Calendar & Bill Signing

Session:

The General Assembly meets for 120 days every year, referred to as "Session"; outside of that time is referred to as the "Interim".

Session generally starts early January and goes until early May.

Bill Signing - Pass or Veto:

• Annually, the General Assembly introduces between 600-800 pieces of legislation. 

• Legislation must go through an exhaustive process and pass with a simple majority out of both the House and the Senate. After that, it goes to the Governor for final passage.

• During Session, the Governor must sign or veto legislation within 10 days of transmittal (excluding Sunday), or it becomes law without the Governor's signature. 

  • Legislation transmitted to the Governor within the last 10 days of Session must be acted upon within 30 days after the last day of Session, or it becomes law without the Governor's signature.

• If the Governor vetoes a bill and the General Assembly decides to override that veto, the bill must repass both the House and Senate by a two-thirds vote of all members.

Bill Implementation:

During the Interim, CDOR staff go to work implementing the bills that passed. This is at times a lengthy process that involves rulemaking, forms development, stakeholder outreach, website updates, programming computer systems, or creating entirely new programs.

Legislation Development:

Every Fall CDOR considers potential legislation for the upcoming Session. Ideas are brought forward by staff and go through an extensive vetting process.

Annual Presentations:

Interim: CDOR is involved in a variety of legislative committees and task-forces that meet throughout the Interim.

Fall/Winter: CDOR budget proposal presented to the Joint Budget Committee.

January: CDOR State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent Government (SMART) Act presentation to the General Assembly.