Washington, D.C. – Overnight, the President signed the Grant Reporting Efficiency and Agreements Transparency (GREAT) Act of 2019 into law. The Data Coalition members celebrate this milestone after advocating for passage of the GREAT Act.  

The bipartisan GREAT Act transforms federal grant reporting for the modern era by directing federal agencies to modernize and improve reporting processes. Recipients of federal grants — universities, fire departments, police stations, hospitals, food banks, homeless shelters, non-profits, and others — will be able to more efficiently report on activities while also focusing more on better delivering services. The GREAT Act encourages improved oversight of federal funding, greater transparency about how funds are used, and enhanced capabilities to compare grantee performance.

“The U.S. government spends more than $600 billion on grants every year, and yet our reporting processes are built for the 20th century rather than information needs in 2020,” said Data Coalition CEO Nick Hart. “The application of data standards and improvements to data quality encouraged by the GREAT Act will allow for better information about grantee performance while also reducing reporting burden for grantees, meaning service providers can focus on strategies for best serving the American people’s needs. The Data Coalition applauds the tremendous bipartisan leadership demonstrated by Congresswoman Foxx and Congressman Gomez, in particular, to ensure policymakers have access to the information they want and need to support effective decision-making.”

The GREAT Act was supported by a tireless commitment from the bill’s bipartisan sponsors Reps. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) as well as Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Enzi, (R-WY), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH).

The Data Coalition members look forward to working with federal agencies to ensure the GREAT Act is successfully implemented. 

A GREAT Act information one-pager is available on the Data Coalition website. 

About the Data Coalition: The Data Coalition is America’s premier voice on data policy. We advocate on behalf of the private sector and the public interest for government data to be accessible, high-quality, and used to enhance accountability, improve government effectiveness, reduce compliance costs, and stimulate innovation. Our members represent a cross-section of the technology, data analytics, and data management industry. For more information, visit datacoalition.org.