March 3, 2009

MALONE REITERATES CALL TO ESTABLISH BIPARTISAN PANEL FOR FEDERAL STIMULUS FUNDS

In a follow-up letter written to Governor Jon Corzine today, Assembly Budget Officer Joseph Malone again called on the governor to establish a bipartisan panel to oversee the disbursement of federal stimulus funds that will ensure an open and fair process. Malone’s memo pointed out how critical it was that a method be determined that “will evaluate the proposed uses and oversight of the federal funding.”

In his letter, Malone wrote, “What is most important to the Republican members of the Assembly is how the stimulus money will be spent. Past experience necessitates that not only must we know who will receive the assistance, but appropriate oversight be in place to ensure the funds are used wisely, as well.”

Malone reaffirmed his commitment to the governor that he wanted to work with the administration to make certain that the federal funding New Jersey receives is used in the most fitting ways to benefit all taxpayers.

A complete copy of the letter follows.


March 3, 2009



The Honorable Jon Corzine

Governor, State of New Jersey

P.O. 001

Trenton, NJ 08625-0001


Dear Governor Corzine:

This letter is a follow-up to my correspondence of February 24, 2009 requesting the establishment of a bipartisan panel of executive and legislative representatives to monitor the spending of New Jersey’s federal stimulus funds. To date, I have yet to receive a reply.

Last Saturday, you were kind enough to make your staff available to the Republican members of the Legislature to discuss how New Jersey will fare under the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act” (AARA). While the dialogue was generally informative, it did not address a critical aspect of the process. There was no substantive discussion regarding the details of how the Administration will evaluate the proposed uses and oversight of the federal funding.

What is most important to the Republican members of the Assembly is how the stimulus money will be spent. Past experience necessitates that not only must we know who will receive the assistance, but appropriate oversight be in place to ensure the funds are used wisely, as well. This is a critical part of the process.

For example, the allocation of school construction funds was widely publicized. Ultimately, however, no one could specifically detail what was actually built with the share of the dollars that went to the Abbott school districts. More recently, an audit of the Camden City government could not determine if the more than $120 million of state funds provided annually were used appropriately.

For these reasons, I implore you to name a panel, which includes a bipartisan selection of members of the Legislature. This will result in a proper accounting for the funds and make certain that the stimulus dollars are spent appropriately.

I remain committed to assisting you in making certain that ARRA Stimulus Funding in New Jersey will be properly allocated.



Sincerely,

Joseph R. Malone

Assemblyman, 30th District