Grant Reporting Efficiency and Agreements Transparency Act of 2018

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking Representative Foxx for her leadership on this important piece of legislation and working closely with me. I also want to thank the staff, who spent countless hours over the past months negotiating and drafting this legislation.

I know it might come as a surprise to see a working class progressive Member of Congress from Los Angeles working with a conservative Member from North Carolina. But with some common sense on both sides of the aisle, we can come together to solve problems facing working families across the country. So I hope that Congress can come together, as we have, to make progress.

The GREAT Act is a straightforward bill that seeks to modernize the grant reporting process by standardizing the information reported by grant recipients.

By simplifying the grant reporting process, the GREAT Act will create a more open and transparent grant process for all recipients. In Los Angeles, that means greater opportunities for organizations working to make government work better for my constituents.

When signed into law, this bill will help universities, city departments, and other organizations automate their recording costs, reduce compliance costs, and focus their energy where it belongs--on maximizing millions in Federal grants to Los Angeles to make it a more prosperous city.

By making grant reports machine readable and fully searchable, the GREAT Act will also improve the performance of the grants process and break down barriers to grants. Nonprofits and local groups will have better access to Federal grants so they can leverage funds to maximize their impact.

This bipartisan effort represents a major step toward ensuring government works as efficiently as possible for all Americans.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. GOMEZ. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of the GREAT Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source