SB81 Alabama 2010 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Paul Sanford

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2010

Title

Initiative, constitutional amendments, proposed by people, authorized, Legislature may offer alternate proposal, const. amend.

Summary

SB81 would let Alabama voters initiate general laws or constitutional amendments through a petition process, with the Legislature allowed to offer an alternate proposal and without requiring the governor's signature for initiatives.

What This Bill Does

It creates an initiative process so people can propose general laws or constitutional amendments. It sets signature and filing requirements, dates, and who drafts the text, then puts the measure to a statewide vote, with the Legislature able to offer an alternative proposal. If the Legislature does not enact the measure, it can still go to the ballot; if both an initiative and an alternative pass, the one with more votes wins. It also limits how many initiative measures can be enacted in one session and describes how enactment works for general laws vs. constitutional amendments.

Who It Affects

• Voters in Alabama: they would be able to initiate and vote on general laws or constitutional amendments, requiring signatories from across districts and participation in the ballot.
• State government and election administration: the Legislature, Secretary of State, Legislative Reference Service, Alabama Law Institute, and related offices would process, review, publish texts, manage signatures, and place measures on the ballot; the Legislature could offer an alternative proposal, and measures could become law or constitutional amendments without the Governor's signature.

Key Provisions

• The people may initiate the enactment of general laws or constitutional amendments by petition, with the Legislature allowed to offer an alternate proposal.
• Preliminary filing requires a concise summary, at least 1,000 signatures, and a $1,000 filing fee, filed under a registered agent who handles ongoing filings and disclosures.
• The Secretary of State reviews preliminary filings, certifies the summary, and the Alabama Law Institute drafts the full text and official summary within 90 days unless extended.
• Full text and summary are published by the Secretary of State; the full text remains online for at least 90 days and the summary for the next regular legislative session.
• Final petition must have signatures equal to at least 7% of the governor’s last election votes, with at least 1% from each congressional district; preliminary signatures may count toward this total.
• A two-year window is provided to complete the process; the proposal must be filed in a Regular Session of the Legislature; the measure is treated like a bill for a general law but is not sent to the Governor and cannot be vetoed.
• If the Legislature does not enact the proposal by a specified day, it is placed on the ballot; if an alternate proposal is approved, both appear on the ballot and the one with more votes prevails.
• The ballot format presents a choice between the initiative proposal and any legislative alternative, with Yes/No and a preference for (A) initiative or (B) legislative alternative.
• No more than two initiative-derived measures (general law or constitutional amendment) may be enacted in any one legislative session; if more are proposed, the two with the greatest signatures may be acted on or placed on the ballot.
• For constitutional amendments, the threshold is 10% of governor votes for final petition, with a similar district-based signature distribution; amendments pass if a majority of electors voting on the proposal approve.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 25, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Constitutional Amendments