MONTGOMERY—The consensus view of Alabama legislators on the need for a new state constitution? There isn’t one.

   That’s the conclusion of a Huntsville Times survey of the Legislature on whether, and how, the state’s 99-year-old basic law should be rewritten.

   “Undecided, undecided, undecided, undecided,” is how Rep. Albert Hall answered four questions about constitutional reform posed by The Times.

   These are the questions:

• Does Alabama need a new constitution and when should the effort begin?

• What method should be used?

• How important is the issue?

• How likely is it that the state will get a new constitution in the next few years?

   Despite the almost universal condemnation by those who pay attention to the current constitution with its racist and constricting provisions, legislators don’t agree on whether it needs a complete rewrite.

   Of 114 legislators who responded to The Times’ survey -- 35 senators and 105 House members make up the Alabama Legislature -- 4 percent said they see no need for a new constitution and another 8 percent didn’t answer, gave vague answers or were undecided.

   Several said only parts need rewriting, and one said it merely needs to be simplified.

   One lawmaker, perhaps reflecting politicians’ ambivalence, answered “yes and no” to whether the state needs a new constitution.

   And many of those who answered yes to that question appeared lukewarm at the prospect, including House Speaker Seth Hammett, D-Andalusia.

   Hammett, on a scale of one to five—one being very important and five being not important—gave the issue a four.

   Overall, those who answered gave the issue an average of 2.1, meaning they feel it’s important.

   But in yet another measure of their uneasiness over the complex issue, collectively they expressed doubt whether the state’s constitution will be re- written in the next few years.

   That average score on a one-five scale, one being very likely and 5 very unlikely: 3.0.

   A few, including Sen. Hap Myers, R-Mobile, gave a new constitution a “one” on the scale of importance, but a “five” on the scale of its likelihood anytime soon, the least optimistic pick.

   “Special interests do not want to change the system,” Myers said. “It works (for them)!”

   Other legislators noted that there’s little public outcry for reform. Sen. Jimmy Holley, D-Elba, said he’d gotten “no contact from the people I represent” on the issue and gave the chances of a rewrite in the next few years a 5.

   Sen. Jack Biddle, R-Gardendale, said that he believes rewriting the massive constitution is somewhat important, “but I’ve had very few requests from my constituents” for reform.

   A majority -- 54 percent—of the legislators who favor a new constitution said they prefer that the Legislature re-write it article by article.

   Twenty-one percent favor giving the task to elected citizen delegates at a constitutional convention. Others want a com bination of those, and one said the nonpartisan Alabama Law Institute should re-write it.

   State Sen. Lowell Barron, D-Fyffe, said the Legislature should rewrite the constitution because “monied interests” would control a constitutional convention. But Rep. Jim Haney, R-Huntsville, said “(we) need to keep politicians out of the process.”

   “The Legislature should not be used except in an advisory capacity,” Haney said.

   Times Staff Writers Linda Long and John Peck contributed to this report.

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Reprinted with Permission from TheHuntsville Times.