2009 Bailey Thomson Awards Luncheon

Tickets for the August 27 Bailey Thomson Awards Luncheon are available through this web site. You can either purchase your tickets or donate tickets so others may participate by clicking here.

If you would like to sponsor a table for the August 27 gathering, please send an email to Elizabeth Dotts (Elizabeth@constitutionALreform.org) and we will send you some information about those opportunities. 

Click here to learn more about this year's celebration.

As supporters know, Speaker Pro Tem Demetrius Newton and Senator Ted Little sponsored Joint Resolutions in their respective Houses that would allow the people to vote on calling for a constitution convention during the Legislative Session of 2009.

On Wednesday, May 6th, the House version passed in the House Rules Committee and Rules Chair, Ken Guin, brought the resolution to the floor of the House, but it did not reach a vote due to stalling tactics.

Click here to read the entire article. »

Click here for complete article about the Resolutions offered in 2009. »

Click here to see the Resolutions. »

WHAT'S WRONG WITH ALABAMA'S CONSTITUTION?
Click here to find out »

WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?

The first step is to convince our legislators to allow bills or resolutions to pass that will allow citizens to write a new constitution.... something Alabama has done six times before.

We applaud the following Representatives for voting in favor of allowing the bill to be debated and the potential of allowing the people’s voices to be heard. Click here to see names of legislators who voted for the BIR and those who voted against it.

HERE'S WHAT THE MEDIA IS SAYING...

Reform that's still needed
The Anniston Star
Friday, June 26, 2009
by the Anniston Star Editorial Board

More than a decade has passed since the late Bailey Thomson wrote editorials that restarted Alabama's constitutional reform movement. Though it lost some momentum when he passed away, the issue remains critical for the state's future.
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Alabama Voices: Mock convention shows state constitution possible
Montgomery Advertiser
June 25, 2009
by Jim Vickrey

Nine score and 10 years ago, our state's founders wrote the first Constitution of Alabama. They wrote it so well -- in what is now called Constitution Village in Huntsville -- that it was hailed elsewhere at the time as perhaps the most progressive in the nation. No one has similarly labeled any one of that document's five successors "progressive."
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Mock constitution isn't a scaremonger
Press-Register
Tuesday, June 23, 2009

THE MOCK state constitution being circulated by Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform is short and efficient. It proves that replacing the 1901 version is doable and that Alabama can govern itself without 799 amendments.
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Legislature misses opportunity to act
The Anniston Star
In our opinion
05-19-2009

The fate of the latest Alabama House resolution concerning the state Constitution has left many shaking their heads in wonder at what passes for the legislative process in Alabama.

The resolution, HJR91, would have called for a popular vote on whether to convene a convention and rewrite the insufferable 1901 Constitution. It should have been adopted.

Harken back to when the state Legislature convened this year. At that time, HJR91 was introduced in the Alabama House (a similar resolution was introduced in the state Senate) and assigned to the House Rules Committee. It sat there until May 6, when it was sent to the full House for debate.

So far, so good.
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Alabamians should show outrage over Legislature refusing to let voters decide on convention of citizens to write new constitution
Posted by Bob Blalock - Birmingham News
May 20, 2009 2:07 AM

The Legislature resolved to do a whole lot this session.
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Reform is about trust
The Huntsville Times
Wednesday, April 29, 2009

The House should debate a constitutional measure

In the debate over whether Alabama should have a new constitution, the issue comes down to a single word and a single concept. It's trust.
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Alabama not alone in quest for reform
Press-Register
Tuesday, April 28, 2009

ALABAMA ISN'T the only state with a constitution that doesn't work. Turns out, other states are struggling with their constitutions, too.
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Supporters want Alabama House of Representatives to debate
constitutional convention plan
Supporters seek debate in House
The Birmingham News
Monday, April 27, 2009

MONTGOMERY - Supporters of a plan that would let voters decide whether to call a convention of delegates to draft a new state constitution say they will try to get the House of Representatives to vote on the proposal this week.
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Something for voters to decide: Have a say on Constitution
Editorials from the Anniston Star
In our opinion
04-25-2009

Alabama's founding fathers, the ones who wrote the state's antiquated Constitution, were all for letting the people's voice be heard — so long as the Legislature gave its approval.
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Bob Davis: Goat Hill and its two jobs
From the Anniston Star
04-05-2009

Can you guess the culprit? If you said the state's 1901 Constitution, give yourself a gold star.

