HB308, the constitution convention bill, failed to gain enough votes today in the Alabama House of Representatives. The House voted 46-44 in favor of a budget isolation resolution that would have allowed consideration of the bill, short of the required 3/5 majority. The bill would have allowed the citizens of the state to vote for or against calling a convention to rewrite the state’s outdated, unwieldy 1901 constitution.
So — why is this progress? It’s the first time the proposal has made it to a vote of the full House, and more people voted in favor than voted against. I’m not sure why some of our elected officials are afraid to let the people vote, but it’s good to know that the majority in the House is not.
Congratulations to the people at ACCR Inc. and the ACCR Foundation, at Greater Birmingham Ministries, and at other organizations that work for reform — and to all of the citizens who wrote letters, sent emails, and made phone calls to their representatives asking them to support this bill. The path of progress is often slow, but it’s people like you who will make it happen.