When the Illinois Legislature overrides a Governor's amendatory veto on a bill that includes an immediate effective date, when does the law actually take effect?
Plain-English summary
The Illinois Constitution gives the Governor an "amendatory veto," a unique power to send a bill back to the Legislature with specific recommended changes. The Legislature can either accept the changes (which becomes law in the new form) or override the amendatory veto by a three-fifths supermajority in both houses (which makes the original bill law in its original form). Senate Bill 1 (the 2017 school-funding overhaul) ran this exact procedure, and Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady asked the AG: when SB 1 carried an immediate effective date, what is the actual effective date if the override happens?
Attorney General Lisa Madigan concluded the effective date is the date of the second house's vote, not the original passage date and not the Governor's veto date. If three-fifths of both houses vote to override, the second house's override vote is the act that gives the law force. If the Legislature instead accepts the Governor's recommendations, the second house's acceptance vote is what takes effect.
The opinion was a procedural answer that mattered for SB 1's school-funding implementation. With "immediate effective date" language, the day of the override determined when school districts had to begin operating under the new formula.
Currency note
This opinion was issued in 2017. Subsequent statutory amendments, court decisions, or later AG opinions may have changed the analysis. Treat this page as historical context, not current legal advice. Verify current law before relying on any specific rule, deadline, or remedy mentioned here.
Historical summary
What an amendatory veto is
The Illinois Constitution grants the Governor an unusual veto: instead of approving or rejecting a bill, the Governor can return it with specific recommended changes. The Legislature can:
- Accept the changes by a simple majority in both houses (the bill becomes law in the new form).
- Override the amendatory veto by a three-fifths supermajority in both houses (the bill becomes law in its original form).
- Take no action, in which case the bill dies.
Why the effective-date question matters
A bill that carries an "immediate effective date" provision says the law takes effect upon becoming law. But "becoming law" means different things in the amendatory-veto context. Was it when the bill originally passed both houses (before the veto)? When the Governor amendatorily vetoed it? When the override happened? Each option has different downstream consequences for compliance, contract execution, regulatory action, and rights vesting.
What the AG concluded for SB 1
The AG concluded the effective date in the override scenario is the date of the second house's override vote, the moment of "final legislative action." The reasoning: the original passage was not effective because of the veto; the Governor's veto was not affirmative legislative action; only the override constitutes the act that gives the law force. The same logic applies if the Legislature accepts the changes: the second house's acceptance is the operative date.
Practical effect
For SB 1, this meant the school-funding formula's effective date was the date the override vote concluded in the second house. School districts could operate under the new formula from that date forward. Anything that happened before the override vote remained governed by prior law.
Common questions
Q: What is an amendatory veto?
A: A power unique to the Illinois Governor (and a few other states) to return a bill with specific recommended changes rather than approving or rejecting it outright. It gives the Governor more nuanced veto authority than a simple yes/no.
Q: How is an amendatory veto different from a line-item veto?
A: A line-item veto strikes specific provisions (typically appropriations) without sending the bill back; the rest becomes law. An amendatory veto returns the entire bill with recommended changes for the Legislature to consider.
Q: What is the override threshold?
A: Three-fifths of the elected members of both houses. That's higher than the simple-majority threshold for accepting the Governor's recommendations.
Q: Why does the effective-date timing matter?
A: Because rights, obligations, deadlines, and compliance schedules often turn on the effective date. For SB 1's school-funding overhaul, the effective date controlled when state aid distributions changed and when districts had to comply with new requirements.
Q: Does this opinion apply to other amendatory veto override situations?
A: The reasoning is general. For any bill with an immediate-effective-date clause that goes through amendatory veto and override, the effective date follows the same rule.
Background and statutory framework
The Illinois Constitution Article IV gives the Governor amendatory veto power and sets the override threshold. Article IV, § 10 governs when laws take effect, providing that bills with effective-date language take effect on that date.
The intersection of these two provisions, when a bill says "this Act takes effect immediately" but also goes through amendatory veto, is the question this opinion resolves. The AG's reading is that "immediately" runs from the moment the Legislature finally acts (the override or the acceptance), not from the original passage.
