The state Senate has turned down a proposed Constitutional amendment that would have required a two-thirds vote of both the House and Senate to raise taxes, or impose a new tax.
HCR 3040 had already passed the House. And if the Senate said “yes,” it would have been on the ballot in 2022.
The vote from the Senate Finance and Taxation Committee was 5-2 for a “do not pass.”
"Your committee on Finance and Tax, while maintaining a desire to keep taxes low, felt that placing this type of restriction in the state's Constitution went too far in tying the hands of future legislative assemblies, and potentially affecting their ability to manage the financial resources of our state," said Sen. Dale Patton (R-Watford City).
Sen. Doug Larsen (R-Mandan) said he thinks it should be hard to raise taxes.
"This is good for the fiscal-minded legislator, whether we're here today or tomorrow," Larsen said. "This is great for the taxpayer. It should be more difficult than a simple majority to raise their taxes."
The Senate rejected it on a 28 to 18 vote.