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WASHINGTON – Yesterday the House passed H.R. 4887, the Grant Reporting Efficiency and Agreements Transparency (GREAT) Act, sponsored by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Los Angeles). In 2017, the federal government awarded $662.7 billion in grant funding to state agencies, local and tribal governments, agencies, non-profits, universities, and other organizations. The GREAT Act mandates the Office of Management and Budget develop a modern, standardized reporting system for recipients that easily translates into open data.  These 21^st century reforms will bring increased transparency to how taxpayer dollars are spent and improve Congressional oversight of grants awarded by the Executive branch.

Rep. Foxx stated, “To get the most out of each taxpayer dollar, the federal government has to keep pace with the technological advances that make our digital society ever-more efficient. That means implementing new, uniform data standards for federal grant reporting and leaving behind antiquated document-based methods. The GREAT Act requires the Executive branch to take these necessary steps, which will lead to decreased compliance costs for grant recipients and increased public scrutiny of grant spending. Rep. Gomez has been an outstanding partner in co-authoring this bill and I thank him for his hard work on getting it passed in the House.”

Rep. Gomez stated, “Every year, the U.S. government issues over $600 billion in federal grants to state and local governments, agencies, small-businesses, and non-profit organizations. It’s important that every grant dollar issued is tracked and held to account, but the grant reporting process is riddled with complexities and redundant paperwork. The GREAT Act will modernize the way the government does business by standardizing and simplifying grant reporting information into searchable open data. This will make the grant reporting process more transparent, efficient, and accessible to everyday Americans. I’m proud to have worked alongside Rep. Virginia Foxx to write the GREAT Act and have it passed by voice in the House of Representatives.”

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

Rep. Jimmy Gomez represents California’s 34th Congressional District. He currently serves on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee.