Alabama Constitution Section 101 - Lobbying in legislature by state or county officials.
Alabama Constitution – Section 101: Lobbying in Legislature by State or County Officials
📜 Summary:
Section 101 of the Alabama Constitution prohibits certain public officials from acting as lobbyists in the state legislature while holding office. This is intended to maintain separation of powers, prevent undue influence, and promote ethical conduct in government.
🔑 Key Provisions:
Who Is Restricted?
Any person holding office under the authority of Alabama — whether at the state or county level — is covered by this section.
What Is Prohibited?
These officials may not appear before the legislature or its committees in a role intended to:
Advocate for or against the passage of any law
Influence legislative action
Key Exception:
Public officials can appear in their official capacity to give information or answer questions when requested by the legislature or a committee.
In other words, testifying when summoned is allowed, but voluntary lobbying or influence is not.
🎯 Purpose:
To prevent conflicts of interest and abuse of public position for political gain.
To stop public officials from using their taxpayer-funded roles to manipulate legislation in ways that may benefit themselves or their offices.
To preserve impartiality and focus public officials on their duties, not lobbying activities.
✅ Example:
A county commissioner cannot go to the State House to lobby legislators to pass a bill funding a project in their county — unless they are formally invited to speak in an official capacity by the legislature or a legislative committee.
RELATED Blog
0 comments