Normal Effective Dates
Legislation from Sessions of the Kentucky General Assembly
Updated July 2012
Section
55 of the Kentucky Constitution provides that "[n]o act, except general appropriation
bills, shall become a law until ninety days after the adjournment of the session at which
it was passed, except in cases of emergency, when, by the concurrence of a majority of the
members elected to each House of the General Assembly, by a yea and nay vote entered upon
their journals, an act may become a law when approved by the Governor; but the reasons for
the emergency that justifies this action must be set out at length in the journal of each
House."
Below, the effective date for legislation (other than appropriation bills) that does not contain an emergency or special effective date is set out for each legislative session from 1970. The source of this date is also given. "OAG" stands for a formal opinion of the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
NOTE: In years when only one extraordinary session was called, it is still referred to as "first".
| SESSION | EFFECTIVE DATE |
| 2012 First Extraordinary Session | July 20, 2012, per OAG 12-007. |
| 2012 Regular Session | July 12, 2012, per OAG 12-006. |
| 2011 Regular Session | June 8, 2011, per OAG 11-002. |
| 2010 First Extraordinary Session | August 28, 2010, per OAG 10-004. |
| 2010 Regular Session | July 15, 2010, per OAG 10-002. |
| 2009 Regular Session | June 25, 2009, per OAG 09-003. |
| 2008 Regular Session | July 15, 2008, per OAG 08-001. |
| 2007 Second Extraordinary Session | Act had emergency clause. |
| 2007 Regular Session | June 26, 2007, per OAG 07-002. |
| 2006 First Extraordinary Session | All Acts had emergency clauses. |
| 2006 Regular Session | July 12, 2006, per OAG 06-001. |
| 2005 Regular Session | June 20, 2005, per OAG 05-004. |
| 2004 First Extraordinary Session | Act had emergency clause. |
| 2004 Regular Session | July 13, 2004 per OAG 04-002 |
| 2003 Regular Session | June 24, 2003, per OAG 03-002 |
| 2002 Regular Session | July 15, 2002, per OAG 02-3 |
| 2001 Regular Session | June 21, 2001, per OAG 01-4 |
| 2000 Regular Session | July 14, 2000, per OAG 00-4 |
| 1998 Regular Session | July 15, 1998, per OAG 96-19 |
| 1997 First Extraordinary Session | August 29, 1997, per OAG 97-23 |
| 1996 First Extraordinary Session | All Acts had emergency clauses. |
| 1996 Regular Session | July 15, 1996, per OAG 96-19 |
| 1995 Third Extraordinary Session | November 3, 1995, per OAG 95-32 |
| 1995 Second Extraordinary Session | April 28, 1995, per OAG 95-8 |
| 1995 First Extraordinary Session | April 7, 1995, per OAG 95-8 |
| 1994 Second Extraordinary Session | December 26, 1994, per OAG 95-8 |
| 1994 First Extraordinary Session | September 21, 1994, per OAG 95-8 |
| 1994 Regular Session | July 15, 1994, per OAG 94-30 |
| 1993 First Extraordinary Session | May 18, 1993, per OAG 93-25 |
| 1992 Regular Session | July 14, 1992, per OAG 92-72 |
| 1991 First Extraordinary Session | May 24, 1991, per OAG 91-38 |
| 1990 Regular Session | July 13, 1990, per OAG 89-56 |
| 1988 First Extraordinary Session | March 15, 1989, per OAG 89-1 |
| 1988 Regular Session | July 15, 1988, per OAG 88-21 |
| 1987 First Extraordinary Session | January 21, 1988, per OAG 87-74 |
| 1986 Regular Session | July 15, 1986, per OAG 86-6 |
| 1985 First Extraordinary Session | October 18, 1985, per OAG 85-113 |
| 1984 Regular Session | July 13, 1984, per OAG 84-164 |
| 1982 Regular Session | July 15, 1982, per OAG 82-308 and 82-15 |
| 1980 Regular Session | July 15, 1980, per OAG 80-44 |
| 1979 First Extraordinary Session | May 12, 1979, per Foreword of Acts volume |
| 1978 Regular Session | June 17, 1978, per Foreword of Acts volume |
| 1976 First Extraordinary Session | March 19, 1977, per Foreword of Acts volume |
| 1976 Regular Session | June 19, 1976, per Foreword of Acts volume |
| 1974 Regular Session | June 21, 1974, per Foreword of Acts volume |
| 1972 Regular Session | June 16, 1972, per OAG 72-195 |
| 1970 Regular Session | June 18, 1970, per OAG 70-145 |