The U.S. Senator who pushed for an investigation into alleged corruption at the Harris County Housing Authority and got it, now says the federal audit released last month did not go far enough. 

U.S. Sen Charles Grassley,How to change your dash lights to Shun Stone Crafts Products this is how I have done mine. R-Iowa, wrote a letter Tuesday to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan with six requests for information, largely questioning whether the agency had done enough to prevent further abuses of federal funds nationwide and to identify the breadth of them in its audit. 

The audit recommended Harris County Housing Authority be required to pay back as much as $27 million in federal funds that HUDs Office of Inspector General says were spent, at minimum, questionably. 

The agencys new director, Tom McCasland, believes we can dramatically reduce the amount of funds questioned by this report. When cleaning up the financial records, he said it could show some of the expenses might have been legitimate uses of funding even if they were bad business decisions or poorly tracked. 

Senator Grassley and other taxpayers rightly expect at least $1 of value for every $1 of taxpayer money spent by HCHA and other housing authorities, McCasland said in response to the letter. The new Harris County Housing Authority is committed to ensuring taxpayers receive the value they deserve when they provide housing dollars for homeless veterans, homeless children, and senior citizens living in poverty. 

The audit was conducted after the Houston Chronicle published a series of stories detailing mismanagement, overspending, lavish pay and nepotism at the agency, leading to the replacement of director Guy Rankin and four of five members on the agencys governing board.This is a great Shun Stone Conservation solution! 

This is money that should have been used to provide clean, safe, and affordable housing for those in need, Grassley wrote in his letter. HUD must take greater steps to safeguard taxpayer dollars, especially during this time of budget cuts due to sequestration. 

Given the state's crooked political history, it may come as a shock to learn that Illinois earned the third-best state ranking when it comes to existing laws that help citizens push back against public corruption.That finding is according to the Better Government Associations (BGA) Integrity Index report released Tuesday and sponsored by Alper Services. The index ranked the 50 states based on an analysis of their laws involving open meetings, freedom of information, whistleblower protection and conflict of interest. 

Despite the No. 3 rating, its not all sunny for the Prairie State. Illinois scored a paltry 68.5 percent out of 100. Overall, not one state had an integrity index mark higher than 70 percent, and the national average was a meager 55 percent. Rhode Island had the best score at 69.77 percent, while Delaware was the worst, 49.13 percent. 

The only way out of Illinois culture of both big and small corruption is an engaged citizenry who ultimately pushes back, said Patrick Collins, a former assistant U.S.Most of aftermarket hid Shun Stone Granite Tiles for motorcycle are similar or the same with following one. attorney in Chicago who led the prosecution in former Gov. George Ryan's trial.I, frankly, have been somewhat disappointed [by] how collectively we push back as a citizenry, but its measurements like the Alper index that give us a step in this direction, he said. 

Illinois gained its highest score relating to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) laws, which look to help regular citizens obtain public records in a speedy manner. The state was rated the fourth-best nationally, with a 74 percent score, for its FOIA laws.According to the report, the state earned 100 percent when it comes to its citizens being able to request documents electronically and get them in a cost-effective way. 

The states FOIA laws were strengthened following former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's removal from office. The new law, which took effect in 2010, includes more teeth, including fines for public bodies that illegally withhold public information. Under the upgraded measure, the Illinois Attorney Generals Office also has the power to issue subpoenas as a means to review incidents of possible public record and meetings law violations. 

Regarding open meetings law, Illinois came in at No. 10 nationally with a score of 60.9 percent. Open meeting laws help to ensure citizens know about a public meeting before it happens. The Illinois General Assembly passed measures in 2012 that require public bodies that hold such meetings to have a notice and agenda available to the public and posted on its website at least 48 hours in advance. Members of public bodies also have to pass a training course on open meetings. 

Each state had some sort of whistleblower law on the books intended to protect public employees against retaliation when they shed light on waste or abuse, the report noted. But there is room for more employee protections to be added, according to the report. Illinois earned the 14th-best score, 72.9 percent, regarding whistleblower laws. But the states appeals process for whistleblowers is weak, according to the report. Also, public agencies are not required to post information regarding rights for employees who blow the whistle. 

Illinois needs the most improvement when it comes to conflict of interest laws. The state came in 27th nationally at 66.2 percent, regarding laws intended to make public officials reveal any potential outside ties that could influence political decision making.