FFATA Reporting Workload Worries State Officials

Washington, May 20 – Officials in many cash-strapped states are voicing concern about the manpower that will be required to comply with the subrecipient reporting requirements under the Federal Funding and Accountability Transparency Act, which is set to begin in October.

The Office of Management and Budget recently issued a memo to federal agencies that set an Oct. 1, 2010, date for grant recipients to begin submitting subgrant and subcontract data under the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (Pub. L. 109-282). The requirement applies only to subgrants and subcontracts awarded after that date. Although the OMB plans to issue more guidance on the reporting process, Denise Francis, director of the state grants team for the Texas Governor’s Office, said that states don’t have much time to prepare to submit these reports.