Call for all contracts for Hurricane Katrina relief and recovery efforts to be published online

Call for all contracts for Hurricane Katrina relief and recovery efforts to be published online

The advocacy group OpenTheGovernment.org sent an e-mail urging other US organisations to sign up to a letter asking US President George Bush to post all Hurricane Katrina-related spending documents on the internet and follow Freedom of Information Act guidelines.

The organisers hope to prevent the misuse of taxpayer dollars by disclosing how officials spend public money: "Congress has put $62.3 billion into Hurricane Katrina relief, with billions more expected in help for Gulf Coast recovery efforts,” the letter states. “With the federal government spending so much so quickly, opportunities for waste and fraud abound."

Supporters want officials to publish online copies of every contract, requisition, task or delivery order, agreement and other authorization for spending on Hurricane Katrina relief and reconstruction.

Petitioners want Katrina contracts online (FCW.com, 10 November 2005)