Citations and references
Constitutional provisions:
- Ill. Const. art. IV, § 9 (amendatory veto)
- Ill. Const. art. IV, § 10 (effective date)
Bill:
- Senate Bill 1 (2017 Regular Session) (school funding)
Source
- Index page: https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/opinions/
-
Original PDF: https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/dA/f63eda0c93/2017%2017-002%20BIILS%20Effective%20Date%20of%20Laws.pdf
-
Index page: https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/opinions/
- Original PDF: https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/dA/f63eda0c93/2017%2017-002%20BIILS%20Effective%20Date%20of%20Laws.pdf
Original opinion text
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
STATE OF ILLINOIS
Lisa Madigan
ATTORNEY GENERAL August 13 2017
FILE NO. 17-002
BILLS:
Effective Date of Laws
The Honorable Bill Brady | |
Senate Republican Leader Designee
State Senator, 44" District /
309G State House
Springfield, Illinois 62706
The Honorable Jim Durkin oe
House Republican Leader
Gentlemen:
etters concerning the effective date of Senate Bill 1 of the 100"
General Assembly. Specifically, you have inquired regarding the effective date for a Public Act
if the underlying bill is the subject of an amendatory veto by the Governor with specific
recommendations for change, and: (1) the amendatory veto is overridden; or (2) the Governor's
specific recommendations for change are accepted. For the reasons explained below, when the
500 South Second Street, Springfield, Uhinois 62706 © (217) 782-1090 ¢ TTY: (217) 785-2771 © Fax: (217) 782-7046
100 West Randolph Street, Chicago, Illinois 6Uo01 * (312) 814-3000 © TTY: (3412) 814-3374 © Fax: (312) 814-3806
1001 Fast Main. Carbondale. THinois 62901 © (618) al4-64000 © PPV: (618%) 529-6403 @ Fay: (ht) 524-6416 + Sean
The Honorable Bill Brady
The Honorable Jim Durkin - 2
underlying bill includes an immediate effective date and is the subject of an amendatory veto, the
effective date of a Public Act is determined by the date of the final legislative action on the
underlying bill and then by the action the General Assembly takes on the amendatory veto, voting
to either override or accept the Governor's recommendations for change. For purposes of Senate
Bill 1, it is my opinion that, in the event that three-fifths of the elected members of both houses
of the General Assembly vote to override the amendatory veto, the Public Act's effective date
would be the date upon which the second house of the General Assembly, in this case the House
of Representatives, votes to override the Governor's specific recommendations for change. In the
event that three-fifths of the elected members of both houses of the General Assembly vote to
accept the Governor's specific recommendations for change, the effective date of the Public Act
would be the date upon which the Governor certifies that his recommendations have been
accepted by the General Assembly.
PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
Senate Bill 1 is a comprehensive amendment of the School Code (105 ILCS 5/1-1
et seq. (West 2016)), as well as a number of other related statutes, intended to create, among
other things, an evidence-based funding method for Illinois’ public schools. Senate Bill 1
contains language authorizing an immediate effective date for the bill. See 100" Ill. Gen.
Assem., Senate Bill 1, §99, 2017 Sess.
The Honorable Bill Brady
The Honorable Jim Durkin - 3
Senate Bill 1 passed the Senate on May 17, 2017. The bill was amended twice in
the House and then passed by a vote of 60-52 on May 31,2017. The Senate concurred with the
House amendments to Senate Bill 1 by a vote of 35-22 on May 31, 2017.'
On May 31, 2017, Senator Trotter, one of the chief co-sponsors of the bill who
voted on the prevailing side of the concurrence vote, filed a Motion to Reconsider the Senate's
vote on Senate Bill 1. On July 31, 2017, Senator Trotter withdrew his Motion to Reconsider, and
Senate Bill 1 was sent to the Governor. On August 1, 2017, Senate Bill 1 was returned to the
Senate with the Governor's specific recommendations for change.” On the same date, the Senate
placed Senate Bill 1 on the amendatory veto calendar. Under the Illinois Constitution, the Senate
has 15 calendar days after the Governor's objections to a bill are entered into its journal to
consider the Governor's specific recommendations for change. III. Const. 1970, art. IV, §9(c).
The Senate may, within the indicated period of time, vote by three-fifths of the
elected members, a minimum of 36 members, to override the specific recommendations for
change. If it does so, then Senate Bill 1 is to be immediately delivered to the House. III. Const.
‘See 100 Ill. Gen. Assem., Senate Proceedings, May 31, 2017 (Senate Audio CD Floor Debate on
Senate Bill 1).
