Legislation makes NY Rising more transparent

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Governor Cuomo signed legislation on Nov. 13 that mandates state oversight of the NY Rising program. The legislation requires monthly reporting to the State Legislature of the status of Hurricane Sandy victims’ claims.

State Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky sponsored the bill. “Getting storm victims home and out of debt is a top priority of mine,” Kaminsky said. “This bipartisan legislation will lend much-needed sunlight to the storm recovery process.” Kaminsky said he wants to understand how the program can more efficiently and expeditiously help Sandy victims.

“The signing is a great start on understanding where the Sandy recovery money is really going, who is getting help, and who is still struggling,” said Kevin Reilly, founder of Long Beach Rising, himself a storm victim and a NY Rising participant. “There is still so much more to do, but receiving clear quarterly reports on the progress is a much-needed step toward real comprehensive oversight of the program.”

The Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery is the umbrella organization under which NY Rising’s housing recovery, small business, community reconstruction and infrastructure programs all fall. The legislation will require the office to provide the Legislature with a quarterly report on the status of applications for disaster assistance pending before, or being assisted by, the program.

The legislative and executive branches have agreed to an amendment to the legislation that will clarify the exact reporting requirements and ensure that the confidentiality of personal information is maintained. Specifically, reports will provide, among other things, the number of active single-family applicants who have been fully paid or partially paid under the program, as well as those who have yet to be paid. The first report is to be issued on Feb. 15.