The House Committee on Constitution and Elections will hold a hearing on HB308 this Wednesday at 8:30 AM on the 8th Floor in the House Chamber. This bill, and its companion in the Senate SB243, would permit the people of Alabama to vote on whether or not they want the legislature to call a citizens’ convention to rewrite the 1901 Constitution.
Got that? Our current Constitution allows only two methods for reform, a convention or an article-by-article rewrite, and both must be initiated by the legislature. Citizens must go, metaphorical hats in hand, to beg permission to reform our basic governing document, the one that empowers the legislature in the first place. If you’ve missed out on the discussion of why we need reform, check out Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform and/or read some of my previous rants on the subject.
If you can go to the hearing, do it. Committee members are swayed by strong shows of support, and your presence could help to counter the influence of lobbyists for groups like Alfa, which is adamantly opposed to anything that might threaten its control. And, if nothing else, some of the opposition speakers may provide some entertainment value.
Also, check the list below and contact any or all of the committee members to let them know you support letting the people vote on a convention:
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House of Representatives Constitution and Elections Committee |
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Chair, Jimmy Martin, (D) District 42, Clanton State House: (334) 242-7714 Cell: (205) 389-1735 JamesMMartin@bellsouth.net |
Vice Chair, Tommy Sherer, (D), District 13, Jasper |
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Jay Love, (R), Ranking Minority Member, District 74, |
George Bandy, (D), District 83, Opelika |
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Greg Canfield, (R), District 48, Vestavia Hills |
Randy Davis, (R), District 96, Daphne |
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James Gordon, (D), District 98, Saraland |
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Joseph Mitchell, (D), District 103, |
Mary Moore, (D), District 59, Birmingham |
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Jack Page (D), District 29, Gadsden |
Patricia Todd, (D), District 54, Birmingham |
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Ken Guin, (D), District 14, Carbon Hill |
Micky Hammon, (R), District 4, Decatur |
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Barry Mask, (R), District 31, Wetumpka |
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Hi Kathy,
After reading the “entertianment” link on this post, I became worried about what some people might try and put into a new constitution. What if there is a group that wants to make it illegal for gays to be school teachers , or everyone must be a Soutern Baptist etc? There is also a question of how the delegates would be chosen, campaign financing becomes an issue also. Just a thought, but it might be better to rewrite article by article.