Alabama

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The Alabama project on Sunshine Review


The foundational document for Alabama's government is the Alabama Constitution, which was ratified in 1901. At almost 800 amendments and 310,000 words, it is the world's longest constitution and is roughly forty times the length of the U.S. Constitution. There is a significant movement to rewrite and modernize Alabama's constitution. This movement is based upon the fact that Alabama's constitution highly centralizes power in Montgomery and leaves practically no power in local hands. Any policy changes proposed around the state must be approved by the entire Alabama legislature and, frequently, by state referendum.

Help to build a transparent and accountable government in Alabama


Alabama Breaking News...

County to disclose financial details

September 10, 2008: Jackson County Commission Chairman James Tidmore announced Monday that he will provide the public with a balance of all of the county's funds, as well as the amounts owed on debts, during the next commission meeting. Read the full article here.

Trial in Barksdale suit set Aug. 11
July 26, 2008: Mary Barksdale’s Open Records Act suit against the state Department of Corrections is set for trial August 11, according to Sarah Geraghty, an attorney for Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta.

Barksdale, mother of the late Farron Barksdale, who died after being incarcerated at Kilby Correctional Facility a year ago, is seeking access to her son’s prison records, which DOC officials contend do not fall under the Open Records Act. Read the full article here.

Sheriff Chris Curry is wrong about trying to keep the public out of the Shelby County Commission's budget-writing process for his department
July 17, 2008: Shelby County Sheriff Chris Curry is raising enough red flags to supply a May Day parade in Moscow.

Curry is asking county commissioners to meet privately, one or two at a time, with the department's operations commander, Capt. Ken Burchfield, to discuss the sheriff's 2008-09 budget request. Read the full editorial here.

New open records policy still unwritten
July 10, 2008: From February through May, the city lowered the cost of obtaining public records; made City Council agenda packets available to the public prior to council meetings; and put the city’s Code of Ordinances online.

However, five months after the overall public records policy was changed verbally by Mayor Tim Kant in early February, that new policy has not been put in any formal writing, such as an ordinance or resolution. Read the full article here.

...more Alabama news

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Portions of this article were taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under the GNU license.