Sec. 154. Grant accountability
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/bill/115/s/1757/pcs/section-154A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
In this section: The term awarding entity means the Secretary, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Director of the National Science Foundation, or the Chief of the Office of Citizenship and New Americans. The term nonprofit organization means an organization that is described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code. The term unresolved audit finding means a finding in a final audit report conducted by the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security, or the Inspector General for the National Science Foundation for grants awarded by the Director of the National Science Foundation, that the audited grantee has utilized grant funds for an unauthorized expenditure or otherwise unallowable cost that is not closed or resolved within one year after the date when the final audit report is issued.
All grants awarded by an awarding entity pursuant to this subtitle shall be subject to the following accountability provisions: Beginning in the first fiscal year beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act, and in each fiscal year thereafter, the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security, or the Inspector General for the National Science Foundation for grants awarded by the Director of the National Science Foundation, shall conduct audits of recipients of grants under this subtitle or any amendments made by this subtitle to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse of funds by grantees.
Such Inspectors General shall determine the appropriate number of grantees to be audited each year. A recipient of grant funds under this subtitle that is found to have an unresolved audit finding shall not be eligible to receive grant funds under this subtitle or any amendment made by this subtitle during the first two fiscal years beginning after the end of the one-year period described in subsection (A). In awarding a grant under this subtitle or any amendment made by this subtitle, the awarding entity shall give priority to eligible applicants that did not have an unresolved audit finding during the three fiscal years immediately preceding the date on which the entity submitted the application for such grant.
If an entity is awarded grant funds under this subtitle or any amendment made by this subtitle during the two-year period when the entity is barred from receiving grants under subparagraph (B), the awarding entity shall— deposit an amount equal to the amount of the grant funds that were improperly awarded to such entity into the general fund of the Treasury; and seek to recover the costs of the repayment under clause
(i)from such entity. An awarding entity may not award a grant under this subtitle or any amendment made by this subtitle to a nonprofit organization that holds money in offshore accounts for the purpose of avoiding the tax imposed under section 511(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Each nonprofit organization that is awarded a grant under this subtitle or any amendment made by this subtitle and uses the procedures prescribed by Internal Revenue regulations to create a rebuttable presumption of reasonableness for the compensation of its officers, directors, trustees, and key employees, shall disclose to the awarding entity, in the application for the grant, the process for determining such compensation, including the independent persons involved in reviewing and approving such compensation, the comparability data used, and contemporaneous substantiation of the deliberation and decision. Upon request, the awarding entity shall make the information disclosed under this subparagraph available for public inspection. Amounts authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Homeland Security or the National Science Foundation for grant programs under this subtitle or any amendment made by this subtitle may not be used by an awarding entity to host or support any expenditure for conferences that uses more than $20,000 in funds made available by the Department of Homeland Security or the National Science Foundation unless the Deputy Secretary for Homeland Security, or the Deputy Director of the National Science Foundation, or their designee, provides prior written authorization that the funds may be expended to host the conference. Written approval under subparagraph
(A)shall include a written estimate of all costs associated with the conference, including the cost of all food, beverages, audio-visual equipment, honoraria for speakers, and entertainment. The Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security and the Deputy Director of the National Science Foundation shall submit an annual report to Congress that identifies all conference expenditures approved under this paragraph. Beginning in the first fiscal year beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act, each awarding entity shall submit a report to Congress that— indicates whether— all audits issued by the Offices of the Inspector General under paragraph
(1)have been completed and reviewed by the appropriate individuals; all mandatory exclusions required under paragraph (1)(B) have been issued; and all reimbursements required under paragraph (1)(D) have been made; and includes a list of any grant recipients excluded under paragraph
(1)during the previous year.