Oklahoma Property Tax Amendment (2012)

Property Tax Amendment
Quick stats
Type:	Constitutional amendment
Constitution:	Section 8B, Article 10
Referred by:	Oklahoma State Legislature
Topic:	Taxes
Status:	On the ballot

An Oklahoma Property Tax Amendment will appear on the November 2012 ballot in the state of Oklahoma as a legislatively-referred constitutional amendment. The measure would prevent annual increases in property taxes in the state. According to reports, there were two House measures being considered in 2011 state legislative session, as well as one Senate proposal. The measure that will be on the ballot is HJR 1002, which would put a 3 percent annual cap on future property tax increases, if approved by voters.

A proposed Senate bill, SJR 5, was similar to HRJ 1002, in that it would also place a 3 percent annual cap. The other measure, HJR 1001, would put a permanent freeze on property tax levels for senior citizens who exceeded 65 years of age. HJR 1001 was considered for the ballot, at least not during 2011 state legislative session. The measure did not meet an April 14, 2011 deadline for consideration. The measure could still be considered during 2012 session for ballot access. State Representative David Dank was the sponsor of both House measures, while State Senator Jim Reynolds was the sponsor of the Senate bill.

Path to the ballot

The Oklahoma State Legislature can approve a proposed amendment by a majority vote. However, if the state legislature wants the proposed amendment to be placed on a special election ballot, it has to approve the amendment by a 2/3rds vote. The Oklahoma State Senate voted in favor of sending HJR 1002 to the ballot with a vote of 26-19 during the week of April 11, 2011, sending it to the Oklahoma House of Representatives for consideration. There, it was passed with a vote of 77-16 on April 20, 2011, therefore approving its ballot access.

HJR 1001

On February 23, 2011, the House Rules Committee approved HJR 1001 with a vote of 12-1, and HJR 1002 with a vote of 11-2. The measures then headed to the full House for debate. On March 12, 2011, HJR 1001 was approved by the Oklahoma House of Representatives with a full vote of 82-13. The measure then headed to the Oklahoma State Senate for a similar vote, however HJR 1001 did not meet a deadline to be considered by the chamber. The measure can still be considered during 2012 legislative session. The Oklahoma State Legislature can approve a proposed amendment by a majority vote in both chambers.

Timeline

The following is a timeline of events surrounding the measure:

Event	Date	Developments
Approval	Apr. 11, 2011	Oklahoma State Senate voted 26 to 19 to approve the measure.
Final Approval	Apr. 20, 2011	House approved measure for ballot access, 77 to 16.

See also

By Al Ortiz Ballot measure writer

Email • Submit a link

• 2012 ballot measures
• Oklahoma 2012 ballot measures

Articles

• Oklahoma gets in on ballot measure action; certifies property tax proposal