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Adams and Reese attorney Britton Bonner will lead a breakout session, “Is Your City Grant Ready,” outlining how a city can increase its chances of success in accessing federal dollars by taking several proactive steps to be “grant ready.” The session will be held Friday, July 11th, at 2:30 p.m., in conjunction with the Municipal Association of South Carolina Annual Meeting at the Charleston Place Hotel at 205 Meeting Street in Charleston.  

Bonner said what was once considered the “old reliable” method for funding many municipal projects changed significantly in 2010. The “earmark” ban, put in place by Congress in 2010, effectively moved the decision-making power Congress used to have to the executive branch. With the earmark ban, the dynamics for municipalities seeking federal funds shifted and changed the way things operate on Capitol Hill. The process is becoming more and more “competitive” and may seem to be an onerous undertaking for some.

Bonner added that instead of working with congressional office staffers at the local or field office level, municipalities now must deal with professional staff in executive agencies in Washington who sets the criteria for awarding funds that were once appropriated directly by a municipality’s representative or senator. 

Bonner serves as Partner in Charge in the Mobile Office, and his practice focuses on business growth, governmental affairs, and economic development, encompassing a wide range of practice matters, including state and federal governmental relations, public finance and incentives, aviation, maritime and admiralty matters and complex commercial litigation.