I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9148 
To simplify the grant process for nonurbanized areas, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 7, 2022 
Mr. C. SCOTT FRANKLIN of Florida (for himself, Mr. TIFFANY, Mr. POSEY, 
Mr. CLOUD, Mrs. BICE of Oklahoma, Ms. LETLOW, Mr. CARTER of 
Texas, Mr. OBERNOLTE, Mr. JOYCE of Ohio, Mr. MANN, Mr. COLE, Ms. 
HERRELL, Mr. GUEST, Mr. RUTHERFORD, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. ROGERS of 
Kentucky, Mr. SIMPSON, Mr. GROTHMAN, Mr. LATURNER, Mr. GRIF-
FITH, Ms. MACE, Ms. STEFANIK, Mr. MEUSER, Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS, 
Mr. VALADAO, Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana, Mr. LUCAS, Mr. MOOLENAAR, 
Mr. ADERHOLT, Mr. PALAZZO, Mrs. KIM of California, Mr. KELLY of 
Pennsylvania, Mr. GIMENEZ, Mrs. STEEL, Mr. STEWART, Mr. 
BALDERSON, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. STAUBER, Mr. KELLER, Mr. GIBBS, and 
Mr. FLOOD) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Oversight and Reform 
A BILL 
To simplify the grant process for nonurbanized areas, and 
for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Simplifying Grants Act 
of 2022’’. 
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SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) AGENCY.—The term ‘‘agency’’ means an 
Executive department or independent establishment, 
as such terms are defined in sections 101 and 104 
of title 5, United States Code, respectively. 
(2) COVERED LOCAL GOVERNMENT.—The term 
‘‘covered local government’’ means a local govern-
ment located in an area of which the population is 
less than the population required to be an urbanized 
area. 
(3) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 
the Director of the Office of Management and Budg-
et. 
(4) LOCAL
GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘‘local 
government’’ means a county, municipality, city, 
town, township, or other general purpose political 
subdivision of a State. 
(5) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means any 
State of the United States, the District of Columbia, 
and any commonwealth, territory, or possession of 
the United States. 
(6) URBANIZED AREA.—The term ‘‘urbanized 
area’’ means an urbanized area, as determined by 
the Bureau of the Census for purposes of the most 
recent decennial census of population. 
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SEC. 3. GRANT PROCESS SIMPLIFICATION. 
(a) EXISTING GRANT PROGRAMS.—For each grant 
program of an agency in existence on the date of enact-
ment of this Act under which covered local governments 
are eligible to receive grants, not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act— 
(1) the Director shall— 
(A) conduct a review of the complexity of 
the requirements for a covered local government 
to receive funds under a grant under the pro-
gram; and 
(B) provide to the head of the agency in-
structions on how to simplify such require-
ments; and 
(2) the head of the agency, in consultation with 
the Director, shall simplify such requirements. 
(b) NEW GRANT PROGRAMS.—For each grant pro-
gram of an agency established after the date of enactment 
of this Act under which covered local governments are eli-
gible to receive grants, before the application for grants 
under the program becomes available— 
(1) the Director shall— 
(A) conduct a review of the complexity of 
the proposed requirements for a covered local 
government to receive funds under a grant 
under the program; and 
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(B) provide to the head of the agency in-
structions on how to simplify such require-
ments; and 
(2) the head of each agency, in consultation 
with the Director, shall simplify such requirements. 
(c) CHECKLISTS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—In accordance with para-
graph (2), the head of each agency shall make pub-
licly available a checklist for covered local govern-
ments with respect to each grant program of the 
agency for which covered local governments are oth-
erwise eligible that includes each requirement for 
each step of the grant process for a grant under the 
grant program. 
(2) DEADLINE.—The head of an agency shall 
make publicly available a checklist under paragraph 
(1)— 
(A) with respect to a grant program in ex-
istence on the date of enactment of this Act, 
not later than 180 days after the date of enact-
ment of this Act; and 
(B) with respect to a grant program estab-
lished after the date of enactment of this Act, 
on the date on which the application for the 
grant program becomes available. 
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SEC. 4. REPORTING. 
(a) ONE-TIME REPORT.—Not later than 270 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall 
submit to Congress a report evaluating, as of the date of 
submission of the report— 
(1) the extent to which agencies have simplified 
the requirements for covered local governments 
under section 3(a); and 
(2) the extent to which agencies made available 
checklists under section 3(c)(1) for each grant pro-
gram in existence on the date of enactment of this 
Act. 
(b) ONGOING REPORT.—Not later than April 1 of the 
first year after the year during which this Act is enacted, 
and every April 1 thereafter, the Director shall submit to 
Congress a report evaluating— 
(1) the amount of technical assistance provided 
to covered local governments during the previous fis-
cal year by agencies relating to the preaward, award, 
implementation, and closeout stages of grants 
awarded by the agencies; and 
(2) the amount of funds that were awarded by 
agencies during the previous fiscal year to— 
(A) covered local governments; and 
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(B) local governments that are not covered 
local governments. 
Æ 
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