by a public report that explains the scientific basis, criteria, and methodology for such change and the opinions of experts in statistics and demographics who were consulted regarding the change; are not influenced by any nonstatistical considerations; and are not applied automatically for any nonstatistical use by any domestic assistance program. Additionally, the OMB must collect information on the uses of CBSA delineations by domestic assistance programs for purposes including prime recipient and subrecipient eligibility for, and distribution of, any federal service, benefit, or funding. The Government Accountability Office must submit a report assessing the information collected by the OMB pursuant to this act.