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For Immediate
Release
11/1/07
Contact:
Brenda Pera
717-787-6538
Orie Announces Legislation
to Improve Monitoring, Accountability of DCED Grants and
Loans
Requires
accurate job creation numbers, public "success and failure"
reports.
Harrisburg – State Sen. Jane Orie (R-40) today announced
legislation to improve accountability, monitoring, and
reporting of business grant and loan programs administered
by the state Department of Community and Economic
Development.
The proposals are based on some of the recommendations of
a recent special performance audit of the Opportunity Grant
Program performed by the state Auditor General. The audit
found uncorroborated job creation/retention numbers and poor
follow-up monitoring by DCED.
"While grants and loans can be useful in attracting and
keeping businesses in Pennsylvania, that money comes from
the taxpayers and they deserve a full accounting of how the
money is being spent, and whether or not companies are
creating the jobs they said they would," said Orie. "My
legislation will improve the performance measures used to
judge success, and make 'success and failure' statistics
available to the public and the General Assembly."
Senator Orie's legislation will require that DCED improve
its monitoring procedures for job creation and job retention
by:
- Receiving annual reports starting within 12 months of
receiving a grant or loan, rather than after three years.
- Instituting site visits for large grant and loan
recipients.
- Corroborating job numbers reported by recipients with
other departments of state government
The bill will require that DCED improve its reporting
procedures for job creation and job retention by:
- Providing more complete success and failure statistics
to the public and General Assembly.
- Reporting penalties waived and penalties assessed on
grant and loan recipients.
- Improving the benchmarks and performance measures
included in the DCED Annual Financing Strategy.
- Requiring the inclusion of the DCED Annual Financing
Strategy on the state's website.
"With the amount of taxpayer dollars being invested in
job creation, we need to know what works and what doesn't so
we can create and retain the most jobs possible and not
waste funds on unworthy projects. That requires the kind of
thorough monitoring and reporting that my legislation
provides," said Orie.
Additional Information:
Reform
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