Montgomery, AL – An Alabama House committee has passed a bill that would prevent country sheriffs from keeping unspent money allocated for feeding prisoners.
The bill by Rep. Allen Treadaway of Morris was approved Wednesday by the House Committee on Counties and Municipal Government. It now goes to the full House for debate.
The bill would throw out a 1920s era law that allows sheriffs to keep profits generated by the jail kitchen.
Treadaway said the bill would also throw out a provision of the old law that required sheriffs to come up with money from their own pockets if the amount of money allocated for jail food was insufficient.
The bill calls for excess kitchen funds to be placed in a special fund in the sheriff's office.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)