The authors of that foul document had two primary goals: 1. Remove voting and other rights from blacks. 2. Keep anyone not rich and powerful from making substantial changes to the established order.

Sadly for us, for democracy and for social progress, they succeeded. Alabama's 1901 founding fathers produced a crippled offspring that is nothing more than a slave to powerful interests.
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Debating the Constitution: Let's go at it another way
The Anniston Star
In our opinion
02-21-2009

For a number of years, state Rep. Demetrius Newton, D-Birmingham, and state Sen. Ted Little, D-Auburn, have introduced a bill that would allow Alabama voters to decide if they wanted a convention to rewrite the 1901 Constitution or replace it with another.

Every year, the bill has died. It's been stuck in a procedural roadblock known as a budget isolation resolution that requires a three-fifths majority before a measure can be considered.

Newton and Little now think they have found a way solution.
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Power to the people
From the Huntsville Times
Monday, February 16, 2009

Some candidates still oppose a constitutional convention.
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Mock Convention Puts Pressure on Reform Opponents
Jennifer Foster Opelika-Auburn
Columnist

Published: February 16, 2009

Saturday in Prattville, former Alabama Chief Justice Gorman Houston swore in the 105 delegates to the first session of Alabama’s mock constitutional convention, sponsored by Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform.

Yes, the convention was only for show. But it is a powerful visual symbol that the constitutional reform movement, nine years in the making, is getting some serious legs.

It’s about time. Alabama’s current constitution, ratified in 1901 even though almost half of the state’s counties opposed it, is riddled with historical anachronisms, racist language and inefficiencies. It strangles local governments and restricts the ability of our city councilors, county commissioners and anyone else outside Montgomery to respond to local needs.
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Group of Alabama voters challenges state Constitution

New vote or document wanted
The Birmingham News
Friday, February 13, 2009
ERIN STOCK
News staff writer

A group of Alabama voters who say the state's constitution was never legally ratified by the people are asking for a new vote on it or on a new constitution.
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Joint resolution to reform constitution is introduced
The Huntsville Times
Friday, February 13, 2009
By BOB LOWRY bob.lowry@htimes.com

Sponsor Little says this way removes two big hurdles

MONTGOMERY - Proponents of reforming the state's 1901 constitution are trying a different approach in the 2009 session of the Alabama Legislature.

Instead of submitting the proposal as a bill, it has been introduced as a joint resolution in the House and the Senate.
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Constitutional convention idea should be on ballot
From the Opelika Auburn News
Editorial
Published February 12, 2009

We salute Ted Little. The Auburn state senator refuses to give up on reforming Alabama’s outdated constitution — a 107-year-old book of law that has been amended 800 times and is in dire need of stepping into the 21st century with the rest of America.
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State loses constitution reform champ
Birmingham News Sunday, February 9, 2009

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A state leader is gone
The Huntsville Times
Saturday, February 07, 2009

Dr. Tom Corts was a major figure in constitutional reform

Alabama lost a leader this week. Dr. Tom Corts of Birmingham, age 67, died of a heart attack.
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Our Persepctive — Disenfranchised: Why doesn't anybody really care?
From The Citizen of East Alabama

Received from the source on January 22, 2009
Thursday, November 13th, 2008

The real issue that concerns us is the flawed condition of the Constitution of the state of Alabama. While amending it may be bigger than one person, the people of Alabama should demand constitutional reform. As long as no one cares and no one presses the issue, the process will remain forever flawed.
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DOTHAN EAGLE EDITORIAL
Published: January 7, 2009

... If the Alabama Legislature could muster the will to authorize a constitutional convention in which delegates could draft a new constitution for Alabama, we could cast off the yoke and construct a guiding document that rectifies problems we’ve been saddled with for years.
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Experts: Local tax increases underline need for constitutional reform
From Today's Anniston Star
11-23-2008

This month, the Calhoun County Commission and Oxford City Council each increased sales taxes by one cent to raise more money for schools in hard times.

