Dates of 2021 state legislative sessions
For the latest, visit: Changes to state legislative session dates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020.
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Each state has its own legislature. The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.[1] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.
Forty-six state legislatures hold regular sessions annually. The other four states—Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Texas—meet in odd-numbered years. The length of a session may be set by a state's constitution, a statute, or by the legislature and varies among the states. Special or extraordinary sessions may also be called by a state's governor or legislature over a specific subject matter during or after a regular session.
Ten state legislatures have full-time legislators, meaning the legislature meets throughout the year. All other legislators are considered part-time because they only meet for a portion of the year.[2]
This page gives information on the 2021 legislative sessions in all 50 states.
- The legislative map, which was updated weekly, shows what states adjourned, were in regular session, or were special session.
- The session table breaks down the start and end date of a state's legislative session, the length of the session, special sessions, and trifecta status.
- The methodology Ballotpedia used to assemble the map and chart.
- A glossary of terms specific to legislative sessions.
Map of legislative sessions
The legislative map below shows 2021 state legislative session information. States with full-time legislators may meet throughout the year after adjourning their regularly scheduled sessions. The map was updated every Friday with information gathered by MultiState and the National Conference of State Legislatures.
State legislative sessions
The state legislative session table below breaks down the start and end date of a state's 2021 legislative session, the length of the session, and also covers any special sessions that were called. The table was updated weekly to reflect any notable events that occurred in a state's session. Information was gathered from MultiState and the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Key:
= Not yet convened
= State's session adjourned
= State in regular session
= State in special session
= No regular session scheduled
= This state's session is not a regular or special session.
- (*) - This state has full-time legislators.
- (**) - This state did not adjourn on designated dates due to unfinished business.
States
2021 state legislative sessions | ||||
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State | Start date | End date (projected) | Session length limit[3] | Special sessions/Other sessions |
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February 2, 2021 | May 17, 2021 | 30 legislative days in 105 calendar days | Special session convened September 27, 2021, through October 1, 2021. Special session convened October 28, 2021, through November 4, 2021. |
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January 19, 2021 | May 19, 2021 | 90 calendar days | Special session convened October 4, 2021, through November 2, 2021. |
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January 11, 2021 | June 30, 2021 | Saturday of the last week in which the 100th calendar day falls | |
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January 11, 2021 | October 15, 2021 | Odd-numbered years - 60 days Even-numbered years - 30 days |
Regular session adjourned on April 27, 2021, and resumed on September 29, 2021. The session concluded on October 15, 2021. |
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December 7, 2020 | September 10, 2021 | Constitution: Even-numbered years - Nov. 30 Odd-numbered years - None Chamber Rule: Even-numbered years - Aug. 31 Odd-numbered years - Sept. 12 |
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January 13, 2021 | June 8, 2021 | 120 calendar days | Session paused due to COVID-19; reconvened February 16, 2021. |
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January 6, 2021 | June 9, 2021 | Odd: Wednesday after the first Monday in June; Even: Wednesday after the first Monday in May | |
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January 12, 2021 | June 30, 2021 | June 30 | Special session convened on November 1, 2021. |
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March 2, 2021 | April 30, 2021 | 60 calendar days | Special session scheduled for November 15, 2021, through November 21, 2021. |
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January 11, 2021 | March 31, 2021 | 40 legislative days | Special session convened from November 3, 2021, through November 22, 2021. |
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January 20, 2021 | April 29, 2021 | 60 legislative days | |
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January 11, 2021 | November 17, 2021 | None | The House reconvened on November 15, 2021, and adjourned on November 17, 2021. |
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January 13, 2021 | June 1, 2021 | None | Veto session convened October 19, 2021, through October 28, 2021. |
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January 4, 2021 | November 15, 2021 | Odd-numbered years - 61 days (April 29) Even-numbered years - 30 days (March 14) |
Regular session originally scheduled to adjourn on April 22, 2021. Reconvened September 20, 2021, through October 1, 2021. |
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January 11, 2021 | May 19, 2021 | Odd-numbered years - 110 days Even-numbered years - 100 days |
Special session convened on October 28, 2021. |
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January 11, 2021 | May 26, 2021 | None (odd), 90 days (even) | |
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January 5, 2021 | March 30, 2021 | Odd-numbered years - 30 legislative days or March 30 Even-numbered years - 60 legislative days or April 15 |
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April 12, 2021 | June 10, 2021 | Even-numbered years - 60 legislative days in 85 calendar days Odd-numbered years - 45 legislative days in 60 calendar days |
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December 2, 2020 | March 30, 2021 | Odd: 3rd Wed in June; Even: 3rd Wed in April | Special session convened April 28, 2021. |
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January 13, 2021 | April 12, 2021 | 90 calendar days | Special session convened from December 6, 2021, to December 9, 2021. |
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January 6, 2021 | January 4, 2022 | Odd: 3rd Wed in November; Even: July 31 | |
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January 13, 2021 | December 31, 2021 | None | |
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January 5, 2021 | May 17, 2021 | 120 legislative days in 2 years, or the 1st Monday after the 3rd Saturday in May each year | Special session convened June 14, 2021, to July 7, 2021. Special session convened September 7, 2021. |
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January 5, 2021 | April 1, 2021 | 90 calendar days; except after a gubernatorial election then 125 days | |
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January 6, 2021 | May 14, 2021 | May 30 | Special session convened June 23, 2021. |
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January 4, 2021 | April 29, 2021 | 90 legislative days in two years | |
