New Recovery Act Guidance Ramps Up Reporting Enforcement

Washington, May 5 – New recipients of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant funds will be contacted by their grantor agency before the start of the reporting cycle to warn them about their reporting obligations. This is one of several steps the Office of Management and Budget outlined in a recent memo to federal agencies to address President Obama’s April directive for federal agencies to take necessary steps to combat noncompliance with Recovery Act reporting.

Obama told federal agencies to use “every means available” to identify every prime recipient that is obligated to report on FederalReporting.gov, and ensure they submit the required data accurately and in a timely manner. He added that, wherever authorized and appropriate, agencies should improve compliance by terminating awards, pursuing measures such as suspension and debarment, reclaiming funds and initiating punitive actions for recipients that do not report. Agencies also should identify in a timely manner recipients who fail to report and inform the Office of Management and Budget about actions it will take in response to the noncompliance, he said.