HB368 Summary

• Establishes the Cullman County Cemetery Board consisting of five members appointed by the local legislative delegation, with one member serving as chair.

• Defines key terms including "cemetery" (for-profit cemeteries with graves, crypts, niches, or mausoleums), "maintenance" (lawn care, repairs to structures and equipment), and "neglected cemetery" (abandoned or overgrown facilities with damaged infrastructure).

• Board responsibilities include negotiating acquisition of neglected for-profit cemeteries, supervising cleanup and maintenance, coordinating inmate labor through the sheriff's office, purchasing equipment, and transferring cemetery ownership to non-profit boards at its discretion.

• Board may only perform maintenance on private cemeteries after finding the condition constitutes a public nuisance following a hearing.

• Allocates $50,000 from county general fund (from fiscal year 2016 forward sales tax revenues exceeding fiscal year 2015 collections) for cemetery acquisition; county commission has no authority over the board or cemeteries defined in this act.