HB209 Alabama 2014 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Mike Ball

Republican

Co-Sponsor

Mike Hill

Session

Regular Session 2014

Title

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

Summary

HB209 would let Alabama voters initiate general laws and constitutional amendments, with the Legislature allowed to offer an alternate proposal.

What This Bill Does

Creates an initiative process that allows people to propose general laws and constitutional amendments, subject to the same limits as the Legislature, and lets the Legislature offer an alternate proposal. Sets steps for starting an initiative (summary, petition with at least 1,000 voters and a $1,000 refundable filing fee; registered agent; signature verification; full text drafted by the Alabama Law Institute). Specifies how proposals are considered: the Legislature can consider or reject; if not enacted, they go to a statewide ballot; for constitutional amendments, higher signature thresholds apply and the Legislature may propose an alternative; no special elections are allowed solely for initiative.

Who It Affects

• Qualified Alabama voters who sign initial and final petitions and may become involved as the registered agent or in supporting initiatives
• Individuals or groups acting as registered agents responsible for filing, reporting, and managing initiative proposals
• The Alabama Legislature, which may sponsor, modify, or place an alternative proposal on the ballot and decide whether to enact proposals
• Election officials, the Secretary of State, and the Alabama Law Institute, which handle filing, verification, publication, and drafting of full texts and summaries

Key Provisions

• Initiatives may be used to enact general laws or constitutional amendments; the Legislature may offer an alternative proposal for the same subject
• Preliminary filing requires a concise summary, at least 1,000 qualified voters, and a $1,000 filing fee (refundable if the initiative is enacted); a registered agent manages filings and must meet campaign-related responsibilities
• The Secretary of State verifies signatures, and the Alabama Law Institute drafts the full text and official summary within 90 days of request
• Final petition thresholds for general laws: at least 7% of governor votes statewide and at least 1% from each congressional district; preliminary signatures may count toward this total; final petitions must be gathered within a two-year window
• For general laws, the Legislature must receive the proposal 30 days before the regular session starts; it is treated like other bills, cannot be vetoed by the Governor, and the Legislature may not amend the original proposal but may offer an alternate
• If the Legislature does not enact the general-law proposal by the 30th legislative day, it goes to a statewide ballot; if an alternate is approved, both appear on the ballot; the measure becomes law upon delivery to the Secretary of State
• No more than two initiative-enacted pieces of legislation can be considered in a single legislative session; if more than two are proposed, the two with the most signatures move forward
• For constitutional amendments, final petition thresholds are 10% of governor votes statewide and at least 1.3% from each district; the Legislature may approve an alternative amendment
• If two constitutional amendments on essentially the same subject are adopted, the one with the most votes prevails; no special election may be called solely for an initiative
• Two-year wait rule: identical initiative proposals failing to pass cannot be resubmitted for at least two years

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Constitutional Amendments