Legal Definitions - sunset law

Sunset law

A sunset law, also known as a sunset provision, is a legislative tool that includes an automatic expiration date for a government agency, a specific law, or a particular government program. This means that after a predetermined period, the agency, law, or program will automatically terminate or cease to be effective unless the legislative body explicitly reviews and votes to extend or renew it. The purpose of a sunset law is to ensure periodic re-evaluation of government initiatives, preventing them from continuing indefinitely without demonstrating ongoing necessity or effectiveness.

• Imagine a state legislature creates a new "Coastal Protection Task Force" to study the effects of rising sea levels and recommend policy changes. The law establishing this task force includes a sunset provision stating that the task force will automatically dissolve after five years unless the legislature votes to reauthorize its existence. This ensures that after five years, lawmakers must actively decide if the task force's work is still needed and effective.

• Consider a city council that passes an ordinance offering temporary property tax abatements for businesses that install green infrastructure, such as rooftop gardens or solar panels. The ordinance specifies that these tax abatements will automatically expire after three years. If the city council wishes to continue incentivizing green infrastructure beyond that period, they must pass a new ordinance to extend or renew the program. This is a sunset law applied to a specific local regulation.

• A federal agency might launch a pilot program to provide grants for community-based mental health services in rural areas. The legislation authorizing this program includes a clause that the grant funding and the program itself will automatically conclude after four years. For the program to continue beyond this timeframe, Congress would need to pass new legislation to reauthorize and allocate further funds. This demonstrates how a sunset law ensures a government program undergoes mandatory review for continuation.