New Policies and Procedural Requirements for the Electronic Submission of Discretionary Grant Applications

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The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), an Operating Division of HHS, announces the opportunity for public comment on its initial transition plan to implement required electronic submission of Federal discretionary grant applications and official grant file documents. In accordance with e-Government initiatives mandated by the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999, Public Law 106-107, ACF officially acknowledges that electronically generated and/or stored documents are recognized equivalents of an official paper grant file. Recognizing the equivalency of such documents eliminates duplicative effort and administrative burden for Federal grant applicants, recipients, and the awarding agency, by facilitating the submission and storage of official grant files. The ACF transition plan will begin with the required electronic submission of discretionary grant applications. ACF has previously afforded applicants and recipients the option of submitting Federal discretionary grant applications in both electronic and paper formats. This notice announces that during the initial transition phase and thereafter, discretionary grant applicants and recipients