Murphy Announces Launch of COVID-19 Transparency Website

To access the Herald’s local coronavirus/COVID-19 coverage, click here.
TRENTON – Gov. Phil Murphy Oct. 16 announced the launch of New Jersey’s COVID-19 transparency website, providing oversight and public confidence in the expenditure of federal recovery funds as the state continues to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. 
According to a release, the announcement of the website follows the governor’s signing of Executive Order No. 166 July 17, which established the governor’s Disaster Recovery Office (GDRO) and COVID-19 Compliance and Oversight Task Force.
“New Jerseyans deserve to know how the state is addressing the COVID-19 crisis and how their taxpayer dollars are being spent,” stated Murphy. “This website represents a crucial step in our commitment to transparency during the ongoing pandemic.”
“The COVID-19 transparency site will centralize information for the public on federal funding data and federally-funded contracts to ensure New Jerseyans that the state is properly stewarding coronavirus recovery funds.” stated Daniel J. Kelly, executive director, governor’s Disaster Recovery Office. “The site is emblematic of Gov. Murphy’s commitment to transparency and oversight in order to guard against fraud, waste, and abuse in the expenditure of desperately-needed COVID-19 recovery funding.”
“The new COVID-19 oversight website is designed to shine a bright light on how federal money is being spent on New Jersey’s recovery efforts, and to serve as a resource for New Jersey residents,” stated Acting State Comptroller Kevin D. Walsh. “Publicly posting contracts that pertain to New Jersey’s recovery from COVID-19 means that our recovery from this crisis is proceeding with maximum transparency and accountability to taxpayers.”
“As a person within Information Technology, it’s always a moment of pride when a project with a specific delivery deadline and specific budget is delivered on time and on budget,” stated Chris Rein, chief technology officer for the State of New Jersey. “Leveraging existing assets and technologies, this application was substantially less expensive than prior data transparency projects. Working with Dan Kelly, Poonam Soans and Julie Veffer on this was a special effort.”
The GDRO, with the assistance of the New Jersey Office of Information Technology (NJOIT) and the Office of the State Comptroller, developed the transparency website within 90 days of the date of the executive order. The website tracks the state’s eligible and planned uses of any funds disbursed by the federal or state government to help New Jersey residents, businesses, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and other entities respond to or recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. 
It will provide a list of the contracts involving the allocation and expenditure of recovery funds, in addition to providing information on the various disaster recovery resources available to residents, businesses and government entities.
The site can be accessed here.