Alabama’s March 5 primary election will feature a constitutional amendment, Amendment 1, concerning local legislation.
Amendment 1 would remove the budget isolation resolution restriction on local laws and local constitutional amendments, thereby allowing them to be considered before budgets are approved without the 60% supermajority vote requirement.
In 1984, Alabama voters approved a constitutional amendment requiring the governor to present a proposed budget to the legislature by the second day of the legislative session. It also required that the legislature pass and present to the governor a bill making appropriations for the basic needs of the state and education before enacting any other legislation. A bill can be exempt from this requirement by a three-fifths (60%) vote approving a budget isolation resolution exemption. Since budget bills are typically passed as one of the last items in a legislative session, the provision effectively requires other legislation to receive a 60% vote on a budget isolation resolution before moving on to a second vote to pass the legislation itself.