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January 6, 2021 | May 27, 2021 | Odd-numbered years - 90 legislative days Even-numbered years - 60 days |
Special session convened September 13, 2021. |
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February 1, 2021 | June 1, 2021 | 120 calendar days in two years | |
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January 6, 2021 | June 24, 2021 | 45 legislative days or July 1 | |
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January 4, 2021 | January 11, 2022 | None | |
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January 19, 2021 | March 20, 2021 | Odd-numbered years - 60 days Even-numbered years - 30 days |
Special session convened December 6, 2021, and adjourned on December 17, 2021. |
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January 6, 2021 | June 10, 2021 | None | |
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January 13, 2021 | December 30, 2021 | None | Regular session originally scheduled to conclude on October 29, 2021. |
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January 5, 2021 | April 29, 2021 | 80 legislative days in two years | Special session convened November 8, 2021, and adjourned on November 12, 2021. |
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January 4, 2021 | December 31, 2021 | None | |
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February 1, 2021 | May 27, 2021 | Last Friday in May | Special session convened from November 15, 2021, to November 26, 2021. |
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January 21, 2021 | June 26, 2021 | Odd-numbered years - 160 calendar days Even-numbered years - 35 calendar days |
Session start pushed to January 21, 2021, due to security concerns. Special session convened from September 20, 2021, to September 27, 2021. |
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January 5, 2021 | December 31, 2021 | None | |
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January 5, 2021 | July 1, 2021 | None | |
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January 12, 2021 | May 13, 2021 | First Thurs in June | Special session convened June 8, 2021, through June 29, 2021. Special session—House convened December 1, 2021, Senate convened December 6, 2021. |
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January 12, 2021 | March 29, 2021 | 40 legislative days | Special session convened on November 9, 2021. |
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January 12, 2021 | May 5, 2021 | 90 legislative days | Special session convened January 19, 2021, to January 22, 2021. Special session convened October 27, 2021, to October 30, 2021. |
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January 12, 2021 | May 31, 2021 | 140 calendar days in two years | Special session convened from September 20, 2021, to October 19, 2021. |
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January 19, 2021 | March 5, 2021 | 45 calendar days | Special session convened November 9, 2021, and adjourned November 12, 2021. |
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January 6, 2021 | May 21, 2021 | None | |
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January 13, 2021 | February 8, 2021 | Odd numbered years - 30 calendar days Even-numbered years - 60 days |
Special session held from February 10, 2021, to March 1, 2021. A veto session was scheduled for April 7, 2021. Special session convened from August 2, 2021, to August 10, 2021. |
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January 11, 2021 | April 25, 2021 | Odd numbered years - 105 calendar days Even-numbered years - 60 days |
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February 10, 2021 | April 10, 2021 | 60 calendar days | Special session convened October 11, 2021, to October 20, 2021. |
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January 4, 2021 | December 31, 2021 | None | |
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January 12, 2021 | April 7, 2021 | Odd-numbered years - 40 legislative days Even-numbered years - approximately 20 days |
Session paused until virtual session from January 27, 2021, to February 5, 2021, due to COVID-19. Scheduled to reconvene in-person on March 1, 2021. Special session convened from October 26, 2021, to November 3, 2021. |
Methodology
Ballotpedia considered four sources when compiling the data in the map and chart above:
The four sites each contained a mix of projected end dates for the legislative sessions. Ballotpedia used a projected end date if three sites had the same date. If two websites had the same date but two had a different matching date, Ballotpedia used the date provided by the NCSL.
Glossary of state legislative session terms
Adjourn:
- Termination of a legislative session. The date and time of the next meeting is set before adjournment.[5]
Informal session:
- A type of session called by some states where no attendance is taken and only a few members attend the session. These sessions address day-to-day business and non-controversial bills. The bills do not require debate or a roll-call vote and must be passed unanimously. If one member objects, the measure is blocked.
Lame-duck session:
- A legislative session where its members meet after their successors are elected.[5]
Organizational session:
- The first day that legislators take office. The members are sworn in and new leadership is chosen.[5]
Recess:
- A temporary pause for a period of time in a legislative session.[5]
Regular session:
- A state's legislative members meet for a period of time regularly scheduled by a state's constitution, a statute, or by the legislature where they write and pass bills. Forty-six state legislatures hold regular sessions annually. Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Texas only meet in odd-numbered years.[5]
Skeleton session:
- In a typical skeleton session, a clerk, a presiding officer, and another legislative member are the only people present. The presiding officer will convene the session day and adjourn it minutes later.
Sine die:
- Final adjournment of a legislative session. It is Latin for "without a day."[5]
Special session:
- A special meeting of the legislature called by the governor or by the legislature over a specific subject matter. This is also called an extraordinary session.[5]
Trifecta:
- A trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governorship, a majority in the state senate, and a majority in the state house in a state's government.
Veto session:
- Legislatures may hold a veto session where the members consider all bills vetoed by the governor.[5]
See also
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- National Conference of State Legislatures, Legislative Session Length
- National Conference of State Legislatures, 2021 legislative session calendar
- FiscalNote, The 2021 State Legislative Sessions Calendar
- MultiState, 2021 Legislative Session Dates
- Statescape, Session schedules
Footnotes
- ↑ Find Law, "Tenth Amendment - U.S. Constitution," accessed November 8, 2018
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Legislative session length," accessed March 5, 2019
- ↑ NCSL, "Legislative Session Lengths," accessed December 14, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 This state has full-time legislators. The legislature may meet throughout the year after adjourning their regularly scheduled sessions.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 National Conference of State Legislatures, "GLOSSARY OF LEGISLATIVE TERMS," accessed May 19, 2017