7Article IV, section 9(e), of the Illinois Constitution provides:
(e) The Governor may return a bill together with specific
recommendations for change to the house in which it originated. The bill shall
be considered in the same manner as a vetoed bill but the specific
recommendations may be accepted by a record vote of a majority of the
members elected to each house. Such bill shall be presented again to the
Governor and if he certifies that such acceptance conforms to his specific
recommendations, the bill shall become law. If he does not so certify, he shall
return it as a vetoed bill to the house in which it originated.
The Honorable Bill Brady
The Honorable Jim Durkin - 4
1970, art. IV, §9(c); Senate Rule 9-6, 100" Ill. Gen. Assem. If the House, within 15 calendar
days of receiving the bill,’ votes by three-fifths of its elected members, at least 71 members, to
override the specific recommendations for change, then the bill "shall become law." II. Const.
1970, art. IV, §9(c), (e).
The Senate, within 15 calendar days of entering the Governor's specific
recommendations for change into its journal, may also vote to accept the Governor's amendatory
veto. The Illinois Constitution generally requires only a record vote of a majority of members
elected in each house to accept the Governor's recommendations for change. See II]. Const.
1970, art. IV, §9(e). As discussed below, however, because Senate Bill 1 contains an immediate
effective date and the final legislative action on it will necessarily occur after May 31, a three-
fifths vote in each house will be required to pass Senate Bill 1. If the Senate votes by three-fifths
to accept the Governor's amendatory veto, then Senate Bill 1 will be delivered to the House. The
House then has 15 calendar days to consider the Governor's recommendations for change. If the
House votes by three-fifths of the elected members to accept the Governor's amendatory veto,
then Senate Bill 1 is presented to the Governor again. If the Governor certifies that the General
Assembly's acceptance conforms to his specific recommendations for change, "the bill shall
become law." Ill. Const. 1970, art. IV, §9(e).
Each house of the General Assembly has 15 days for the consideration of vetoed bills. The
aggregate time may extend beyond 30 days, however, if delays occur in the transmission of the notice of the first
house's result to the second house. 6 Record of Proceedings, Sixth Illinois Constitutional Convention, 399-400.
The Honorable Bill Brady
The Honorable Jim Durkin - 5
Against this background, you have inquired regarding the effective date of Senate
Bill 1 should it become a Public Act either by the General Assembly's override of the Governor's
amendatory veto or its acceptance of the Governor's specific recommendations for change.
ANALYSIS
Effective Date of Laws
Article IV, section 10, of the Illinois Constitution of 1970 directs the General
Assembly to "provide by law for a uniform effective date for laws passed prior to June 1 of a
calendar year" and provides that the General Assembly may “provide for a different effective date
in any law passed prior to June 1." (Emphasis added). Article IV, section 10, further states,
however, that a "bill passed after May 31 shall not become effective prior to June 1 of the next
calendar year unless the General Assembly by the vote of three-fifths of the members elected to
each house provides for an earlier effective date." (Emphasis added.)
Pursuant to this constitutional mandate, the General Assembly enacted the
Effective Date of Laws Act. 5 ILCS 75/0.01 et seq. (West 2016).* With respect to bills passed
prior to June 1, section 1 of the Effective Date of Laws Act (5 ILCS 75/1 (West 2016)) provides
as follows:
(a) A bill passed prior to June 1 of a calendar year that does
not provide for an effective date in the terms of the bill shall
become effective on January | of the following year, or upon its
becoming a law, whichever is later.
“The purpose of the Effective Date of Laws Act is to ensure that parties have sufficient opportunity
to conform their conduct to the law and alleviate confusion when the Governor's action on a bill occurs subsequent to
the specified effective date in the bill. People ex rel. Alvarez v. Howard, 2016 IL 120729, { 22, 72 N.E.3d 346, 353
(2016), citing Mulligan v. Joliet Regional Port District, 123 Ill. 2d 303, 315 (1988); People ex rel. American
Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees v. Walker, 61 Ill. 2d 112, 118 (1975).
The Honorable Bill Brady
The Honorable Jim Durkin - 6
(b) A bill passed prior to June 1 of a calendar year that
does provide for an effective date in the terms of the bill shall
become effective on that date if that date is the same as or
subsequent to the date the bill becomes a law; provided that if the
effective date provided in the terms of the bill is prior to the date
the bill becomes a law then the date the bill becomes a law shall be
the effective date. (Emphasis added.)
Section 2 of the Effective Date of Laws Act (5 ILCS 75/2 (West 2016)) further provides:
A bill passed after May 31 of a calendar year shall become
effective on June | of the next calendar year unless the General
Assembly by a vote of three-fifths of the members elected to each
house provides for an earlier effective date in the terms of the bill
or unless the General Assembly provides for a later effective date
in the terms of the bill; provided that if the effective date provided
in the terms of the bill is prior to the date the bill becomes a law
then the date the bill becomes a law shall be the effective date.
(Emphasis added.)
Section 3 of the Effective Date of Laws Act (5 ILCS 75/3 (West 2016)) provides that, for
purposes of determining the effective dates of laws, "a bill is ‘passed' at the time of its final
legislative action prior to presentation to the Governor pursuant to paragraph (a) of Section 9 of
Article IV of the Constitution."” (Emphasis added.)
In construing the Effective Date of Laws Act, Attorney General Scott identified
four legislative actions, depending on a bill's particular legislative history, that may constitute
‘The Hlinois Supreme Court has construed the statutory definition of "passed" (added by Public
Act 78-085, effective July 13, 1973) harmoniously with its prior decisions (see People ex rel. Klinger v. Howlett, 50
Ill. 2d 242, 247-48 (1972); Board of Education of School District No. 41 v. Morgan, 316 Ill. 143, 151 (1925)),
which defined the time when a bill is "passed" for purposes of determining its effective date as the time of the last
legislative act necessary for a bill to become law upon its acceptance by the Governor without further action by the
legislature. See Mulligan, 123 Ill. 2d at 315; City of Springfield v. Allphin, 74 Ill. 2d 117, 128-29 (1978); see also
1974 Ill. Att'y Gen. Op. 119, 122-23.
The Honorable Bill Brady
The Honorable Jim Durkin - 7
"final legislative action prior to presentation to the Governor pursuant to paragraph (a) of Section
9 of Article IV of the Constitution" under section 3 of the Effective Date of Laws Act. Opinion
No. S-725, issued March 21, 1974 (1974 Ill. Att'y Gen. Op. 119, 123) provided:
the phrase "final legislative action prior to presentation to the
Governor pursuant to paragraph (a) of section 9 of article IV of the
Constitution" encompasses the following four situations:
(1) Passage on third reading in the second house;
(2) Concurring in or receding from an amendment;
(3) Adoption of a conference committee report;
(4) Acceptance of the Governor's specific
recommendations for change."*!
The Illinois Supreme Court has also addressed this issue and reached the same conclusion. In
Mulligan v. Joliet Regional Port District, 123 Ill. 2d 303 (1988), the Court concluded that the
phrase "final legislative action prior to presentation to the Governor pursuant to paragraph (a) of
Section 9.of Article IV of the Constitution[,]" as set out in section 3, includes the same four
legislative actions previously identified in Attorney General Scott's opinion. Mulligan, 123 Il.
2d at 313-18.
Final Legislative Action on Senate Bill 1
Your inquiry involves a bill upon which a motion to reconsider was filed but then
withdrawn without the Senate taking any action upon it. As the basis of your inquiry, you
Although section | of the Effective Date of Laws Act has been amended to change the calendar
dates referenced therein, the remaining language of section | and the language of section 3 are the same in substance
as that construed in opinion No. S-725. In the 1974 opinion, Attorney General Scott construed the provisions of "An
ACT in relation to the effective date of laws" (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 131, pars. 21 et seq.). Public Act 86-1324,
effective September 6, 1990, added the short title "Effective Date of Laws Act" (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1990 Supp., ch. 1,
par. 1200) to "An ACT in relation to the effective date of laws" (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. 1, Disposition Table).
The Honorable Bill Brady
The Honorable Jim Durkin - 8
assume that the withdrawal of a motion to reconsider is a final legislative action for purposes of
determining the effective date of a law. However, the Senate did not vote on Senator Trotter's
Motion to Reconsider or the withdrawal of his Motion to Reconsider. Rather, Senator Trotter
simply withdrew the motion with a written request to the Secretary of the Senate without Senate
action on it. Further, a motion to reconsider anda motion to withdraw a motion to reconsider are
not included in the list of actions that the Illinois courts or prior opinions of this office have
determined constitute "final legislative action prior to presentation to the Governor pursuant to
paragraph (a) of Section 9 of Article IV of the Constitution." Accordingly, for purposes of
determining the effective date for Senate Bill 1, there is no legal support for the conclusion that
final legislative action took place on July 31, 2017, when Senator Trotter withdrew his Motion to
Reconsider.
In determining the date of final legislative action, the relevant Illinois cases and
Attorney General opinions distinguish between those situations in which the General Assembly
votes to override a veto and those in which the General Assembly accepts the Governor's
recommendations for change. The basis for this distinction is that a veto override leaves the bill
unchanged from when the General Assembly took final legislative action before sending the bill
to the Governor. In contrast, accepting an amendatory veto changes the language of the bill.
When the General Assembly overrides the Governor's veto, the act of voting to
override is a reaffirmation of the bill's original language. Mulligan, 123 Ill. 2d at 316, citing City
of Springfield v. Allphin, 74 Ill. 2d 117 (1978); see also Remarks of Rep. Day, May 15, 1973,
The Honorable Bill Brady
The Honorable Jim Durkin - 9
House Debate on House Bill No. 678, which as enacted became Public Act 78-085, effective July
13, 1973, and added sections 1(b) and 2 through 6 to the Effective Date of Laws Act, at91. Asa
result, the final legislative action is deemed to have occurred when the bill was passed by the
General Assembly initially. Allphin, 74 Ill. 2d at 129 (a bill subject to a simple non-amendatory
veto that is overridden "passed at the time of its initial passage by the General Assembly"); 1975
Ill. Att'y Gen. Op. 77, 85 (a bill subject to an amendatory veto that is overridden "is ‘passed’ when
the original substantive legislative action * * * occurred preceding the bill's submission to the
Governor for signature"); see also Remarks of Rep. Day, May 14, 1973, House Debate on House
Bill No. 678, which as enacted became Public Act 78-085, effective July 13, 1973, at 97-99.
However, the acceptance of an amendatorily vetoed bill is deemed final legislative
action because the General Assembly's vote changes the language of the bill. Mulligan, 123 Il.
2d at 316. As the Court explained, "[a] bill changed upon the Governor's specific
recommendation is no longer the same bill as initially 'passed' by the General Assembly and the
‘final legislative action' would not simply be a reaffirmation of the bill's original language as in
the situation involving an override of a non-amendatorily vetoed bill." Mulligan, 123 Ill. 2d at
316, citing Al/phin, 74 Ill. 2d 117. Thus, when the General Assembly votes to accept the
Governor's recommendations for change, the final legislative action does not occur "until the
final vote approving the Governor's recommended changes is taken in the General Assembly."
Mulligan, 123 Ill. 2d at 317. In reaching its conclusion, the Court noted that its opinion was
supported by a long line of Attorney General opinions. Mulligan, 123 Ill. 2d at 317, citing 1975
The Honorable Bill Brady
The Honorable Jim Durkin - 10
Ill. Att'y Gen. Op. 77; 1974 Ill. Att'y Gen. Op. 119; 1972 Ill. Att'y Gen. Op. 282; see also 1991
Ill. Att'y Gen. Op. 134.
Override of an Amendatory Vote with
Specific Recommendations for Change
Applying these principles to your inquiry, if the General Assembly votes to
override the Governor's recommendations for change, the date of the final legislative action, the
point at which Senate Bill 1 passed, will be the date of the Senate concurrence vote, which was
May 31, 2017. Under subsection 1(b) of the Effective Date of Laws Act (5 ILCS 75/1(b) (West
2016)), a bill "passed prior to June 1 of a calendar year" that includes an effective date in the
terms of the bill shall become effective "on that date if that date is the same as or subsequent to
the date the bill becomes a law[.]" A bill that is subject to an amendatory veto that is overridden
becomes law upon the override vote of the second house. 1975 Ill. Att'y Gen. at 85. Thus,
Senate Bill 1 would become effective on the date that it becomes law, which would be the date
on which the House of Representatives votes by three-fifths to override the Governor's specific
recommendations for change.’
"By way of example, we note the similar procedural history of legislation enacted during the 97"
General Assembly. See 97" Ill. Gen. Assem., Senate Bill 1652, 2011 Sess. In the case of Senate Bill 1652, known
as the "smart grid” bill, most of the substantive provisions were added by amendments adopted in the House. On
May 30, 2011, Senate Bill 1652, as amended, passed the House (67 members voted "yes," 47 voted "no," and 1
voted "present"). On May 31, 2011, the Senate voted to concur with each House amendment (31 members voted
"yes," 24 voted "no," and 4 voted "present"). On June 1, 2011, Senate President Cullerton filed a Motion to
Reconsider the vote. After the Motion to Reconsider was withdrawn on August 26, 2011, Senate Bill 1652 was sent
to the Governor on August 29, 2011. Governor Quinn vetoed Senate Bill 1652 on September 12, 2011. On October
26, 2011, the Senate (36 members voted "yes," 19 voted "no," and 2 voted "present") and the House (74 members
voted "yes" and 42 voted "no") voted to override the Governor's veto, and Senate Bill 1652, which included an
immediate effective date, became Public Act 97-616, effective on October 26, 2011.
The Honorable Bill Brady
The Honorable Jim Durkin - 11
Acceptance of an Amendatory Veto
with Specific Recommendations for Change
If the General Assembly votes to accept the Governor's recommendations for
change, the date of final legislative action on Senate Bill 1 will be the date of the second house's
final vote to accept the amendatory veto because the final language of the bill will differ from the
language on which the legislature voted on May 31". The effective date is governed by section 2
of the Effective Date of Laws Act (5 ILCS 75/2 (West 2016)). Under section 2, a bill "passed
after May 31 of a calendar year shall become effective on June 1 of the next calendar year unless
the General Assembly by a vote of three-fifths of the members elected to each house provides for
an earlier effective date in the terms of the bill[.]" Thus, if the General Assembly accepts the
Governor's recommendations pursuant to the amendatory veto on Senate Bill 1 by three-fifths
vote, the revised bill will become law when the Governor certifies that his recommendations
have been accepted by the General Assembly.
Although the Illinois Constitution generally permits a record vote of a majority of
members elected in each house to accept the Governor's recommendations for change (see III.
Const. 1970, art. [V, §9(e)), the Constitution also specifically provides that a bill passed after
May 31 cannot take effect prior to June 1 of the following year unless the bill receives a
three-fifths vote in each house. See Ill. Const. 1970, art. IV, section 10. In addition to this
constitutional requirement, as noted above, section 2 of the Effective Date of Laws Act provides
"Ta] bill passed after May 31 of a calendar year shall become effective on June 1 of the next
calendar year unless the General Assembly by a vote of three-fifths of the members elected to
The Honorable Bill Brady
The Honorable Jim Durkin - 12
each house provides for an earlier effective date in the terms of the bill[.]" Senate Bill 1 contains
an immediate effective date provision. See 100th Ill. Gen. Assem., Senate Bill 1, §99, 2017 Sess.
By expressly including an immediate effective date in Senate Bill 1, the General Assembly has
indicated its intent to exclude all other possible effective dates. Allowing the bill to take effect
on June 1, 2018, would render the immediate effective date provision set out in the bill
superfluous. A statute should be construed, when possible, so that no clause is rendered
meaningless or superfluous. Niven v. Siqueira, 109 Ill. 2d 357, 365-66 (1985); Bernstein v.
Department of Human Services, 392 Ill. App. 3d 875, 886 (2009). In order to give effect to
Senate Bill 1's immediate effective date provision, a vote to accept the Governor's amendatory
veto should be by three-fifths of each house.
CONCLUSION
For the reasons stated above, it is my opinion that the effective date of a Public
Act for which the underlying bill contains an immediate effective date and was the subject of an
amendatory veto is determined by the date of the final legislative action on the underlying bill
and then by the action the General Assembly takes on the amendatory veto, voting either to
override or accept the recommendations for change.
If the General Assembly successfully votes to override a Governor's amendatory
veto on a bill that contains an immediate effective date, like Senate Bill 1, then the Public Act's
effective date would be the date upon which the second house votes to override. Alternatively, in
the event that three-fifths of the elected members of both houses of the General Assembly vote to
accept the Governor's specific recommendations for change, the effective date of the Public Act
The Honorable Bill Brady
The Honorable Jim Durkin - 13
would be the date upon which the Governor certifies that his recommendations have been
accepted by the General Assembly.
LISA MADIGAN
ATTORNEY GENERAL