Sims v. Union Underwear Co., Inc.
Sims v. Union Underwear Co., Inc.
Opinion
The employee, Horace Clayton Sims, filed a claim against his employer pursuant to the Workmen's Compensation Act, Ala. Code 1975, §
The employer filed a motion to dismiss, contending that the employee's claim was barred by the one-year statute of limitations, specifically §
The employee appeals, contending that Acts of Alabama 1984-85, Act No. 85-41, Special Session, January 9, 1985, pp. 44-66, effectively amended the statute of limitations and extended the time to file a workmen's compensation action to two years.
At the outset, we note that our Constitution specifically addresses the question of how an original act of the legislature may be amended. Article IV, Section 45, of the Constitution of 1901 reads as follows:
"The style of the laws of this state shall be: 'Be it enacted by the legislature of Alabama,' which need not be repeated, but the act shall be divided into sections for convenience, according to substance, and the sections designated merely by figures. Each law shall contain but one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in its title, except general appropriation bills, general revenue bills, and bills adopting a code, digest, or revision of statutes; and no law shall be revived, amended, or the provisions thereof extended or conferred, by reference to its title only; but so much thereof as is revived, amended, extended, or conferred, shall be re-enacted and published at length." (Emphasis added.)
This provision has been recently interpreted by the Supreme Court of Alabama *Page 1079
in Opinion of the Justices No. 321,
Here, it appears from a review of the preamble to Act No. 85-41 that the legislature may have intended to amend the statute of limitations in all workmen's compensation cases to two years. However, it clearly did not follow the mandates of Article IV, Section 45, of the Constitution. Section
In view of the above, we find that Act No. 85-41 did not amend §
This case is due to be affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
ROBERTSON and RUSSELL, JJ., concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Horace Clayton Sims v. Union Underwear Company, Inc.
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published