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SDPB Radio Coverage of the South Dakota Legislature. See all coverage and find links to audio and video streams live from the Capitol at www.sdpb.org/statehouse

Voters Won't Vote On Two-Thirds Vote

The House of Representatives Tuesday rejected a proposal to ask voters to change the State Constitution. Senate Joint Resolution 2 would have put on the ballot a constitutional change requiring a two-thirds vote of the people to increase taxes through an initiated measure.

Proponents say the legislature can’t enact new taxes without a two-thirds vote, but the people can vote in new taxes by a simple majority. They say for consistency, taxes should require a two-thirds vote regardless where the idea originates.

But opponent Jim Bolin says the resolution fundamentally changes the nature of the initiative process.

“The heart of this resolution is not about taxes,” Bolin says. “Instead, this misguided measure is an attack on our heritage and the initiative process, one of the most cherished and basic parts of our political history.”

Representatives killed the bill by a simple majority vote.