Opinion ID: 1139868
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: proposed amendment

Text: Commencing in the year 1982 and each regular session of the legislature thereafter the budget bills shall be the prior order of business and the continuing order of business, as follows: (a) On or before the second legislative day the Governor shall transmit to each house of the legislature a written document in form proper for introduction for each the general fund budget and the special educational fund budget; provided, however, the legislature may authorize a later legislative day by a favorable vote of two-thirds membership in each house. (b) Commencing on or before the tenth legislative day, one hour after convening, the House shall consider the budget bills, from day to day, until final voting by that body on each such budget bill. On the tenth legislative day if no committee action has been taken on such bills, the bills shall be considered automatically to be before the House on their third reading. The final voting shall not be taken more than three legislative days from the third reading of the bills. Except for the roll call of the districts, resolutions and local legislation, no other business of any nature whatsoever shall come before the House until a recorded vote is taken on each budget bill. (c) Commencing from the time the general fund budget bill or the special educational trust fund budget bill is received by the Senate, that body shall consider as its first order of business each such budget bill, from day to day, until final voting thereon. The final voting shall not be taken more than three legislative days from the third reading of each such budget bill. Except for the roll call of the districts, resolutions and local legislation, no other business of any nature whatsoever shall come before the Senate until a recorded vote is taken on each budget bill. (d) In the event either or both budget bills are referred to a Conference Committee, it shall submit its report within three legislative days. If such committee reaches no consensus by the third legislative day another Conference Committee shall be appointed and shall render its report within three legislative days. Thereafter a new Conference Committee may be appointed at any time until adjournment sine die. If either or neither budget bill is passed, the amount of funds appropriated for the previous fiscal year from the general fund or from the special educational trust fund, as the case may be, shall be automatically the appropriations for the fiscal year for which either or neither budget bill is enacted into law. (e) After final passage by the House and the Senate of the budget bills, no business of any nature whatsoever shall be transacted in either house until the Governor has signed each such budget bill. Section 2. An election upon the proposed amendment is ordered to be held on the first Tuesday after the expiration of three months from final adjournment of the current session of the legislature. The election shall be held in accordance with the provisions of Section 284 and 285 of the Constitution, as amended, and Sections 17-17-1 through 17-17-6 of the Code of Alabama 1975. Section 3. Notice of the election and of the proposed amendment shall be given by proclamation of the Governor, which proclamation shall be published once a week for four successive weeks next preceding the day appointed for the election in a newspaper in each county of the state. In every county in which no newspaper is published, a copy of the notice shall be posted at each courthouse and post office. Act No. 81-953, as passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor provides: An act, Relating to the legislative process in enacting certain appropriation acts; (a) requiring the Governor to transmit to the Legislature, on or before the second legislative day of each regular session held after January 1, 1982, a proposed budget; (b) providing that, until such time as bills making appropriations for the then ensuing fiscal year (or for such other budget period as may at the time be in effect) for the ordinary expenses of the executive, legislative and judicial departments of the state, for the payment of the public debt, and for education (to the extent that any such item is not otherwise provided for) shall have been signed by the presiding officer of each house in the manner provided in the Constitution, no bill (other than a bill making any part of any of the said appropriations), shall be signed by either the presiding officer of the House or Senate and transmitted to the other house; (c) providing that the provisions of this act prohibiting final passage of certain bills in either house may be made inapplicable by three-fifths vote of the house in which a bill is pending of a resolution declaring the said prohibition inapplicable to the bill specified in such resolution; (d) providing that upon the signing and presentation to the Governor in accordance with Sections 66 and 125 of the Constitution of bills making the said appropriations, the provisions of this act prohibiting the final passage of certain bills in either house shall cease to be effective and shall not be revived or become again effective for the then current regular session as a result of the subsequent legislative history of any bill so signed and presented or of a determination that such bill is wholly or in part invalid; and (e) providing that nothing contained in this act shall be construed as requiring the legislature to make any appropriation not otherwise required by the Constitution to be made, and (f) setting a termination date.