Bill > HB14

This bill proposes a constitutional amendment called the "Alabama We The People Act" to establish a comprehensive public petition process for initiating both general laws and constitutional amendments in Alabama. Under the proposed process, citizens can start an initiative by filing a preliminary petition signed by at least 1,000 qualified voters and paying a $1,000 filing fee (which is refundable if the initiative is successful). A registered agent must be designated who will be responsible for future filings and election reports. The Secretary of State will review the preliminary filing, and if approved, the Alabama Law Institute will help prepare the full text and official summary of the proposed law or amendment. To advance to a final petition, initiatives must gather signatures from qualified voters equal to at least 7% of votes cast for Governor in the last election, with a minimum number of signatures required from each congressional district. If the Legislature does not enact a proposed general law within 30 legislative days, the proposal automatically goes on the ballot, and the Legislature cannot alter the original proposal but may offer an alternative. For constitutional amendments, the signature requirement increases to 10% of gubernatorial election votes. The bill ensures that initiatives can only be amended or repealed by voter approval and limits the Legislature to considering no more than two initiative proposals per legislative session, with preference given to proposals with the most signatures.

Government Affairs

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