Government Transparency

Like government accountability, transparency within government agencies and those performing governmental functions becomes an essential philosophy when disaster strikes. Not only must impacted citizens be able to see governmental officials working on their behalf, they must also be able to trust what those governmental officials are saying and rely on their word when trying to make critical decisions related to their own survival and, ultimately, recovery.

As billions of dollars of public and private funds are shifted to the impacted region following a catastrophic event, specific allocations will be made to solve specific problems and alleviate specific situations. It is critical that these resources remain transparent and are utilized for their intended purposes, as future planning is likely being derived based on those resources being disbursed into the impacted region as intended.

But governmental transparency is not just an issue that arises during disasters. In America, a growing sentiment around transparency and the right to know exactly how government resources are being expended to prop up various portions of the economic sector has captivated the mainstream public consciousness.

The Louisiana Family Recovery Corps supports the public’s right to know and has continued to advocate for transparency related to the state of Louisiana’s long-term human recovery efforts, particularly associated with FEMA’s individual assistance dollars provided to the state.

The Recovery Corps has also acknowledged recent comments promoting additional transparency within government by both Governor Bobby Jindal and President Barack Obama. It is imperative, however, that those statements eventually turn into effective policy that allows the American taxpayers to ultimately be in a position to see and understand the actions of a transparent government. This will allow American citizens to make important decisions regarding the future of their elected officials based on facts and accomplishments rather than relying on secretive campaigns cloaked by rhetoric, spin, and empty promises.

When outcomes and opportunities provided for people are demonstrated and freedom of information matches the many other freedoms enjoyed by our citizens, America will then enjoy a truly open, transparent government.