The GREAT Act (H.R. 150, S. 1829) was passed by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The bill will next go to the full Senate for a vote. The bill calls for the creation of government-wide data standards to be used by grants recipients, as noted in the section of the bill text below. The data standards are required to have certain attributes (make data machine-readable, be nonproprietary) as noted in the second highlighted section below.
``(2) Establishment of standards.–Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this chapter, the Secretary and the Director shall establish Governmentwide data standards for information reported by recipients of Federal awards.
“(3) Data elements.–The data standards established under paragraph (2) shall include, at a minimum–
“(A) standard definitions for data elements required for managing Federal awards; and
“(B) unique identifiers for Federal awards and entities receiving Federal awards that can be consistently applied Governmentwide.
“(b) Scope.–The data standards established under subsection (a) shall include core data elements and may cover any information required to be reported to any agency by recipients of Federal awards, including audit-related information reported under chapter 75 of this title.
“(c) Requirements.–The data standards required to be established under subsection (a) shall, to the extent reasonable and practicable– “(1) render information reported by recipients of Federal grant and cooperative agreement awards fully searchable and machine-readable;
“(2) be nonproprietary;
“(3) incorporate standards developed and maintained by voluntary consensus standards bodies;
“(4) be consistent with and implement applicable accounting and reporting principles; and
“(5) incorporate the data standards established under the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (31
U.S.C. 6101 note).
In addition, the bill requires the use of data standards for single audit reporting as shown in this highlighted portion of the bill below. Single audit reporting is required for any recipient of $750,000 or more of federal assistance, including state and local municipalities as noted in the section of the bill below:
SEC. 4. SINGLE AUDIT ACT. … (d) Such guidance shall require audit-related information reported under this chapter to be reported in an electronic form consistent with the data standards established under chapter 64.”. (b) Guidance.–Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director shall issue guidance requiring audit-related information reported under chapter 75 of title 31, United States Code, to be reported in an electronic form consistent with the data standards established under chapter 64 of title 31, United States Code, as added by section 3.
Read about the bill: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/150
