We are just a few days away from Aug. 28, the date that most bills passed by the General Assembly during the legislative session and signed by the governor become law. This completes the legislative cycle for those bills whose journey began in January.
The reason Aug. 28 is the typical day for bills to take effect is that it is 90 days after the constitutional end of the legislative session (May 30). Occasionally, a bill will pass with an emergency clause, which means that it becomes effective upon receiving the governor’s signature. There are sometimes bills that have entirely different effective dates, like the beginning of the following year. This often occurs when the bill affects a state agency or another entity and time would be required to implement necessary changes.


