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December 4, 2002

In this issue:

• ACCR launches new email newsletter
• Amendment One wins in landslide!
• Commission to hold final meeting in Auburn

ACCR launches new email newsletter

   As the constitutional reform movement continues to gain momentum around the state, we are continuously searching for better ways to communicate with our members and friends. We hope this new email service will do just that by conveniently providing regular updates of developments in the constitutional reform movement, announcements of upcoming events, and much more. We hope you enjoy this first edition of “ACCR Reform Roundup,” and we look forward to continuing to work with you to achieve a modern and effective state constitution for Alabama.

Amendment One wins in landslide!

  The voters of Alabama went to the polls on November 5 and guaranteed their right to vote on any new state constitution with the overwhelming passage of Amendment One. The final results reveal the resounding nature of the victory, with 81% in favor and 19% opposed, and the 882,066 affirmative votes cast for Amendment One surpassed the vote totals of every candidate and amendment on the ballot. This is a clear message that the citizens of Alabama are serious about reform and want to be involved in the vital task of rewriting Alabama's antiquated constitution.

   Results from other races in the 2002 Election also bode well for the constitutional reform movement. Here’s what the Birmingham News had to say about the impact of the November 5 election on constitutional reform:
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Several forces driving 1901 constitution fix

The Birmingham News
Opinion
November 25, 2002

  The state doorstop has grown even thicker.

   Voters on Nov. 5 added 29 new amendments (of 33 proposed) to the 1901 Alabama Constitution, bringing to 742 the number of amendments to the most amended constitution in the nation.

   The ease with which most amendments passed, combined with the election of Bob Riley as the state's next governor, might lead some to believe interest in constitution reform is waning. Riley, after all, opposes a citizens' convention to rewrite the constitution. The naysayers would be wrong.

Here's why:
  Amendment One on the Nov. 5 ballot ensured that citizens will get the chance to approve or turn down any newly written constitution. It received more than 882,000 votes almost 90,000 more votes than the highest vote total for an elected official (U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions). More than 80 percent of Alabama voters said they want to see constitution reform done right, which means giving them final say.

  Voters turned down Amendment Two, which would have created a "rainy-day" fund for the state's General Fund. Without that $75 million cushion, and with a projected shortfall of at least $170 million in the 2004 General Fund and $300 million in the Education Fund budgets the Legislature will write next session, lawmakers almost certainly will be forced to find new sources of money. The coming fiscal crisis may well force the Legislature to seek a permanent fix to the tax system, which means getting voter approval through constitutional amendments. With tax issues off the table, any effort to rewrite the constitution becomes that much easier.

   Riley is against a wholesale rewrite of the constitution by a citizens' convention, but has said he'll quickly create an Alabama Citizens' Constitution Commission, a panel of experts on constitutional law, business and civic leaders, who will hold hearings, gather information and draft amendments to streamline and modernize the 1901 constitution. Riley wants the commission to focus on expanding home rule powers for counties, reducing the number of dollars locked up for specific purposes and cleaning up the clutter and reorganizing the constitution. If he accomplishes those goals, that's real reform.

   While the Legislature isn't exactly filled with constitution reformers, several staunch advocates such as Reps. Demetrius Newton, Todd Greeson and Mac Gipson won re-election. The House gained at least 12 new members, such as Merika Coleman, Mary Moore and Linda Coleman of Birmingham, who are on record supporting a new constitution, according to the Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform. Too, some newly elected senators such as Bradley Byrne, Myron Penn and Gary Tanner will join the fight for reform in the upper chamber. Just as important, they replaced constitution naysayers Albert Lipscomb, George Clay and George Callahan.

   Reform isn't dead. Not by a long shot. The door to getting rid of our grievously flawed constitution is wide open, and there's a big fat doorstop we can use to keep it that way.

Click here for more editorials and articles on constitutional reform

Commission to hold final meeting in Auburn

CITIZENS ALERT!

The Alabama Citizens’ Commission on Constitutional Reform wants to hear what you have to say!

   Join us on Monday, December 9, 2002, for the fourth and final public meeting around the state, to voice your opinions on constitutional reform, listen to what your fellow citizens have to say, and show our state leaders that you care about this issue.

WHEN: Monday, December 9, 2002 / 9:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.
WHERE: Dixon Conference Center - 241 S. College St. - Auburn University
WHAT: Public meeting on constitutional reform
9:00 a.m. - noon: Presentations on debt and taxation
Noon - 1:00 p.m. Lunch with members of the commission
1:00 - 3:30 p.m. Citizens comments to the commission* and deliberations by the commission

* Any citizen interested in making public comments on constitutional reform may sign up on
the day of the meeting for a 5 minute time slot during which he or she may address the
commission. Comments on any issues regarding constitutional reform will be welcome and
permitted.
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SPECIAL PRESENTATION: “Nuts and Bolts of Constitutional Reform”
Sunday, December 8, 2002, 4:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.
Haley Center, Room #2352, 351 W. Thach Avenue, Auburn University
For more information call (334) 834-5495 or email us at accr@constitutionalreform.org
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   Secretary of State Jim Bennett, a long-time advocate for constitutional reform, is the commission’s chairman. He is joined by a diverse group of 21 citizens, including an associate Supreme Court justice, business owners, educators, pastors, lawyers, civic leaders, and retired military officers.

   Monday morning, Dec. 9, the commission will hear presentations from constitutional scholars Susan Hamill, Bruce Ely, and James White on the topics of debt and taxation as they relate to our constitution, and the afternoon session will give citizens an opportunity to offer their input on any aspect of constitutional reform by signing up for a 5-minute time slot to address the commission.

   After the Auburn meeting, the commission will compile and present the thinking of Alabama’s citizens along with best practices research to provide a foundation for further reform as a final product.

   On Sunday, Dec. 8, from 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM at the Haley Center (Room 2352), Dr. Bailey Thomson will give an accompanying public presentation on the "Nuts and Bolts of Constitutional Reform," which will provide a detailed overview of the history and major problems with the current constitution, as well as a look at previous reform efforts.

   Please help us spread the word on this event, and come show your support for a new constitution. Thank you for your continued support, and we hope to see you in Auburn..

Join or renew your membership online!