In Alabama, voters rejected Amendment 1, a constitutional amendment related to local legislation. The vote was 48.67% ‘Yes’ to 51.33% ‘No.’ The amendment would have eliminated the requirement for a budget isolation resolution for legislators to vote on local laws and constitutional amendments before the approval of budgets and without a 60% vote.
In 1984, voters in Alabama 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, known as a budget isolation resolution. 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.
Amendment 1 was passed unanimously in the state legislature during the 2023 legislative session.
