Agency grant improvement plans

(a) Agency guidance Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director, in consultation with the Council, shall issue guidance for the development of agency plans to— (1) streamline and simplify the application, administrative, and reporting procedures for each grant and cooperative agreement program administered by the agency; (2) simplify and improve user experience with respect to notices of funding opportunity, including by implementing— (A) the use of plain language; (B) the listing of the availability of, and contact information for, training and assistance relating to applying for, administering, and reporting on grants and cooperative agreements; and (C) the inclusion of a summary of the funding opportunity of not more than 500 words; (3) demonstrate active participation by the agency in the Council; (4) demonstrate appropriate coordination with the Grants Quality Service Management Office, or any successor organization, with respect to the adoption by the agency, or plans for adoption by the agency, of grant management solutions or services that meet usability and modernization standards established by the Director; (5) ensure potential applicants for grant and cooperative agreement programs have opportunities to receive training and assistance; (6) improve the abilities of recipients of grants and cooperative agreements to provide timely, complete, and high-quality information in response to Federal reporting requirements; (7) ensure that individuals with limited English proficiency can meaningfully access information relating to grants and cooperative agreements consistent with, and without unduly burdening, the mission of the agency; (8) improve the abilities of recipients of grants and cooperative agreements to provide meaningful access to applicants and beneficiaries of the grants and cooperative agreements who are individuals with limited English proficiency; and (9) establish specific annual goals and objectives to further the purposes of this Act and measure annual performance in achieving those goals and objectives. (b) Review of plans and reports Upon request by the Director, the head of each agency shall submit to the Director information and reporting relating to the implementation of this Act by the agency. (c) Exemptions (1) In general The Director may exempt an agency, a component of an agency, or a particular grant or cooperative agreement program of an agency from the requirements of this Act if the Director determines that the agency does not administer a significant number of grant and cooperative agreement programs. (2) List of exempted agencies The Director shall— (A) maintain a list of agencies, components of agencies, and grant and cooperative agreement programs exempted under paragraph (1); and (B) make the list maintained under subparagraph (A) available to the public on the website of the Office of Management and Budget. (d) Agency plans Subject to subsection (e), not later than the earlier of 1 year after the date on which the Director issues guidance under subsection (a) and 635 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the head of each agency shall develop, implement, and submit to the Director and the appropriate congressional committees a plan in response to the guidance. (e) Extension If the head of an agency is unable to comply with the deadline established under subsection (d) to develop and implement a plan, the Director may extend the period during which the agency may develop and implement the plan by not more than 1 year. (f) Comment and consultation on agency plans (1) Comment (A) In general The head of each agency shall publish the plan developed in accordance with the guidance issued under subsection (a) in the Federal Register. (B) Public comment With respect to a plan published in the Federal Register by the head of an agency in accordance with subparagraph (A)— (i) the head of the agency shall review public comments on the plan submitted through the Federal Register and by other means; and (ii) to the maximum extent practicable, the head of the agency shall hold a public forum on the plan. (2) Consultation The senior agency official for grants of each agency shall participate in consultation with non-Federal entities during the development and implementation of the plan developed in accordance with the guidance issued under subsection (a). (g) Annual report (1) In general Not later than 1 year after the date of the submission of the plan of an agency under subsection (d), and annually thereafter, the senior agency official for grants of the agency or the head of the agency, as applicable, shall submit to the Director and the appropriate congressional committees a report on— (A) the implementation of the plan; and (B) the performance of the agency in meeting the goals and objectives described in subsection (a)(9). (2) Inclusion in other reports Effective on the date on which the head of an agency submits a plan under subsection (d), the head of the agency shall update and include the goals and objectives described in subsection (a)(9) in each performance plan of the agency required under section 1115 of title 31, United States Code.