Editorial
August 24, 2001
Other than constitutionally-mandated attempts
to redraw Alabama's congressional and state school board district
lines, Gov. Don Siegelman is being coy about just what he will ask
state lawmakers to consider when he calls them into special session
next Tuesday.
He has hinted at several initiatives - from creating
a State Transportation Committee to take some of the politics out
of the spending on road money, to legislation banning legislators'
private pork funds, to providing money for education - and has even
said more than one special session might be needed to accomplish all
that he wants done before the end of the year.
Siegelman has also said, albeit in the vaguest of terms,
that he would like to include legislation that would hasten constitutional
reform in his call for the special session.
Here the governor does not need to be bashful: he should
heed the call of Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform by included
in the special session legislation that would require a statewide
referendum on any new Alabama Constitution produced by a convention
or by the Legislature itself.
"The final decision on any new document must be made
by all the people of Alabama," ACCR and Samford University President
Thomas E. Corts said in a letter to the governor earlier this week.
"To that end, we believe that a constitutional amendment should be
presented to the people of Alabama to insure that they have a final
choice on any new charter for out state."
One of the arguments raised by opponents of constitutional
reform is that special interests could control anything produced by
the Legislature, just as they could a special convention called to
reform the constitution.
By passing in advance legislation that would clearly
specify that a statewide referendum most be conducted on any proposed
constitutional revision, that argument will be answered.
The ACCR believes, Corts said, "nothing could be clearer:
the people must decide."
We agree and hope Gov. Don Siegelman does also and will
see fit to include the ACCR legislation in his call for the special
session.
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