The position of the Sultan as a part of the State Legislative Council means that no Bills passed by the State Legislative Council can effectively become Laws without the assent of His Highness the Sultan.

Article 60(1) of the Laws of the Constitution of Kedah Darul Aman states that the State Legislative Council may pass laws, which must first be submitted as Bills, which are then passed by the State Council and approved by the reigning Sultan. Article 60 (3) of the Laws of the Constitution of Kedah Darul Aman also states that Legislative Bills may only become Laws with the approval of the Sultan.

The Sultan may demonstrate his approval of a Bill by signing and affixing his seal on the document. Once a Bill becomes Law, after the approval of the Sultan, it will normally be effective only after it is published in the Government Gazette. However, there are times, under certain circumstances, when Laws passed by the Council, and approved by the Sultan and published in the Gazette, bear marks of being effective at an earlier or future date.