MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) -
As the September 18 Special Election moves closer more interest groups and state lawmakers are making their opinions known about Amendment One.
The Alabama Retail Association and the Alabama State Employees Association each announced their support for Amendment One Friday.
"It's certainly not perfect but it does give the state a three year window, the legislature and the governor, to fix the funding issue in the General Fund" said Mac McCarthur, Executive Director of the ASEA.
Amendment One is a proposed constitutional amendment that, if passed by voters, would authorize the state legislature and the governor to use $435 million over three years to help balance the General Fund budget. The money would avoid additional steep cuts to Medicaid and Corrections.
Sen. Paul Bussman, (R – Cullman), came out against the proposal Friday.
"This is not the best thing for the state of Alabama" Bussman said. "This is not the only option we have in the state of Alabama."
Bussman joined House Minority Leader Rep. Craig Ford (D – Etowah) in his call to vote against Amendment One. One other Senate Republican, Dick Brewbaker, also announced his opposition earlier in the week. They each argue that the legislature didn't fulfill its responsibility to pass a balanced budget and that a referendum to provide level funding is not a path the state should go down.
McArthur with the ASEA emphasized that if voters say no, additional sweeping cuts could impact every Alabamian.
"Without the passage of Amendment One you're going to see massive cuts in programs" McArthur said. "You're going to see massive layoffs of state employees who provide those services and a tremendous amount of Alabama citizens going without those services."
Governor Robert Bentley has ruled tax hikes as a remedy to the state's General Fund woes if the proposal doesn't pass.
He has the option to call lawmakers into a Special Session, or to declare Proration, mandatory spending cuts, if the referendum fails.
Copyright 2012 WSFA 12 News. All rights reserved.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WSFA, a Raycom Media Station.
