sunset law

American  

noun

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of sunset law

An Americanism dating back to 1975–80

Example Sentences

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

To curtail such cozy practices, the Colorado House of Representatives has recently passed a "sunset" law that would require each of the state's 41 regulatory agencies to justify its existence every six years�or quietly expire.

From Time Magazine Archive