The state's constitution gave them few options.

Alabama's 1901 Constitution, which limits local taxing authority, reared its head again, constitutional reform advocates say.
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A crazy constitution
The Huntsville Times
Monday, November 17, 2008

The November vote puts amendment flaws in the spotlight.
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Constitutional reformists to host mock convention
From the TimesDaily
By Trevor Stokes
Staff Writer

Published: Friday, November 14, 2008 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Thrusday, November 13, 2008 at 10:46 p.m.

FLORENCE - Alabama constitutional reform advocates Thursday discussed 2009's mock convention, a non-legally binding reworking of the 1901 state constitution supporters hope will relieve the state from what they call an outdated political framework.
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Amendment votes show absurdity
From the Montgomery Advertiser
November 10, 2008

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Alabama voters having to decide on
amendments that don't affect them
and that they know very little about is
anything but euphoric
The Birmingham News
Sunday, November 09, 2008

Five days removed from an historic Election Day, the euphoria continues.

Alabama voters flocked to the polls in record numbers and made monumental decisions, like whether to raise court costs in Russell County, whether to expand the number of people who can elect two members of the Utilities Board of Tuskegee, and whether to prohibit cities outside Blount County from annexing any part of the county without voter approval. Does it get any bigger, any better, than that?

OK, we'll dial down the sarcasm. Yes, those things are important to the people who live in those areas, but that's the point: Those things are important only to the people who live in those areas.

Why should any voter in Alabama who doesn't live there, doesn't care a whit, have to confront those issues on the Election Day ballot as proposed constitutional amendments? For that matter, why should those sorts of issues even have to go before voters, rather than letting local governments decide them?

It's because of the 1901 Constitution of Alabama.
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Once again, voters see firsthand the problems
the 1901 Constitution creates
From the Birmingham News
Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Welcome to the end of your ballot, that part filled with obscure proposed constitutional amendments few voters have even heard about, much less studied enough to know whether to approve them.

Don't mistake that criticism for condescension. If it weren't part of our job, we'd be just as befuddled (some would argue we still are).

Voters aren't to blame. Blame the 1901 Constitution of Alabama.
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Outdated constitution binds county leaders
From the Press-Register
Wednesday, October 22, 2008

ELECTED OFFICIALS in Washington County have two big worries about taxes.

First and foremost, the county doesn't collect enough taxes to adequately fund basic services. Second, the state's archaic constitution tethers local governments like a ball and chain, limiting their ability to raise money to take care of local needs.
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Again, it's the Constitution: Another example to ponder
Editorials from the Anniston Star
In our opinion
10-17-2008

Have you noticed that when problems arise in Alabama, somehow either the cause of the problem or the lack of a solution can be traced back to the antiquated, oft-amended 1901 state constitution?

Consider the mess Jefferson County is in.
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A point proven
From the Anniston Star
In our opinion
09-02-2008

Just imagine what the authors of the 1901 Alabama Constitution would have thought.

Last Thursday, Alabamians were talking about undoing their evil schemes. The occasion was the 2nd annual Bailey Thomson Awards Luncheon, which was sponsored by the Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform Foundation.
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Poverty's roots lie in state constitution
The Press-Register
Monday, September 01, 2008

REPORTS THAT Mobile County and the rest of Alabama continue to have unreasonably high rates of poverty — despite considerable economic growth — should energize citizens and government alike to work for a new Alabama Constitution.
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The tale of two Alabamians
The Anniston Star
By Kristina Scott
08-31-2008

The naming of Auburn University professor Wayne Flynt, Alabama 's preeminent historian and social reformer, as this year's recipient of the Bailey Thomson Award surely symbolizes the best of times in Alabama.
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From the PRESS-REGISTER
Friday, August 29, 2008
By JILLIAN KRAMER
Staff Reporter

Supporters of efforts to reform Alabama's 1901 constitution met Thursday to honor a former Press-Register editor and advocate for rewriting the document.

