Grants could help local governments accommodate disabled officials

The Labor Secretary would award grants to eligible local governments for accommodations that help disabled local officials do their work. Eligible governments must have a disabled elected official or unpaid member of an advisory committee who needs an accommodation. The jurisdiction must be rural, have fewer than 10,000 people, or have 10,000 to fewer than 200,000 people and a poverty rate of at least 18 percent. The program depends on money being appropriated. Awards would be made in application order until that year's funds run out. Each local government would provide nonfederal matching funds of at least 25 percent of the grant amount each year, and keep an accommodations account funded for at least four years after the grant period. Grants would last for the official's remaining first term plus two years. The local government would keep its accommodations account funded for at least four years after the grant period.

The Labor Secretary would report each year on grant applications, recipients, communities, officials, and funded accommodations. The report would cover the grant program and the local officials it supports. Reports would go to the named Senate and House committees. Beginning in the program's third year, and each year after that, reports would add the total invested in accommodation accounts and combined demographic information about supported officials.