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Constitution reform commission
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By Sallie Owen Capitol Bureau October 18, 2002 Mobile-area residents will have two opportunities early next week to learn more about an effort to reform the state's constitution. The Alabama Citizens' Commission for Constitutional Reform will meet Sunday and Monday at the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science to discuss the issue. Both events are open to the public. The 23-member commission will hear presentations from technical experts on education, individual rights and economic development. The trip to Mobile marks the third of four commission meetings around the state, as members prepare to recommend changes to the governor and Legislature in January 2003. "They will take our state one step closer to deciding whether it's time to draft a new constitution for a new century," said Kathy Bowden, executive director of Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform, which is providing financial and logistical support for the commission. Alabama's 1901 constitution, the state's sixth governing document, has more than 700 amendments. Critics of the document say it denies power to city and county governments and favors special interests by centralizing power in Montgomery. Its restrictions require frequent amendments that often pertain to only one locality. Reformers also say the document was designed to deny blacks and poor whites the right to vote and that it was ratified in a rigged election. The constitution's defenders insist reform is really an attempt to raise taxes and that a new document might delete references to God and protections of individual liberties, such as gun ownership. They also say an overhaul will lead to expansion of legalized gambling. In the general election Nov. 5, voters will decide on a constitutional amendment that would require any new constitution to be ratified by a statewide vote. Bowden said that Sunday's event will be a relatively informal gathering, with presentations from Bailey Thomson, an associate professor of journalism at the University of Alabama and one of ACCR's founding members, and Howard Walthall, who heads the State Constitutional Law Project at Samford University's Cumberland School of Law. Those attending Sunday will also have a chance to ask questions and express their views during the 90-minute meeting, which begins at 5 p.m., according to Bowden. On Monday, the commission will go to work at 8:30 a.m., beginning with presentations from four invited technical advisors: Martha Morgan and Bryan Fair, professors at the University of Alabama School of Law; and lawyers Mike Waters and Foster Clark from the firm of Balch & Bingham. The commission will break for lunch on the school lawn at noon. Brown-bag lunches will be available for $6. After lunch, the commission will begin hearing public comments. Speakers are limited to five minutes each, and they may begin signing up at 8:30 a.m. Meetings both days will be at the School of Math and Science, 1255 Dauphin St. in Midtown Mobile. For information, call Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform at 334-834-5495 or send an e-mail to accr@constitutionalreform.org. Anyone who would like to submit written comments may e-mail StateCon@samford.edu or send them to Howard Walthall, Professor of Law and Director, State Constitutional Law Project, Cumberland School of Law, Samford University, 800 Lakeshore Drive; Birmingham, AL 35229. Return to: Constitutional Reform ~ In the News Return to: Editorial Index |
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Citizens for Constitutional Reform Foundation, Inc. P.O. Box 34 Montgomery, Alabama 36101-0034 E-mail: accr@constitutionalreform.org |
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