South Dakota Constitutional Amendment P, Require Balanced Budget Amendment (2012)
| Constitutional Amendment P | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | legislatively referred constitutional amendment |
| Origin | South Dakota Legislature |
| Topic | State budgets |
| Status |  |
The South Dakota Budget Balance Amendment, also known as Constitutional Amendment P, was on the November 6, 2012 ballot in the state of South Dakota as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment, where it was approved. The measure made clear in the South Dakota Constitution that the state budget must be balanced. According to reports, the measure was introduced during 2012 state legislative session. The reason behind the proposal, supporters said, was because the state constitution only implied that the state budget needed to be balanced.[1][2]
Election results
- See also: 2012 ballot measure election results
The following are official election results:
| South Dakota Amendment P | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 215,659 | 64.6% | ||
| No | 118,165 | 35.4% | ||
Official results via South Dakota Secretary of State.
Text of measure
The official ballot text read as follows:[3]
Title: An Amendment to the South Dakota Constitution adding balanced budget requirements.
Explanation: While the constitution currently restricts the State from incurring debt, it does not expressly require the State to have a balanced budget. Amendment P requires the Governor to propose a balanced budget. In addition, Amendment P prohibits legislative appropriations from exceeding anticipated revenues and existing available funds. The amendment is not intended to affect other constitutional provisions.
A vote “Yes” will include balanced budget requirements in the Constitution.
A vote “No” will leave the Constitution as it is.
Support
No formal support was identified.
Opposition
No formal opposition was identified.
Path to the ballot
Section 1 of Article XXIII of the South Dakota Constitution says that the South Dakota State Legislature can refer a proposed amendment to the state's voters through a majority vote.
During the week of February 7, 2012, the South Dakota House of Representatives voted 66-3 to approve the measure. Next up was a vote from the South Dakota State Senate, who needed to approve the measure to send it to the ballot, which the chamber did.[4]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The News Tribune, "SD House panel endorses balanced budget amendment," February 6, 2012
- ↑ Mitchell Republic, "Legislature places balanced-budget constitutional amendment on ballot," February 29, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "Constitutional Amendment P," accessed August 28, 2012
- ↑ KDLT.com, "SD House Advances Balanced Budget Amendment," February 7, 2012
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