Senator wants federal oversight of charitable money

A Senate Finance Committee member is asking federal agencies to play a greater role in the disbursement of nearly $1 billion raised by various September 11 funds set up nationwide to help victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. According to Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, only about 10 percent of the money raised since the attacks has been distributed. Grassley, ranking member of the committee, forwarded a letter Tuesday to various government officials encouraging federal oversight of the distribution of donations. Grassley's letter was sent to Attorney General John Ashcroft, Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Charles Rossotti, Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Joe Allbaugh, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Timothy Muris, and the attorney generals of New York and Virginia. "It is necessary for your organizations to pool your resources and work together to oversee the fair and expeditious distribution of these donations by the relief effort groups to the intended recipients," Grassley wrote. "It is also important that your agencies coordinate [with each other]to identify any unscrupulous actors and help bring them to justice." Grassley said he was not aware of any "inappropriate act by a charity or inappropriate use of a donation intended for the Sept. 11 victims," but that he still wanted more information about if and how agencies are working together to dispense the money quickly and fairly. "No mechanism exists to prevent charities from making duplicate payments to one recipient or to prevent someone eligible to receive relief from falling through the cracks," he wrote. Specifically, Grassley asked for detailed information about how federal agencies are coordinating their activities and how they are determining that a financial allotment from the money donated was fair and timely. The senator also asked whether a central agency or organization is serving as a clearinghouse for all the charitable relief efforts in both the public and private sectors. Grassley asked the officials to respond to his queries by Nov. 16. At FEMA, Ken Curtin, the agency's liaison with charitable organizations, is currently working with the New York City chapter of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, in the hope that it will play a central role in disbursement of Sept. 11-related donations. The city organization is a consortium of nonprofit groups, private entities and government agencies that have roles in disaster relief. The national organization was founded in July 1970 and has provided assistance in many disaster areas around the country.