This language came from the US House of Representatives' Committee on
Appropriations' Subcommittee on Labor, HHS and Education.  Its language
from the Appropriations' bill and (when the Appropriations are passed)
requires GAO to address the question of leadership and funding for
Grants.gov. They're not going to let Bob join this committee - he needs
to stand for election in the State of Michigan (and I'm sure he'd win!).
This is a very important step focusing GAO (and OMB and HHS) attention
and requiring it to report to the Congress on the future development and
stable funding for Grants.gov.  It addresses Grants.gov without waiting
for the reauthorization of PL 106-107 (a useful step as well). The
recent GAO report did not address these issues with any focus and GAO is
not, in my opinion, the place to go to requesting fixing current user
requests - that a question for the Grants.gov staff.  What GAO did say
in its report is that HHS needs to create a effective mechanism for user
input in the design of the program and that's something to ask HHS to
address sooner rather than later.
This is a good and important step.
Carol

Carol J. Blum
Director
Research Compliance and Adminstration
Council on Governmental Relations (COGR)
202-289-6655, ext. 17
(Fax: 202-289-6698)
xxxxxx@cogr.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: Research Administration List [mailto:xxxxxx@hrinet.org] On
Behalf Of Bob Beattie
Sent: Friday, July 24, 2009 3:42 PM
To: xxxxxx@hrinet.org
Subject: Re: [RESADM-L] Grants.gov - House LHHS Committee Report
Language

I am organizing a session for the FDP in September to bring together
some supporters of Grants.gov from the Congress and also someone from
GAO to give us an up date on what is going on.  I personally think
that the system is running quite well now, we get hardly any errors.
Now they should devote effort to fixing user requests for forms
management. We will present a  such list to the G.g staff at that
same FDP meeting.   The same ones we have been presenting for years :(

I do not know who this "House Labor Health & Human Services -
Education" committee is.  If the House would just pass the current
bill that renews PL 106-107, passed by the Senate as S-303, then all
should be better.  Require all agencies to use Grants.gov and require
a Grantee user advisory committee for G.g.  There has been enough
"Big Siblingism" in this over the past 5 years (previously know as
Big Brotherism).

Does anyone know who on the staff of House Labor Health & Human
Services - Education Committee is behind this new comment.

Randall -- where did you get this?

Bob
------------------------------
Robert Beattie
Division of Research Development and Administration
University of Michigan
xxxxxx@umich.edu   (734) 936-1283

On Jul 24, 2009, at 1:38 PM, Lesley Zajac wrote:

I second that motion

Lesley S. Zajac
Director, Research Administration
Jaeb Center for Health Research
15310 Amberly Drive, Ste 350
Tampa, FL 33647
Tel: 813.975.8690
Fax: 813.975.8761
email: xxxxxx@jaeb.org

From: Research Administration List [mailto:xxxxxx@hrinet.org] On
Behalf Of Vicki Krell
Sent: Friday, July 24, 2009 12:08 PM
To: xxxxxx@hrinet.org
Subject: Re: [RESADM-L] Grants.gov - House LHHS Committee Report
Language

I think we need to get Bob Beattie on the GAO committee... J

Vicki
480-965-2171

From: Research Administration List [mailto:xxxxxx@hrinet.org] On
Behalf Of Legeai, Randall J
Sent: Friday, July 24, 2009 8:49 AM
To: xxxxxx@hrinet.org
Subject: [RESADM-L] Grants.gov - House LHHS Committee Report Language

 From the House Labor Health & Human Services - Education FY 10
Appropriations Committee Report:

"Grants.gov. - The Committee understands that the government-wide
grant-making system, Grants.gov, is struggling under the weight of
the applications generated by Recovery Act funding.  In fact, the
Committee understands that the system was on the verge of collapse in
April 2009 until HHS was able to cobble together a patch to keep it
operation through the summer.  The Committee understands that the
system is handicapped by the lack of central management as well as
inadequate funding from the partner agencies which are mandated to
use it.  The Committee directs the Government Accountability Office
(GAO) to review the Grants. gov system and report to the Office of
Management and Budget, HHS, and the Committees on Appropriations of
the House of Representatives and the Senate its recommendations for
improved system management.  Specifically, GAO should recommend a
business model that provides an adequate, reliable funding stream and
the appointment of a unified administrative body that is delegated
both control and resources.  GAO should submit its report no later
than January 1, 2010.  Within sixty days of the GAO report, OMB and
HHS should submit a joint report to the Committee on Appropriations
of the House of Representatives and the Senate on actions taken or
planned in response to the GAO findings."

The earlier July GAO report is at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/
d09589.pdf.

Randall J. Legeai
Director, Institutional Program Development
Tulane University, Office of Government Affairs
200 Broadway St., Suite 126
New Orleans LA 70118 -  (504) 988-3395; fax (504) 988-3388

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