Session
Glossary·Verified 2026-07-10
Definition
A legislative session is the period when a state legislature is convened and authorized to meet, debate, and pass bills. Sessions can be annual or biennial, and many state constitutions cap how many days they can run.
Why it matters
Session length and frequency decide who has time to actually influence outcomes. Short sessions common in part-time legislatures compress hundreds of bills into a few weeks, giving lobbyists and long-tenured staff outsized leverage over lawmakers who cannot review everything closely.
Seen in the wild
Texas holds regular sessions only in odd-numbered years, capped at 140 days. The 2025 regular session ran from January 14 to June 2, 2025. Unfinished business after that required a special session called by the governor.