H.R. 2101: Duplicative Grant Consolidation Act

This bill, known as the Duplicative Grant Consolidation Act, focuses on preventing the awarding of federal grants based on duplicate or fraudulent applications. Its main components include:

Prohibition on Duplicative Grant Applications

• The heads of executive agencies are prohibited from awarding grants to applicants who are determined to have received another grant from a different federal agency for the same or similar purpose.
• However, institutions of higher education are exempt from this prohibition, allowing them to apply for multiple grants for the same purpose.
• When an agency deems an applicant has submitted a duplicative application, the decision on which agency should award the grant must be made jointly with the heads of the involved agencies.

Prohibition on Fraudulent Applications

• Grants cannot be awarded to applicants who are found to have submitted fraudulent applications.

Tracking and Deconfliction System

• The bill mandates the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to establish an electronic system within one year of enactment. This system will help agencies track whether an applicant has already applied for grants for the same purpose from other agencies.
• This system will include key information such as the name of the awardee, the principal investigator, the award period, agency contact details, and an abstract of the project.

Assessment of Research Applications

• The OMB will create a separate electronic system to assess if similar research proposals are submitted to one or multiple federal agencies. This involves checking for:
• Substantially the same research proposed within the same agency.
• Similar research submitted to different agencies.
• Research objectives and designs that are closely related across proposals or awards, regardless of funding source.

Report on Artificial Intelligence Utilization

• The OMB, in consultation with specific federal officials, is tasked with submitting a report to Congress regarding the feasibility of using artificial intelligence to identify duplicative applications and detect waste, fraud, and abuse in the grant application process.

Definitions

• The bill provides clear definitions for terms including "appropriate congressional committees," "covered application," and "executive agency," ensuring that there is clarity on what constitutes a grant application and the agencies involved.

Timeframes

• Specific timeframes are outlined for when these systems and prohibitions will be applicable, ensuring timely implementation once the bill is enacted.

Relevant Companies

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