More than 250 people gathered at the Arthur R. Outlaw Convention Center in Mobile - and another 150 people participated via telecast at the Harbert Center in Birmingham - for the second annual Bailey Thomson Awards Luncheon.

The Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform Foundation, which Thomson helped form in April 2000, hosted the event.
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Dog Days of Summer
The Birmingham News
Monday, August 04, 2008

THE ISSUE: Eventually, Alabama's constitution reform movement will overcome the Legislature's lethargy, inactivity, indolence

Random House Webster's College Dictionary tells us "dog days" are the "sultry part of summer when Sirius, the Dog Star, rises at the same time as the sun." A second definition: "a period marked by lethargy, inactivity or indolence."

There is no doubt, by either definition (or by walking outside), that we're in the midst of the dog days of summer. It is fitting, then, that a grass-roots group this past week, in the midst of dog days, announced awards honoring those who have distinguished themselves in the effort to reform the state's fundamental charter. Fitting, because of the thousands of dog days of legislative "lethargy, inactive or indolence" over rewriting Alabama's 1901 Constitution.
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Close, but no cigar
The Anniston Star
In our opinion
07-16-2008

Alabama did not win the Volkswagen plant. The state gave it a good try, and right up to the last moment rumors flew heavy that Alabama's offer had prevailed and the German company had picked a site near Huntsville. But that didn't happen; Tennessee won, and Europe's biggest automaker will build its plant near Chattanooga. Gov. Bob Riley expressed disappointment at the announcement, but he went on to say that he was pleased that the site chosen was close to Alabama. This page feels the same way. The governor's economic development team now needs to assess the Tennessee offer, compare it to what our state was willing — and able — to provide, and learn how to do better next time, if Alabama indeed can do better. In this case, it may be that Tennessee simply had more to offer. Alabama also needs to consider how the state's constitutional limits played into the bidding war. Had Alabama been picked, the governor would have had to call a special session for the Legislature to approve many of the incentives the state had offered. In addition, lawmakers would have needed to pass a proposed constitutional amendment so the state could use money from trusts funded by natural gas royalties. Then that amendment would have gone to the voters in November. The Legislature likely would have approved the incentives and the amendment — and it's almost certain that voters would have fallen into line. But the possibility that the Legislature, or the voters, might not have approved the plan always existed. That may have bothered the Volkswagen leadership,
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The need for a new Constitution
The Randolph Leader
Thursday, June 5, 2008 - Roanoke, Alabama

By passing the education budget in a five-day special session last week, the Legislature, specifically the state Senate, did what it couldn't, or wouldn't, accomplish during the regular session that lasted from Feb. 5 until May 19. This cost us an unnecessary $110,000, but it could have been worse had the special session lasted longer.
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Try Again
Times Daily
Published: May 13, 2008

THE ISSUE

The Legislature killed a bill that would have allowed voters to decide whether to hold a constitutional convention to replace Alabama's heavily amended governing document.

Once again, voters have been denied the opportunity to decide whether to hold a constitutional convention to replace Alabama's much-amendment constitution.
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Our view: Scare tactics don't justify constitution vote
The Daily Home - Covering Talledega, Pell City and Sylacauga
05-04-2008

Boo! No, it’s not Halloween. It’s the time when the Alabama Legislature is in session, and it annually blocks the effort to have the people of this state decide whether they want to call a convention to write a new constitution.

