April 05, 2006

Bill Proposes Online Listing of Federal Grants

Speaking of creating more open government, legislation moving through the U.S. House of Representatives would put all grant info on the web...

House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis (R-Va.) on Thursday introduced H.R. 5060, a bill that would increase accountability and transparency in federal grant awards.

According to the General Services Administration, each year the federal government awards approximately $300 billion in grants to roughly 30,000 different organizations across the U.S., Blunt said.

H.R. 5060 would require the Office of Management and Budget's director to work with the GSA and other agencies to ensure that within 30 days of a grant being awarded the following information is available to the public via a single site on the Internet in an easily searchable form...

As the article states, this bill is being pushed because it could help "curb questionable practices surrounding the grant process."

Sounds like a good idea for earmarks as well.

I'm sure with several thousand bloggers using a searchable database on grants, we can definitely find some pork to use as cannon fodder.

(via: Depth Reporting)

More: Just the other day, Senator Trent Lott actually killed an amendment that would have done something similar put forward in the Senate by Sen. Coburn. Mark Tapscott has the details from last week.

Sen. Lott is wearing thin...fast.

Comments:

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I think this is a great idea. Transparency is always a key ingredient for keeping people accountable. I know the federal grant process is vital for many communities and groups so making sure the money is going to the right people is a great idea.

I applaud Roy Blunt and Tom Davis.

Posted by: Big Jim Hoffman at April 5, 2006 02:23 PM

It's a good idea but like closing the barn door after the horse is out.

List the grant applications prior to being awarded like the federal register. That way maybe some of this lardess can be stopped before it's poured down the grease trap.

I've already booked my next vacation to the cowgirl hall of fame. How about you?

Posted by: Rick Forman at April 5, 2006 09:24 PM