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Sunset provisions are clauses embedded in legislation that allow a piece of legislation or a regulatory board to expire on a certain date unless the legislature takes affirmative action to renew the legislation or board. The time between enactment or renewal and the next sunset date varies from state to state but typically runs from four to twelve years. The sunset provision typically requires that the legislation or board undergo a review, usually conducted by legislative staff or by state auditors. The reviewers will recommend allowing the law or board to sunset, allowing it to continue but with changes, or leaving it unchanged. Sunset provisions also frequently allow or even require a preliminary review before the final review. Sunset laws are a key tool the legislature uses in asserting itself against an executive branch that often dominates state government.

"Sunset" Legislation

United States. Congress. House. Committee on Government Operations. Legislation and National Security Subcommittee

Published: 1977

Total Pages: 76


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In recent years, sunset clauses have mostly been associated with emergency legislation introduced in the wake of terrorist attacks. However, as this book demonstrates, they have a long history and a substantial constitutional impact on the separation of powers and the rule of law. In addition, the constitutional value of such clauses is examined from certain neglected normative aspects pertaining to concepts such as deliberative and consensus democracy, parliamentary sovereignty and constitutional dialogue. The work is an amalgam of three perspectives: the historical, the positive and the normative. All three are intertwined and each subsequent part builds upon the findings of the previous one. The historical perspective investigates the historical development of sunset clauses since the first Parliaments in England. The positive perspective examines the legal effect and the contemporary utility of sunset clauses. Finally, the normative perspective analyses their interaction with several models of separation of powers, and their influence on the dialogue between various institutions as it values their impact on the rule of law, formal and substantive. The detailed examination of this topical subject will be a valuable resource for academics, researchers and policy makers.