In Massachusetts, Watchdogs Push for Reserve Fund to Monitor and Audit ARPA Spending

BOSTON (SHNS) – As the Legislature wrapped up its hearings to inform the major American Rescue Plan Act spending decisions they are poised to make, advocates made their closing arguments for pursuing a range of investments they said could represent a significant opportunity to improve the lives of Massachusetts residents.

But the windfall of billions of dollars of federal pandemic aid sent to Massachusetts also creates a situation ripe for waste, fraud and abuse, Auditor Suzanne Bump and Inspector General Glenn Cunha said Tuesday as they made the case that lawmakers should set aside a reserve account to fund audits, investigations and other oversight activities to make sure that the state’s $5.3 billion ARPA money is not wasted. Read the full article at https://www.wwlp.com/news/state-politics/watchdogs-want-reserve-to-audit-arpa-spending/.