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House adopts bill to standardize grant application and approval process
Summary
The House amended and passed a bill designed to codify grant application and approval procedures (definitions, committee formation, RFP and evaluation processes) to reduce confusion and legal risk; the amendment was adopted and the bill was forwarded to the Senate.
Lawmakers on the House floor on Feb. 26 adopted an amendment and passed a bill intended to create a standardized process for grant applications and approvals in state government.
Representative Raymond W. Short moved an amendment to exempt welfare money and explained that last year’s ad hoc grant procedures revealed a gap in the code. "What this bill is is a means whereby grant applications and approvals have some kind of a normality to them and conformity," Short said, explaining the bill sets definitions and procedures for forming grant committees, issuing requests for proposals, evaluating applications, awarding grants and following up.
Supporters said codifying the process would give agencies predictable procedures and reduce the risk of litigation when issues arise; one floor statement noted the state could otherwise be sued into the process if clarity is lacking.
The House adopted the amendment to the committee report and later the bill was reported as having received 65 yes votes and 4 no votes before being forwarded to the Senate for consideration.
Floor discussion focused on avoiding unnecessary complication for agencies while providing a consistent procedural framework; sponsors said similar statutory frameworks in other states had helped agencies and legislature staff expected that codification would reduce recurring problems.
The bill will be transmitted to the Senate for its further action.
