Note The library cannot tell you what the law means for your situation.
"Trigger laws" are laws that are passed by a legislative body but only go into effect once a certain thing happens. That specific event will "trigger" it into becoming enforceable law.
Trigger laws are often passed so that a law can go into effect as soon as possible once conditions allow.
In 2021, the Texas Legislature passed a bill with a trigger provision. This bill, HB 1280, contained language that would ban abortion 30 days after one of the following events occurred:
HB 1280's language banning abortion can be found in Chapter 170A of the Texas Health & Safety Code. On July 26, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court has issued a judgment in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, triggering this language to go into effect.
On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. A judgment did not issue at the same time, but it indicated to state governments that a judgment would be issued soon. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an advisory letter following the decision which stated the following:
Today, the Court issued its opinion reversing Roe, but it has yet to issue its judgment. A judgment is a legal document distinct from the Court’s opinion. The Court will issue its judgment only after the window for the litigants to file a motion for rehearing has closed. A judgment can issue in about a month, or longer if the Court considers a motion for rehearing. So while it is clear that the Act will take effect, we cannot calculate exactly when until the Court issues its judgment. My office will publicly announce an effective date for the Act as soon as possible—and we look forward to doing so.
On July 26, 2022, the Supreme Court issued its judgment in Dobbs. In response, Attorney General Paxton issued another advisory letter announcing that the law would go into effect on August 25, 2022.
Note The library cannot tell you what the law means for your situation.