Oklahoma State Rep.-elect Charles McCall, Speaker of the House, presides over the House as newly elected members of the House assemble to take their oaths of office, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

The Republican-controlled Oklahoma state Senate passed House Bill 1105 on Wednesday, a piece of legislation that restricts the citizen-led ballot measure process and threatens a proposed initiative to increase the minimum wage.

The most recent version of the bill was written by Oklahoma Speaker Charles McCall (R-Atoka) and co-sponsored by Sens. Julie Daniels (R-Bartlesville) and David Bullard (R-Durant). The new law extends the timeframe to protest the number of signatures a ballot measure has received from 10 days to 90 days. Republicans argue the 10-day period, which has been in place since 1910, is too much of a financial burden for opponents of a given measure.

This law not only restricts future ballot measures, but also a proposed question which was set to appear in front of voters this November. This referendum would have asked voters whether Oklahoma should increase its minimum wage from the current $7.25 an hour. Under HB 1105, organizers need to gather the required 92,263 signatures by the July 14 filing deadline, and then wait until mid-October for the protest deadline to pass. This makes it highly unlikely for the measure to appear on the ballot on Nov. 5 even if no protests are filed.

Below is how much Oklahoma’s minimum wage would increase if the proposed measure passed into law:

Current: $7.25

2025: $9.00

2026: $10.50

2027: $12.00

2028: $13.50

2029: $15.00

Oklahoma has one of the lowest minimum wages in the country and has not increased it since 2008, when the state raised it from $6.55 to $7.25.

HB 1105 passed in the Senate by a vote of 38-7 after Democrats attempted to filibuster for over an hour. All seven of the nay votes came from Democrats. The legislation now goes to Gov. Kevin Stitt’s (R) desk, who is expected to sign it into law.