Community Corner

ACLU: Public Input Needed for Sandy Aid Spending

The organization is calling for more transparency into the process of spending federal relief funds.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Jersey, along with the Rutgers Constitutional Litigation Clinic, is calling for transparency and greater public input when it comes to spending federal dollars on Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.

The organizations jointly submitted a letter to the state Department of Community Affairs Tuesday asking for opportunities for the public to discuss plans put in place to spend portions of the more than $50 billion approved by congress in January as part of Sandy relief bill HR 152. 

The DCA released a draft of its spending plan to the public one week ago, according to a release, but only gave the public seven days to review or submit comments on the plan. No public hearings were scheduled to discuss the plan and the spending strategy does not include any input from the public, according to the ACLU.

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"The public has a vested interest in reviewing the plan thoroughly and providing its input on decisions that will affect them. Any plan must also consider the disproportionate hardship imposed upon economically disadvantaged communities," ACLU-NJ Executive Director Udi Ofer said in a statement. "We all share collective responsibility for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of communities affected by natural disasters."

The organizations also called for a thorough assessment of the special needs of low and moderate income households and communities of color, as well as the effect of planning decisions on those communities, as is required by regulations governing the disbursement of federal disaster aid.

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Ronald Chen of the Litigation Clinic said time is critical in making sure that relief is distributed to those who need it but that due diligance would benefit the state's affected residents in their long term recovery efforts. 

"On balance, asking for additional time for the public to review the plan would not seriously impair the interest to help New Jersey residents and provide relief," he said. "This is an enormous undertaking and we all share the goal of developing a plan that is sustainable and boosts the long-term viability of the state."


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