Staff Report
Future efforts of Revision Commission could be jeopardized if amendments aren’t passed, Marsh says
Press Release
MONTGOMERY – The sponsor of a resolution that created a Constitution Revision Commission today encouraged voters to pass Constitutional Amendments 4, 9 and 10, saying the future work of the Commission could be jeopardized if the amendments fail to pass.
“We’ve all heard criticisms about the outdated and out-of-place provisions in Alabama’s Constitution and now voters have the opportunity to address these issues,” Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh said. “The Revision Commission has been working for more than a year to review portions on the Constitution and present amendments that will clean up and modify the old and unnecessary portions of the state’s governing document.”
Amendments 9 and 10 modify constitutional articles that address corporations and banking, and are the first two amendments proposed by the Commission and will be on the November 6th ballot.
“Frankly, if these amendments fail to pass, I think there will be some question as to whether there’s enough support to keep moving forward with additional revision efforts.”
Marsh also urged voters to pass Amendment 4, which strikes racist language dealing with segregation in schools and poll taxes from the Constitution. He noted that the Commission is scheduled to review the Constitution’s education provisions in 2013, and that concerns raised by opponents of Amendment 4 can be addressed at that time.
“I encourage Alabamians to vote ‘yes’ on Amendment 4 to remove offensive racist language from our Constitution,” Marsh added. “While there has been opposition to this amendment, I trust the legal experts from the independent, nonpartisan Alabama Law Institute who have stated that Amendment 4 does nothing more than remove racist language.”
