Senator Suggests “Citizen Accountability Corps” to Watch Stimulus Spending

State Senator Andy Dinniman, a Democrat from Chester County, has proposed legislation that would create a Citizen Accountability Corps composed of unemployed professionals from the construction and banking industries to keep watch over the spending of PA’s $1.5 billion in federal stimulus infrastructure funds. The corps would inspect stimulus-funded infrastructure projects and insure they maximize stimulation of the economy and infrastructure improvement. Dinniman says the goal is to prevent a repeat of what happened with the TARP fund distribution to banks which he called a “debacle.” The corps would be funded by one half of a percent of PA’s stimulus money, or about $7.5 million.