OKLAHOMA CITY – A bill that would require initiative petitions to indicate if the proposed measure will have a fiscal impact on the state, and if so, the potential funding source, passed the House on Monday.

Senate Bill 947, by Rep. Tammy West, R-Oklahoma City, and Sen. Paul Rosino, R-Oklahoma City, would require a declaration of fiscal impact and potential funding source information to be clearly listed on petitions seeking signatures to bring state questions to a vote of the people.

“Oklahoma voters certainly need to be aware of the potential fiscal impact for any measure on which they are asked to vote,” West said. “This bill helps provide transparency in the petition process and helps the voters know exactly what they are voting on and if there may be a cost to them.”

Rosino added, “This is a straightforward bill, providing much-needed transparency to Oklahoma voters. Senate Bill 947 could help citizens see how a proposal would be funded, and if it may require more of their hard-earned tax dollars.”

SB 947 specifies that if a proposed measure would require a legislative appropriation, which might require the imposition of a new tax, increase of an existing tax or elimination of existing services, that such language be included on the initiative petition. The measure expands the word limit for a ballot title on an initiative petition to 300 words if the proposed measure has a fiscal impact on the state. Currently, ballot titles are limited to 200 words.

SB 947 passed the House with a vote of 70-18. It now moves to the governor’s desk for consideration.