Special District Fairness and Accessibility Act
Sponsored By: Representative Fallon, Pat [R-TX-4]
In Committee
Summary
Clarifies when special districts are treated as local governments for federal aid. This bill would create a federal process to recognize special districts and set timelines for guidance, agency implementation, and reporting. It also defines covered forms of federal financial assistance, including grants, loans, loan guarantees, property, and cooperative agreements.
Show full summary
- Special districts: Provides a clearer path for special districts to be treated as units of local government for eligibility for federal financial assistance when they meet the bill's definition.
- Federal agencies: The Office of Management and Budget must issue guidance within 180 days. Agency heads then have 1 year after that guidance to update policies, practices, and procedures to conform to it.
- Oversight and clarity: The OMB Director must report to two specified congressional committees within 2 years on how agencies implemented the guidance. The bill also defines key terms like "special district" and "federal financial assistance" to guide agency decisions.
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
More federal help for special districts
If enacted, the bill would require the OMB Director to issue guidance within 180 days explaining when a special district counts as a local government for federal grants, loans, and similar aid. Heads of federal agencies would have 1 year after that guidance to change their policies so their financial assistance programs follow it. The guidance would define “special district” (a political subdivision with set boundaries and budget authority) and list covered aid types, such as grants, loans, loan guarantees, property, cooperative agreements, interest subsidies, insurance, food commodities, and direct appropriations. The guidance would exclude reimbursements for services to individuals under Director guidance. The Director would report to two congressional committees within 2 years after enactment on whether agencies followed the guidance.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Fallon, Pat [R-TX-4]
TX • R
Cosponsors
Rep. Pettersen, Brittany [D-CO-7]
CO • D
Sponsored 4/9/2025
Rep. Valadao, David G. [R-CA-22]
CA • R
Sponsored 4/9/2025
Rep. Kim, Young [R-CA-40]
CA • R
Sponsored 4/9/2025
LaMalfa
CA • R
Sponsored 4/9/2025
Rep. Newhouse, Dan [R-WA-4]
WA • R
Sponsored 4/9/2025
Obernolte
CA • R
Sponsored 4/9/2025
Rep. Harder, Josh [D-CA-9]
CA • D
Sponsored 4/24/2025
Bonamici
OR • D
Sponsored 5/8/2025
Rep. Ruiz, Raul [D-CA-25]
CA • D
Sponsored 6/3/2025
Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6]
OR • D
Sponsored 6/23/2025
Rep. Hoyle, Val T. [D-OR-4]
OR • D
Sponsored 8/5/2025
Rep. Whitesides, George [D-CA-27]
CA • D
Sponsored 8/15/2025
Rep. Calvert, Ken [R-CA-41]
CA • R
Sponsored 8/15/2025
Rep. Bynum, Janelle S. [D-OR-5]
OR • D
Sponsored 9/8/2025
Rep. Fong, Vince [R-CA-20]
CA • R
Sponsored 9/23/2025
Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7]
VA • D
Sponsored 10/3/2025
Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26]
CA • D
Sponsored 10/21/2025
Rep. Garamendi, John [D-CA-8]
CA • D
Sponsored 11/7/2025
Randall
WA • D
Sponsored 1/7/2026
Schrier
WA • D
Sponsored 2/23/2026
Liccardo
CA • D
Sponsored 3/17/2026
Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24]
CA • D
Sponsored 4/14/2026
DelBene
WA • D
Sponsored 4/22/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov