Sine Die

When a legislature adjourns sine die, it signifies the legislative body has concluded its meeting without setting a day or time to reconvene. It literally means to adjourn “without a day.”

For months it has been rumored that the Legislature might adjourn early to allow bills that passed earlier this session without Republicans granting immediate effect in the Senate including changes to the presidential primary election date (Feb. 27, 2024) and several Proposal 2/election reform bills, to take effect early next year. Laws not given immediate effect take effect 91 days after the Legislature adjourns sine die.

On November 9, 2023, the Michigan House passed a resolution stating that it will stand adjourned until the sine die session on November 14. With the passage of HCR 10 the Senate has also officially ended its session on November 14. If any business needs to be conducted by our legislative bodies between November 14, 2023, and mid-February, 2024, Governor Whitmer is the only one that can call a special meeting for a specific purpose.