If you’ve followed this blog for any length to time, you’ve realized that I like to use analogies. And as a parent, many of my examples involve my family and our experiences. Here’s another. One thing I’ve tried to instill in my daughters is that if they are ever bullied to tell a teacher about the incident to make sure the situation won’t happen again. Doing so will help ensure that the learning environment is as effective as it is intended to be.

(The following was excerpted from an article in the Federal Grants Management Handbook.) State agencies should be aware that they may face penalties if it is determined that they are violating Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program requirements for failing to manage data on participants, and even for failing to fully comply with corrective action plans to correct those violations.

The federal government is getting serious about using debarment and suspension. A recent Government Accountability Office report shows that the number of suspension and debarment actions governmentwide has more than doubled from 1,836 in fiscal year 2009 to 4,812 in fiscal year 2013. That’s an impressive jump!

(The following was excerpted from an article in the Single Audit Information Service.) Officials with the Department of Health and Human Services are collaborating with HHS’ operating divisions to determine whether they should conduct more checks on the eligibility of businesses participating in HHS’ Small Business Innovation Research program, in response to concerns in a recent HHS Office of Inspector General audit.

Well, well, we only had to run one snail this year. The Office of Management and Budget today issued on its website the 2014 Circular A-133 Compliance Supplement. OMB didn’t meet its April target deadline, but issuing it 19 days into May is a definite improvement over years past.

Federal grant funds go to both large programs and small, but I recently came across an interesting article out of Kennewick, Wash., about how grant funds are being used to eradicate pasts from grapes. But what really made the story interesting was the language used by the Associated Press reporter who wrote the story, especially the lead paragraph.

In the “You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink” department, a question was raised at the Federal Demonstration Partnership’s spring meeting in Washington, D.C., today that currently is proving this axiom to be correct. At least for the moment.

If you have kids like me, you know that they are clued in to exact terminology when it comes to jobs around the house. When I say, “I want you to do the dishes,” that is heard as, “Do the dishes whenever you feel like it, if at all.” However, if I forcefully say, “Do the dishes, NOW!”, that tends to get a more immediate response. It’s all in the language.

Long time readers of this blog may be familiar with a tradition that we have continued since we launched this site in 2011. In honor of the Office of Management and Budget’s missing its intended goal to issue the Compliance Supplement, we are again introducing our friend, the snail.

As part of covering grants over the past decade, I can’t tell you how many conference sessions I’ve attended where, in discussing grant applications, the presenter has stressed that applicants should be truthful in presenting themselves and their organization. Don’t pretend to be something you’re not and don’t make promises you can’t keep was the general advice. After reading a recent article in the Houston Chronicle, it appears two University of Houston professors didn’t heed this message.