sunset law

American

noun

a statute that includes provision for automatic termination of a government program, agency, etc., at the end of a specified time period unless it is reauthorized by the legislature.

Etymology

Origin of sunset law

An Americanism dating back to 1975–80

Example Sentences

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sunset law

A column on Colorado's "sunset law," which requires a yearly re-evaluation of spending programs, prompted legislators in eight other states to introduce similar measures.

From Time Magazine Archive

The U.N. needs a sunset law to eliminate units that have outlived their usefulness.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023