N.J. lawmakers want Christie response to Hurricane Sandy report

Hurricane Sandy: Super Storm Slams East Coast States

WASHINGTONTwo New Jersey members of the U.S. Housewant Gov. Chris Christie to respond to a government watchdog reportthat questioned how the state spent $43 million in Hurricane Sandyhousing funds.

Reps. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-6th Dist.) and Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-9th Dist.) said Christie needs to account for the money spent on the housing programs and make sure that future funding is properlyhanded out. They plan to release a letter at a press conference in Moonachie on Friday.

New Jerseyhad awarded a three-year, $67.7-million contract to Hammerman and Gainer Inc. to distribute funds for three housing programs, butended it after one yearfollowing complaints by homeowners aboutinept management, poor communication and long delays. The state wound up paying $43.5 million.

U.S. questions $43M in Sandy spending

"We want answers for the folks who were left without homes," Pallone and Pascrell saidin a joint statement. "We want answers because this federal funding was spent improperly.We want answers and we want action to ensure this doesn"t happen again when the next storm hits New Jersey."

The HUD inspector general said the Christie administration did not properly account for$43.1 million. The report saidthestate did not ensure that the disbursements met a national objective, that the prices were fair and reasonable, the costs were necessary and there wasproper documentation forlabor and travel costs.

The inspector general said HUD should either require proper documentation or demand that the state repay the agency.

The New Jerseyattorney general"s office rejected the findings, saying there was proper documentation for the expenses, that the state Department of Community Affairs corrected some of the problems while the agreementwas in place, and that the state properly followed its own rules in awarding the contract.

The two Democratic lawmakers earlier sought an investigation by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2014 after the state ended its agreement with Hammerman & Gainer.

"We fought too hard for these federal disaster recovery dollars to stand by while they are recklessly mismanaged," the lawmakers wrote at the time. "New Jerseyans who are still struggling to put their lives back together over a year after Hurricane Sandy deserve better."

Pascrell and Pallone have been critical of the state"s response to Sandy. After New Jersey in January got only $15 millionof the$326 million it requestedin disaster relief under a program funded in the Hurricane Sandy aid package, Pallone said the state submitted"a lousy application"and Pascrell gave the administration"poor grades."

Jonathan D. Salantmay be reached atjsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@JDSalant. FindNJ.com Politics on Facebook

Source: http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/10/nj_lawmakers_seek_answers_to_hurricane_sandy_repor.html