SJR 39: Constitutional amendment; ad valorem; reducing limitation on growth of fair cash value; modifying limitation on growth of fair cash value for homesteads of persons over sixty-five years of age. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was updated from the House version to the Senate floor version, which includes substantive changes to the proposed constitutional amendment. The amendment now explicitly sets different growth limits for general real property versus agricultural or homestead property, clarifies when the cap resets due to property transfers or improvements, and adds a requirement for the legislature to pass implementing laws.

Scope change

The scope of the property tax cap was expanded to explicitly include agricultural land and homestead exemptions, creating a two-tier system with lower caps for these categories.

ELIGIBILITY

The amendment now distinguishes between general real property and property with homestead or agricultural classifications, applying stricter growth limits to the latter.

DEFINITION

Added specific rules stating that the cap resets to full fair cash value if property ownership changes or if significant improvements are made to the property.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new requirement for the Legislature to enact any necessary laws to implement the new constitutional provisions.

TECHNICAL

Updated document headers and committee report dates to reflect the Senate floor version and the specific date of March 4, 2026.

Committee Substitute → Floor (House) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was updated from a 'Committee Substitute' version to the 'Floor Version' (Engrossed Senate Joint Resolution) after passing the Senate. The substantive policy content regarding property tax limits and election dates remains unchanged, but the document now includes the full names of both Senate and House sponsors and reflects the final committee report status.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's policy (tax limits and election date) remains unchanged; the change is procedural, updating the document to reflect its status as a final floor version with complete sponsorship.

TECHNICAL

Updated the header to reflect the 'Floor Version' and 'Engrossed' status, indicating the bill has passed the Senate and is ready for the House floor.

Added the name of the second House sponsor (Burns) to the list of sponsors.

Included a footer note stating that bold face text denotes committee amendments, clarifying the document's markup.

Replaced the internal committee tracking number with the official resolution number and page headers.

Enrolled (final version) → Committee Substitute · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was simplified to focus exclusively on amending Section 8B of the Oklahoma Constitution, removing all references to Section 8C which previously governed limits for elderly homeowners. The amendment text was also rewritten to clarify that the property growth cap applies to the entire parcel's value rather than just improvements, and the specific percentage limits for future tax years were adjusted.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed from covering both general property limits and specific elderly homestead limits to only general property limits.

SCOPE

All references to Section 8C, which previously established specific fair cash value limits for elderly homeowners based on income thresholds, were completely removed from the bill.

REQUIREMENT

The text was changed to apply the growth cap to the total fair cash value of the property parcel, rather than allowing separate calculations for improvements added to the land.

TIMELINE

The percentage limits for tax years 2027 and beyond were reduced from 4% to 3% for standard property and from 1.75% to 1% for homestead or agricultural land.

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 5 edits · Apr 28, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was finalized and expanded to include two new constitutional amendments. The first amendment tightens property tax limits for most real estate, reducing the annual cap from 5% to 4% for most years and lowering the cap for homesteads and agricultural land from 3% to 1.75%. The second amendment introduces a new limit on property tax increases for homeowners aged 65 and older with low incomes, capping the annual increase at 1.75% and setting income thresholds based on federal median income data.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a single property tax limit amendment to include a new amendment specifically protecting elderly homeowners with low incomes from property tax increases.

SCOPE

Added a new proposed amendment to Section 8C of the Oklahoma Constitution to limit property tax increases for seniors.

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date for the senior property tax limit from January 1, 2027, to January 1, 2005, likely a drafting error intended to be 2027.

REQUIREMENT

Reduced the annual property tax increase cap for standard real property from 5% to 4% for tax years 2027 and later.

Reduced the annual property tax increase cap for homesteads and agricultural land from 3% to 1.75% for tax years 2027 and later.

Established a new income-based schedule for determining eligibility for the senior property tax limit, using HUD median income data.

Amended And Engrossed → Engrossed · 4 edits · Apr 27, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was renumbered from a House Amendment to a Senate Joint Resolution. The most significant substantive change is the expansion of the amendment's scope to include Section 8C, which covers homestead limits for elderly homeowners and agricultural land, in addition to the existing Section 8B limits for general real property. The text of the proposed constitutional amendment was also rewritten to clarify these new categories and establish specific growth limits for each.

Scope change

The bill now proposes amending two sections of the Oklahoma Constitution (8B and 8C) instead of just one, thereby extending the property tax limitation rules to elderly homeowners and agricultural land.

SCOPE

The proposed constitutional amendment was expanded to include Section 8C, covering homestead exemptions for individuals over 65 and agricultural land, in addition to the original Section 8B coverage for general real property.

MODIFIED

The text of the proposed constitutional amendment was rewritten to explicitly define separate growth limits for general property, homesteads, and agricultural land, replacing the previous text that only addressed general property limits.

TECHNICAL

The document type was changed from an 'Engrossed House Amendment' to an 'Engrossed Senate Joint Resolution,' indicating a procedural shift in how the bill is being processed.

REQUIREMENT

The ballot title and summary of the proposition were updated to reflect the expanded scope, explaining that the measure now limits tax growth for three distinct categories of property owners.

Introduced → Amended And Engrossed · 5 edits · Apr 27, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was amended to expand its scope from a single property tax limit to include both general real property and specific protections for elderly homeowners. The amendment introduces new eligibility criteria for seniors over 65 based on household income and adds a detailed income schedule to determine tax limits for this group. Additionally, the proposed tax rate caps for general property were adjusted to allow for slightly higher increases in future years compared to the original draft.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from amending only Section 8B of the Constitution to also amending Section 8C, thereby adding a new category of protected property owners (seniors) to the existing protections for agricultural land and homesteads.

SCOPE

Added a new amendment to Section 8C of the Constitution to protect the property tax assessments of homeowners aged 65 and older.

ELIGIBILITY

Established eligibility for the new senior protection based on being 65 years or older and having a gross household income below specific thresholds.

REQUIREMENT

Included a requirement to provide a household income schedule to determine the specific tax limits for eligible seniors.

TIMELINE

Adjusted the proposed annual increase limits for general real property, raising the cap for 2027 and subsequent years from 3% to 4%.

Changed the start date for the senior property protection limits from January 1, 2005, to January 1, 2027.

Constitutional amendment; ad valorem; reducing limitation on growth of fair cash value; modifying limitation on growth of fair cash value for homesteads of persons over sixty-five years of age.

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

Sponsors