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Constitutional plan to go to lawmakers |
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David White News staff writer April 22, 2003 MONTGOMERY Gov. Bob Riley has started acting on suggestions his 35-member commission made last month for changing the state constitution in five key areas. Riley's press secretary, David Azbell, said Monday that state Sen. Del Marsh, R-Anniston, would introduce a proposal to let voters decide whether to give their county commissioners more power to zone property, offer industry incentives and provide public health and safety services. It would be the second of the commission's five proposals to go before lawmakers. Last week, lawmakers on Riley's behalf filed a proposed amendment that would erase from the constitution language that requires segregated schools and deals with poll taxes. Federal courts long ago struck down segregated schools and poll taxes as illegal. The amendment simply would sweep away the dead language. Azbell said he hoped the commission's three other proposals, dealing with state taxes and spending, would be filed in time for citizens to vote on them in a statewide referendum later this year. "The other amendments will come in the coming weeks," Azbell said. Any changes to the constitution must be approved by the voters. Former Secretary of State Jim Bennett, picked by Riley to chair the Alabama Citizens' Constitution Commission, said he expects at least some of the group's proposals to pass the Legislature this year. "I remain optimistic that we're going to have significant success with constitutional reform this year," he said. Bennett said the proposals on taxes and spending may be considered in a special session of the Legislature, perhaps as soon as next month. Riley has said he will decide soon whether to call a special session. This year's regular session of the Legislature started March 4 and must end by June 16. But lawmakers could take a break for a special session focused on taxes and related issues. Riley's staff could rewrite any of the commission's proposed amendments. The three plans that Bennett said might be proposed in a special session would, as written by the commission: Limit earmarking, which reserves state taxes for specific uses and bars lawmakers from spending the money on other items. State income taxes, for instance, are earmarked for education. Under the plan, further earmarking would be banned, except when required for federal grants or to repay bond debt. Make it harder for legislators to raise taxes by requiring that tax increases be approved by at least 21 of the 35 state senators and at least 63 of the 105 members of the House of Representatives. Now a simple majority of those voting in the House or Senate can pass a tax bill. Let the governor use a line-item veto to reject specific spending in any budget or other law. The plan also would make it harder for lawmakers to override the governor's veto of bills. Now, it takes just 53 House members and 18 senators to pass a law over the governor's objection, or veto. The proposal would require the votes of at least 70 House members and 24 senators to override a veto of a bill or a specific spending item. Return to: Constitutional Reform ~ In the News Return to: Editorial Index |
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| Alabama Citizens for
Constitutional Reform Foundation, Inc. P.O. Box 34 Montgomery, Alabama 36101-0034 E-mail: accr@constitutionalreform.org |
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