I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6483 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to require greater transparency 
and accountability within the grant-making process of the National Insti-
tutes of Health. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 28, 2023 
Mr. HUIZENGA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to require greater 
transparency and accountability within the grant-making 
process of the National Institutes of Health. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Grant Reform And 
NIH Transparency Act of 2023’’ or the ‘‘GRANT Act of 
2023’’. 
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SEC. 2. NIH DATABASE OF DENIALS. 
Section 402 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 282) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(p) DATABASE OF DENIALS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 
through the Director of NIH, shall establish and 
maintain a database of each research proposal that 
is denied a grant or other award by the National In-
stitutes of Health. 
‘‘(2) UPDATES.—The Secretary shall update 
the contents of the database under paragraph (1) 
not less than quarterly. 
‘‘(3) CONTENTS.—The database under para-
graph (1) shall include, with respect to each denial 
described in such paragraph, an explanation of the 
basis for such denial. 
‘‘(4) TIMING.— 
‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT
OF
DATABASE.— 
The Secretary shall establish the database 
under paragraph (1) not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this subsection. 
‘‘(B) COVERED
DENIALS.—The database 
under paragraph (1) shall include all denials 
described in such paragraph occurring on or 
after the date of enactment of this subsection.’’. 
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SEC. 3. ACCESS BY INDEPENDENT, OUTSIDE RESEARCHERS 
TO INFORMATION ON NIH’S INTERNAL OPER-
ATIONS FOR MAKING AWARDS. 
Section 402 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 282), as amended, is further amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(q) ACCESS TO NIH DATA BY INDEPENDENT, OUT-
SIDE RESEARCHER.— 
‘‘(1) SHARING.—The Secretary, acting through 
the Director of NIH, shall share with researchers, 
on request, information concerning the internal oper-
ations of the National Institutes of Health in mak-
ing awards. 
‘‘(2) RELATION TO OTHER LAW.—The obliga-
tion imposed by paragraph (1) to share information 
applies notwithstanding any other law, including sec-
tions 552(b), 552a, and 552b of title 5, United 
States Code. 
‘‘(3) INFORMATION TO BE SHARED.—Except as 
provided in paragraph (4), the information required 
to be shared by paragraph (1) includes the following: 
‘‘(A) Individual scores and written com-
ments on funded and unfunded proposals made 
by study section members and program staff of 
the National Institutes of Health (including the 
Center for Scientific Review and any national 
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research institute, national center, advisory 
council or board, or other office or agency of 
the National Institutes of Health) in carrying 
out applicable provisions of law, including sec-
tions 405(b)(2)(B)(ii), 405(b)(3)(B)(iii), 492, 
and 492A. 
‘‘(B) The full text of funded proposals, un-
funded proposals, progress reports, and final re-
ports for research awards, including such 
awards consisting of a grant, a cooperative 
agreement, a contract, training, technical as-
sistance, or other transaction authority. 
‘‘(C) The information in the database 
under subsection (p). 
‘‘(D) Information on the performance of 
employees and agents of the National Institutes 
of Health in conducting research. 
‘‘(E) The degree to which the National In-
stitutes of Health funds awards below the 
payline and the rationale for doing so. 
‘‘(F) Any other information regarding 
making awards that is maintained by the Office 
of Portfolio Analysis, the Center for Scientific 
Review, or the Office of Evaluation, Perform-
ance, and Reporting. 
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‘‘(G) Any other information in the posses-
sion of the National Institutes of Health that is 
requested in accordance with paragraph (1), in-
cluding any such— 
‘‘(i) evaluation of performance; or 
‘‘(ii) funding or peer-review model. 
‘‘(4) REDACTION.—Before sharing information 
pursuant to paragraph (1) regarding an award, the 
Secretary shall redact the names of— 
‘‘(A) the individuals serving as peer review-
ers for purposes of the research involved; and 
‘‘(B) in the case of a grant or other award 
that was denied (as described in subsection 
(p)(1)) the individuals or other persons apply-
ing for the award. 
‘‘(5) COVERED INFORMATION.— 
‘‘(A) MAINTENANCE
OF
INFORMATION.— 
The Secretary shall maintain into perpetuity in-
formation that is— 
‘‘(i) described in paragraph (1); and 
‘‘(ii) in the possession of the National 
Institutes of Health on or after the date of 
enactment of this subsection. 
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‘‘(B) EARLIER
INFORMATION.—The Sec-
retary shall make a reasonable effort to recon-
struct information that— 
‘‘(i) is requested pursuant to para-
graph (1); and 
‘‘(ii) was in the possession of the Na-
tional Institutes of Health before the date 
of enactment of this subsection but has not 
been maintained in whole or in part.’’. 
Æ 
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