HF 5

1st Engrossment - 81st Legislature (1999 - 2000) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to the legislature; proposing an amendment to 
  1.3             the Minnesota Constitution by adding a section to 
  1.4             article IV; requiring a three-fifths vote to enact a 
  1.5             law increasing taxes. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.] 
  1.8      An amendment to the Minnesota Constitution is proposed to 
  1.9   the people.  If the amendment is adopted, a section must be 
  1.10  added to article IV, to read: 
  1.11     Sec. 27.  Passage of a law that increases the general rate 
  1.12  or expands the taxable base of a state tax on income or sales or 
  1.13  increases property taxes requires the vote of three-fifths of 
  1.14  the members of each house of the legislature.  A law increases 
  1.15  property taxes if the law: 
  1.16     (1) increases a property tax rate or levy set or permitted 
  1.17  under state law; 
  1.18     (2) authorizes a governmental unit to impose additional 
  1.19  property taxes; 
  1.20     (3) reduces total state aid to governmental units with 
  1.21  authority to increase its property tax rate or levy; or 
  1.22     (4) imposes additional requirements to provide services or 
  1.23  otherwise spend money on a governmental unit with authority to 
  1.24  levy property taxes.  Passage of a law that creates a new tax of 
  1.25  statewide applicability also requires the vote of three-fifths 
  2.1   of the members of each house of the legislature. 
  2.2      Sec. 2.  [QUESTION.] 
  2.3      The proposed amendment must be submitted to the people at 
  2.4   the 2000 general election.  The question submitted must be: 
  2.5      "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to require a 
  2.6   three-fifths vote of each house of the legislature to pass a law 
  2.7   that increases state income or sales taxes or property taxes? 
  2.8                                      Yes .......
  2.9                                      No ........"