Subcommittee monitoring federal recovery funds

A legislative subcommittee established to monitor the spending of funds Nevada receives from the federal economic recovery package will hold its first meeting on Monday, August 3, at 1 p.m.  The meeting will be held in Carson City and will be videoconferenced to the Grant Sawyer State Office Building in Las Vegas.

The new 12-member panel is a subcommittee of the legislative Interim Finance Committee and will be chaired by Assemblywoman Debbie Smith.

Smith said the subcommittee was established during the legislative session to ensure that Nevada's funding from the recovery package is spent in a manner that will truly help our state's economy to recover and to create jobs.

"Nevadans deserve to know how this funding is being spent," Smith said. "Our state has the highest economic 'distress' index in the nation. It is critical that we get all the federal recovery dollars for which we are eligible, that we spend them according to established criteria so we do not risk losing them,  and that we ensure they are spent for their true purpose-to get Nevadans back to work and to help turn our economy around."

Smith said the agenda for the first meeting will include an examination of funds received from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation and the Department of Education.  Other agencies will be examined in subsequent meetings. The subcommittee will also get a report from the Governor's office on what steps are being taken to improve a state government website on economic recovery spending that has recently come under fire for its inadequacy.

"We took a number of steps during the last legislative session to improve transparency and accountability in our state government, and the establishment of this subcommittee is one of the most important of those measures," Smith said.