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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.
But when the resolution came up, Rep. James Buskey, D-Mobile, moved that it be carried over "temporarily," a tactic traditionally used to delay and kill legislation.
At this point Rep. Ken Guin, D-Carbon Hill, moved that Buskey's motion be "laid on the table," which would have removed that obstacle and allowed the House to get on with the debate.
However, when Guin's motion came up for a vote, a number of legislators apparently did not know enough about legislative procedures to conduct an informed vote. They voted against Guin's motion, thinking they were voting against Buskey's delaying tactic.
But, of course, they were doing just the opposite. By defeating Guin's motion, which they did, the confused legislators prevented the House from debating the resolution. (Two representatives, admitting their mistake, asked for their vote to be changed from "no" to "yes," not that it did any good.)
Perhaps most distressing to supporters of constitutional reform was the fact that 26 legislators did not vote at all, and some of those were declared supporters of the resolution.
Thanks to confusion, negligence and obstructionism, the people of Alabama again will not get to vote on whether to call a convention to rewrite the state Constitution.
For another year the people of Alabama will have to suffer under a governing document that prevents the state from being a better place for all its residents. The Alabama Legislature never ceases to amaze.