Provides for Hurricane Sandy recovery funds oversight

1 Co-sponsor

• Andrew J. Lanza

BILL NUMBER:S4666

Title of bill

An act to amend the executive law, in relation to Hurricane Sandy recovery funds oversight

Purpose or general idea of bill

To require the State Division of Budget to oversee, track and report on how the State expends funds that are allocated or set aside for help with the recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

Summary of specific provisions

Section one of the bill would require the State Division of Budget to maintain on its website information relating to how Hurricane Sandy recovery monies are being spent in this State. DOB would also be required to submit a quarterly report on the receipt, distribution and administration of Hurricane Sandy funding. The report shall provide detailed information on, among other things:

*the total amount of Hurricane Sandy funding received by the State; *the process by which such funding was distributed; *the identity of funding recipients; *the number of jobs created by such funding; *an analysis of whether the funding achieved its intended purpose; and *the distribution of funding by county and municipality.

Justification

The State is expected to receive billions of dollars in Federal assistance to help pay for the cost of repairing, and reimbursing municipalities and homeowners, for damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

To ensure that these funds are appropriately allocated and spent, this bill would require the Division of Budget, in consultation with the State Comptroller, to maintain on its website information relating to the receipt, distribution and expenditure of Hurricane Sandy funding. DOB would also be required to issue a quarterly report to the State legislature.

The bill is modeled after a recently enacted New Jersey statute. PRIOR

Legislative history

New bill

Fiscal implications

Minimal; the cost of entering and maintaining such information on the website.

Effective date

Immediately.