Iowa Constitutional Amendment 1 — Two-thirds legislative vote for income tax increases

What it does

Shall the following amendment to the Constitution be adopted? Summary: Provides that any bill to increase the individual income tax rate or the corporate income tax rate, or the rate of any other type of tax based upon income or legal and special reserves, shall require the affirmative votes of at least two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the legislature for passage. Further, the two-thirds majority vote requirement applies to the passage of a bill to establish a new tax on any type of income or legal and special reserves imposed by the state. The requirement excludes taxes imposed at the option of a local government. A lawsuit challenging the proper enactment of a bill under this section must be filed no later than one year following the enactment. Full Text: The Constitution of the State of Iowa is amended by adding the following new section to new Article XIII: Passage of a bill that increases the individual income tax rate or the corporate income tax rate, or the rate of any other type of tax based upon income or legal and special reserves, shall require the affirmative votes of at least two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the general assembly. This requirement does not apply to taxes imposed at the option of a local government. Passage of a bill that establishes a new tax on any type of income or legal and special reserves imposed by the state shall require the affirmative votes of at least two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the general assembly. A lawsuit challenging the proper enactment of a bill under this section must be filed no later than one year following the enactment. If such a lawsuit is not filed within the one-year limit, the bill shall be considered properly enacted under this section. Each bill to which this section applies must include a separate provision describing the requirements for enactment prescribed by this section. The general assembly shall enact laws to implement this section.

A YES vote means

A YES vote adds a constitutional requirement that bills raising state income-based tax rates, or creating a new state tax on income or on legal and special reserves, pass with at least two-thirds of the members elected to each chamber of the Legislature.

A NO vote means

A NO vote leaves the constitution unchanged, so such tax bills would continue to need only a simple majority of each chamber to pass.

Needed to pass

A simple majority

Put on the ballot by

the Legislature

Official text: source