And instead of goblins and ghouls, lawmakers employ the scariest of tactics around these parts – the mere mention of taxes and gambling – to ensure that the bill never quite comes to a vote.
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New hope for reform
The Huntsville Times
Saturday, May 03, 2008

House backers actually got more votes than their opponents

What happened to constitutional reform this week in the state House of Representatives could not, by any stretch, be called a victory. But even in a lopsided loss, reform advocates saw a glimmer of possibility.
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A Broken Legislature
The Huntsville Times
Thursday, May 01, 2008

The 2008 session points out the need for constitutional reform.
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Constitution and budget woes
The Anniston Star
In our opinion
04-21-2008

A budget crisis has revealed just how our state Constitution makes it difficult, if not impossible, to respond to state needs in an effective and efficient manner. Even more evidence of why a new Constitution is an urgent matter.
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State House leader confident in constitutional convention bill
The Anniston Star
By Markeshia Ricks
Capitol Correspondent
04-20-2008

MONTGOMERY — The question of calling a convention to overhaul Alabama's 107-year-old constitution soon will be before state lawmakers.

But getting it passed will be the ultimate test of political muscle and of a grassroots constitutional reform movement's ability to change the minds of legislators.
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Is this evidence?
The Anniston Star
In our opinion
04-07-2008

Opponents of constitutional reform argue that there is no clear evidence that the people of Alabama want it.

"Evidence" is in the eye of the beholder. However, it is safe to say that until now opponents have felt they could safely ignore cries for constitutional reform because there was little, if any, evidence of statewide support.

That may have changed.

A recent poll conducted by the Capital Survey Research Center found that a majority of Alabama citizens want the Legislature to pass pending legislation that would allow the people to vote on whether or not to hold a constitutional convention.
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Alabamians clearly want to vote
click here to read the poll
Editorial
Montgomery Advertiser
April 2, 2008

Maybe most Alabamians want to see a constitutional convention held to draft a new constitution to replace the 1901 document that still forms the organic body of law for our state. Maybe they don't.

What they plainly do want, however, is the chance to decide whether to hold a convention. A new statewide survey indicates widespread support for holding an election on the convention question. The survey shows levels of support throughout a broad demographic range of Alabamians that, if cited as election results, would be seen as landslides.
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The people of Alabama want to vote on whether a citizens convention should draft a new constitution, but will the Legislature let them?
The Birmingham News
Thursday, April 03, 2008

If there's a popular groundswell rising, many Alabama lawmakers will knock each other out of the way to be the first to catch the wave.

So here are some poll results that ought to make lawmakers break out the surfboards: Almost two-thirds of Alabamians surveyed say they want their lawmakers to vote for a bill that would let voters decide whether they want a constitutional convention to draft a new state constitution.
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Return power to state voters
Tuscaloosa News
Published Friday, March 7, 2008

There are arguments to be made for and against a convention to draft a new Alabama constitution. The only certainty is that the current document, enacted in 1901, needs to be replaced.

Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform wraps up all the major arguments: The 1901 Constitution restricts local democracy; it locks in an unfair tax system; it hinders economic development; it limits budget flexibility; it is the longest known constitution in the world; and it has undemocratic origins.

At long last, Alabamians may have a chance to vote on whether to call a convention to draft a new state constitution. The Constitution and Elections Committee of the state House of Representatives voted 9-4 this week for a bill for a statewide referendum concurrent with the 2010 primary elections.

The bill has a long way to go. It faces a vote in the full House, approval by the Senate and endorsement by the governor.
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Our view: House should let people vote
Daily Home
03-07-2008

It’s easy to agree with state Rep. Demetrius Newton, D-Birmingham, when he talks about the call for a rewrite of Alabama’s constitution.

As a House committee on Wednesday considered letting voters decide whether they want a convention to rewrite the state’s constitution, Newton asked members a question.

“Whether you agree we need a new constitution or vehemently disagree, it boils down to one simple thing – do you trust the same people who elected you to the Legislature to make the decision?,” Newton asked the House Constitution and Elections Committee.

On a 9-4 vote, the answer was in the affirmative.
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© 2007
Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform
P.O.Box 10746, Birmingham, AL 35202-0746
205-540-7501
accr@constitutionalreform.org