Brooklyn, NY – U.S. Representative Edolphus “Ed” Towns (D-NY), Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, will hold the first bipartisan stimulus oversight field hearing on Tuesday, April 21, 2009, as part of the Committee’s plan to provide constructive oversight of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The hearing titled, “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: The Role of State and Local Governments”, will examine the challenges facing New York state and local officials who are tasked with allocating stimulus funds.

Last month, Chairman Towns announced that the Committee would hold a series of stimulus oversight hearings in communities nationwide.  The field hearings will provide the Committee with opportunities to identify local problems as they arise and to ensure that small challenges are exposed before they become national catastrophes. 
 
“Right here in Brooklyn, millions of taxpayer dollars are being spent on important projects that will help get people back to work.  It makes sense to hold a hearing in one of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas where a major portion of stimulus dollars will be spent,” said Chairman Towns.

Along with launching the nationwide stimulus oversight plan, Chairman Towns helped draft strict accountability and oversight language included in the stimulus package. The language guarantees the Committee’s ability to conduct oversight on how funds are being spent by all levels of government.

“Under the economic stimulus program that President Obama recently signed into law, which I was proud to co-sponsor, the federal government is sending billions of dollars to state and local governments to help communities that are hurting,” said Chairman Towns.  “With so much at stake, the Committee wants to know if the right safeguards are in place here in New York and across the nation to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse of the millions of dollars going to our communities.  This hearing will help the Committee in its work as we begin to determine the answer to this important question.”

(YWN Desk – NYC)