ATLANTA — Georgia Democrats are calling for a criminal investigation about a questionable billion-dollar state contract signed nearly two years ago.
11Alive previously broke the story in March about how a state audit said the Department of Human Services skirted state law when it quickly launched a cash assistance program.
It was a troubled program from the start as recipients of virtual cash cards emblazoned with Gov. Brian Kemp’s name complained they couldn’t access the federal pandemic relief money the state was trying to distribute. Kemp announced the program in August 2022 – as schools reopened and the pandemic wound down.
According to a report released by the state Department of Audits, Kemp’s administration solicited contracts from four hand-picked vendors to run the program – even though the report said state law required the state to publish a request for proposals on its website. Within a week, the state gave the billion-dollar contract to a company called Rellevate, which posted a "thank you" photo last year.
The state audit said the state Department of Human Services sidestepped a law requiring the solicitation of bids when it granted the contract. The audit identified it as a “particularly large purchase that did not comply” with state rules, allowing “quicker delivery of funds to beneficiaries…”
Now, following the audit's findings, state Sen. Elena Parent (D-Atlanta) said she wants Attorney General Chris Carr to launch a criminal investigation into the awarding of the contract.
"What this audit clearly found was a violation of Georgia law," Parent said.
The state distributed the cards carrying Kemp’s name just weeks before early voting started in Kemp’s 2022 re-election campaign, which Parent said raises an obvious question.
"Whether this was simply rushed so that cash could land in Georgians' hands with Gov. Kemp’s name on it as they went to the polls," she said.
Kemp and Carr, who are political allies, won re-election weeks later. 11Alive contacted Carr's office seeking comment and is awaiting a response.
In the state audit, the Department of Human Services – which awarded the contract – said it did not dispute the audit’s finding that the contract didn’t follow state law. The audit speculated that the speed of the contract had been motivated by a desire to get federal money quickly into the hands of folks needing it.
Editor's note: This headline has been updated to clarify that the audit claims the Kemp administration sidestepped a law.