Committee examines bill to ensure city employees aren’t excluded from resident-directed grants

A member of the House Committee on County and Municipal Government presented House Bill 273 to clarify that city employees who otherwise qualify should not be excluded from resident-directed grant programs.

The presenter said the bill responds to a 2011 attorney general opinion after tornadoes in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa that had prevented some city employees from benefiting from Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) disaster-recovery funds. “Those employees were not allowed to benefit from the community development block grant disaster recovery funds,” the presenter said, describing situations in which city employees could not get roofs repaired or other disaster assistance even though other residents could.

Members asked whether the change would permit grants to pay salaries or professional services performed by city or county employees. The presenter explicitly responded that the bill is “much more about grants that impact residents” and “it's not about salaries. It's not about paying for services.” He said the intent is to ensure municipal employees are not improperly excluded from resident-oriented grants when their circumstances otherwise qualify them.

Members asked for further clarification and the presenter requested to yield to Alan Baker to provide more detail; the transcript ends as members respond to that request. The committee did not record a formal vote on the measure in the provided excerpt.

The transcript records that the bill is intended to restore eligibility for resident-focused grant programs, not to create a special class of recipients or to alter rules for grant-funded professional services; committee members asked for additional legal or administrative clarification before further action.