Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress House Bill HB420 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	I
2	2	119THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION H. R. 420
5	5	To impose limitations on the amount of indirect costs allowable under Federal
6	6	research awards to institutions of higher education, and for other purposes.
7	7	IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
8	8	JANUARY15, 2025
9	9	Mr. C
10	10	LINEintroduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
11	11	on Science, Space, and Technology
12	12	A BILL
13	13	To impose limitations on the amount of indirect costs allow-
14	14	able under Federal research awards to institutions of
15	15	higher education, and for other purposes.
16	16	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
17	17	tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
18	18	SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3
19	19	This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Federal Grant Ac-4
20	20	countability Act’’. 5
21	21	SEC. 2. LIMITATIONS ON INDIRECT COSTS ALLOWABLE 6
22	22	UNDER FEDERAL RESEARCH AWARDS. 7
23	23	(a) I
24	24	NGENERAL.— 8
25	25	(1) L
26	26	IMIT ON INDIRECT COSTS .—The total 9
27	27	amount of indirect costs allowable under a Federal 10
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30	30	•HR 420 IH
31	31	research award to an institution of higher education 1
32	32	may not exceed the total amount of indirect costs al-2
33	33	lowable under private research awards, as calculated 3
34	34	using the average indirect cost rate applicable to 4
35	35	such awards. 5
36	36	(2) P
37	37	RIVATE RESEARCH AWARD RATE .—The 6
38	38	Director of the Office of Management and Budget 7
39	39	shall determine, not less frequently than annually, 8
40	40	the average indirect cost rate applicable to private 9
41	41	research awards for purposes of paragraph (1). 10
42	42	(3) D
43	43	ETERMINATION OF INDIRECT COSTS .—In 11
44	44	determining ‘‘indirect costs’’ for purposes of this 12
45	45	subsection, the guidelines under subpart E of title 2, 13
46	46	Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regula-14
47	47	tions) for determining indirect costs charged to Fed-15
48	48	eral awards shall be used. 16
49	49	(b) C
50	50	OMPTROLLER GENERALSTUDY ONINDIRECT 17
51	51	C
52	52	OSTSUNDERFEDERAL AND PRIVATERESEARCH 18
53	53	A
54	54	WARDS.— 19
55	55	(1) S
56	56	TUDY.—The Comptroller General of the 20
57	57	United States shall conduct a study on— 21
58	58	(A) the indirect cost rates allowable under 22
59	59	Federal research awards to institutions of high-23
60	60	er education, including awards made by the Na-24
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63	63	•HR 420 IH
64	64	tional Institutes of Health, the National Science 1
65	65	Foundation, and other such organizations; and 2
66	66	(B) the indirect cost rates allowable under 3
67	67	private research awards to institutions of higher 4
68	68	education. 5
69	69	(2) E
70	70	LEMENTS.—The study under paragraph 6
71	71	(1) shall include an assessment of— 7
72	72	(A) the average indirect cost rates allow-8
73	73	able under Federal and private research 9
74	74	awards, respectively; 10
75	75	(B) the research fields that receive the 11
76	76	highest levels of funding from Federal and pri-12
77	77	vate research awards, respectively; 13
78	78	(C) the average amount of indirect costs 14
79	79	allowable under Federal and private research 15
80	80	awards that are used to fund administrative 16
81	81	staff, including administrative staff with re-17
82	82	sponsibilities relating to diversity, equity, and 18
83	83	inclusion; and 19
84	84	(D) the measures implemented by organi-20
85	85	zations that make Federal research awards, in-21
86	86	cluding the National Institutes of Health and 22
87	87	the National Science Foundation, to ensure 23
88	88	such organizations are implementing indirect 24
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91	91	•HR 420 IH
92	92	cost rate-setting guidance in a consistent man-1
93	93	ner. 2
94	94	(3) R
95	95	EPORT.—Not later than one year after the 3
96	96	date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller 4
97	97	General shall submit to Congress a report on the re-5
98	98	sults of the study conducted under paragraph (1). 6
99	99	The report shall include such recommendations as 7
100	100	the Comptroller General considers appropriate to im-8
101	101	prove the system for determining indirect cost rates 9
102	102	and tracking reimbursements for indirect costs 10
103	103	under Federal research awards. 11
104	104	(c) D
105	105	EFINITIONS.—In this section: 12
106	106	(1) F
107	107	EDERAL RESEARCH AWARD .—The term 13
108	108	‘‘Federal research award’’ means support provided 14
109	109	to an individual or entity by a department or agency 15
110	110	of the Federal Government to carry out research ac-16
111	111	tivities, which may include support in the form of a 17
112	112	grant, contract, cooperative agreement, or other 18
113	113	such transaction. 19
114	114	(2) I
115	115	NSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION .—The 20
116	116	term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 21
117	117	meaning given such term in section 102 of the High-22
118	118	er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002). 23
119	119	(3) P
120	120	RIVATE RESEARCH AWARD .—The term 24
121	121	‘‘private research award’’ means an award made by 25
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124	124	•HR 420 IH
125	125	a private sector organization to support research ac-1
126	126	tivities at an institution of higher education. 2
127	127	Æ
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