HB548 Alabama 2017 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Isaac Whorton

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2017

Title

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

Summary

HB548 would let Alabama voters initiate general laws and constitutional amendments by initiative, with the Legislature able to offer an alternate proposal and a referendum for statutes and resolutions.

What This Bill Does

The bill adds an initiative process allowing people to propose general laws or constitutional amendments and to referendum statutes and resolutions. It sets signature and filing requirements, a refundable filing fee, and a review process by the Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Alabama Law Institute before full text and an official summary are published. If the Legislature does not act on an initiative or offers an alternate proposal, the measures go to a statewide ballot, and the Legislature cannot amend the original initiative but may sponsor an alternative. If adopted, general laws would become law (upon delivery to the Secretary of State) and constitutional amendments would become part of the Constitution; no special elections are called solely for initiatives, and the legislature has limited ability to block or alter the results.

Who It Affects

• Qualified Alabama voters who sign petitions and vote on initiative proposals and amendments, with specific signature thresholds required for final petitions (7% of last gubernatorial votes for general laws; 10% for constitutional amendments).
• The Alabama Legislature, which would consider initiative proposals, may offer an alternate proposal, and may place approved initiatives on the ballot; if not enacted, measures proceed to a statewide vote.

Key Provisions

• The people may initiate the enactment of general laws or constitutional amendments by filing a concise summary and preliminary petition with the Secretary of State, with at least 1,000 signatures and a $1,000 filing fee (refundable if the initiative passes).
• A registered agent handles filings, and signer names must match official voter lists; the Secretary of State reviews preliminary filings and the Attorney General provides an opinion on legal compliance before full text is drafted.
• The Alabama Law Institute may prepare the full text and official summary, which are published on the Secretary of State's site for at least 90 days (proposal summary remains through the next regular session).
• Final petitions must equal at least 7% of gubernatorial votes for general laws or 10% for constitutional amendments; no more than three initiatives may be enacted by the Legislature in a single session, and the three with the most signatures are prioritized if more than three are proposed.
• If the Legislature acts on a proposal, it may not amend the original initiative but may offer an alternate proposal; if both are adopted, both appear on the ballot and the winning measure is the one with the most votes.
• Initiatives for general laws may be enacted by the Legislature or placed on the ballot if not enacted; such measures become law upon delivery to the Secretary of State and according to the terms of the initiative, without governor involvement, whereas constitutional amendments require voter approval to become part of the Constitution.
• If an initiative fails, a nearly identical one cannot be submitted again for 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