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WASHINGTON – Yesterday, the House of Representatives unanimously passed a Senate-amended update to H.R. 150, the Grant Reporting Efficiency and Agreements Transparency (GREAT) Act. Sponsored by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R – N.C.) and Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D – Los Angeles), the GREAT Act will streamline the federal grant reporting process by mandating the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to develop a standardized, government-wide reporting system for federal grant recipients. By replacing outdated, disconnected grant documents with searchable open data, the GREAT Act will increase transparency from grantmaking agencies, reduce compliance costs for grant recipients, and improve congressional oversight of grants awarded by the executive branch.

“As a former researcher, librarian and college president, I have been grant-writing for all of my professional life,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx. “It’s hard to believe that the same challenges I faced at the beginning of my career are the same ones faced by federal grant recipients today. The grant reporting process is riddled with antiquated reporting methods that hinder efficiency for grant recipients and transparency for taxpayers. Now that the bill has been sent to President Trump’s desk, the GREAT Act will bring federal grant reporting into the 21st century with searchable documents and open data.”

“The federal government spends an enormous part of its yearly budget — over $600 billion — on grants issued to state and local governments, agencies, small-businesses, and non-profit organizations,” said Rep. Jimmy Gomez. “These federal dollars touch almost every aspect of American society, highlighting the need to streamline the grant reporting process and make it as transparent as possible to the public. By leveraging technology, the GREAT Act will make the grant reporting process more equitable, efficient, and accessible. I’m proud to have worked across the aisle with Rep. Virginia Foxx to make government work better for the people.”

The GREAT Act first passed the House this Congress on January 17^th and was subsequently amended and passed by unanimous consent in the U.S. Senate on October 21^st.  Monday’s passage in the House sends the final text of the bill to President Trump’s desk for his signature.

Supporters of the GREAT Act include:

• Bipartisan Policy Center Action (BPC Action)
• American Association of Law Libraries (AALL)
• American Library Association (ALA)
• Association of Government Accountants (AGA)
• Association of Research Libraries (ARL)
• Data Coalition
• Demand Progress
• Government Accountability Project (GAP)
• Government Information Watch
• Grant Professionals Association (GPA)
• National Grants Management Association (NGMA)
• National Taxpayers Union (NTU)
• Native American Finance Officers Association (NAFOA)
• Project On Government Oversight (POGO)
• R Street Institute, Senior Executives Association (SEA)
• Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC)

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U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx represents North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District and is the Senior Republican of the House Committee on Education and Labor.

U.S. Rep. Jimmy Gomez represents California’s 34^th District.