State Legislative Sessions and Code Updates
| State Name | When Does the Legislature Meet? | How Often is the Online Code Updated? | When Was the Online Code Last Updated? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | The Alabama Legislature meets in annual Regular Sessions, each of which can consist of no more than 30 Legislative (meeting) days, within a 105 Calendar day period. By statute, the dates for convening of annual sessions, for each year of a Quadrennium (4-year period), are as follows (all times, noon): 1st Year: 1st Tuesday in March 2nd Year: First Tuesday in February 3rd Year: First Tuesday in February 4th Year: 2nd Tuesday in January (For example, the 2007 Regular Session is the first such regular session held in the new quadrennium, elections having been held November, 2006) Legislative Information System |
The Code of Alabama 1975© The State of Alabama 2001 is updated on the ALISON site only after any supplements have been published, it has been approved by the Code Commissioner, and the Legislature has voted to approve the Codification bill. | 2010 |
| Alaska | Effective in 2008, the Regular Legislative Session has been shortened to 90 days; convening on the third-Monday in January, and adjourning on the third-Sunday in April of each calendar year. More Info. |
To be certain of the current version of the statutes and regulations, please refer to the official printed version of the statutes and regulations. | 2010 |
| Arizona | Pursuant to statute section 41-1101, the legislature shall assemble at the seat of government at twelve o'clock noon on the second Monday of January each year. More Info. |
The statute updates are usually completed in early fall. More Info. |
The Arizona Revised Statutes have been updated with the 50th Legislature, 1st Regular Session information, 2011. |
| Arkansas | The General Assembly shall meet every two years on the first Tuesday after the second Monday in November. The regular sessions shall not exceed 60 days in duration. More Info. |
Online code is updated annually in July | July 27, 2011. |
| California |
The Legislature shall convene in regular session at noon on the first Monday in December of each even-numbered year and each house shall immediately organize. Each session of the Legislature shall adjourn sine die by operation of the Constitution at midnight on November 30 of the following even-numbered year. On extraordinary occasions the Governor by proclamation may cause the Legislature to assemble in special session. When so assembled it has power to legislate only on subjects specified in the proclamation but may provide for expenses and other matters incidental to the session. More Info. |
Pursuant to the California Constitution Art. IV, Sec. 8(c), on January 1st of each year, the California Law database is updated with all new laws that become effective on January 1st of that calendar year. More Info. AND http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html |
The California Law database is also updated nightly as bills are passed and become effective during the Legislative Session. |
| Colorado | The general assembly shall meet in regular session at 10 a.m. no later than the second Wednesday of January of each year. The general assembly shall meet at other times when convened in special session by the governor pursuant to section 9 of article IV of this constitution or by written request by two-thirds of the members of each house to the presiding officer of each house to consider only those subjects specified in such request. The term of service of the members of the general assembly shall begin on the convening of the first regular session of the general assembly next after their election. The committees of the general assembly, unless otherwise provided by the general assembly, shall expire on the convening of the first regular session after a general election. Regular sessions of the general assembly shall not exceed one-hundred-twenty calendar days. More Info. |
Updated once a year, after legislative session around August/September, unless there is a ballot passed after that affecting the statutes. | The Colorado Revised Statutes are current through all laws passed at the 2010 Legislative Session Second Regular Session of the Sixty-Seventh General Assembly of the State of Colorado. |
| Connecticut | The legislature is considered to be part-time. Regular sessions of the General Assembly are held from January to June in odd-numbered years, and from February to May in even-numbered years. More Info. |
The revised statutes are published at the beginning of each odd-numbered year, and the supplements thereto at the beginning of each even-numbered year. | The General Statutes of Connecticut, revised to January 1, 2011. |
| Delaware | The General Assembly meets in Legislative Hall in Dover. The legislature convenes on the second Tuesday of January and meets on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays until June 30 of each year. The General Assembly meets for 2 years, the first year being the first session and the second year being the second session. All bills carry over from the first year to the second year. Legislation not passed by the end of the second session is not carried over to the next General Assembly. More Info. |
The General Statutes of Connecticut, revised to January 1, 2011. | July 13, 2011. |
| District of Columbia | Year-round with 3 recesses (roughly follows the 2008 recesses: Mar. 21-29, July 15-Sept. 15, Dec. 23-31). | Updated daily. | 2010 More Info. |
| Florida | A regular session of the legislature shall convene on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March of each odd-numbered year, and on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March, or such other date as may be fixed by law, of each even-numbered year. More Info. |
Online code updated each year and does include special sessions. More Info. |
2010 |
| Georgia | Each January representatives congregate at the state capitol for the start of the legislative session, which lasts for forty days, to deliberate matters of importance to the citizens of the state. The forty days are not always continuous, and during the time when the chambers are not in session, members generally work in committees or return home to meet with constituents. From time to time the governor may call the General Assembly into a special session for a set number of days. More Info |
The Code is updated one time per year once the supplement to the print edition of the Official Code of George has been prepared and distributed to subscribers. More Info. |
2010 |
| Hawaii | According to Article III, Section 10 of the Hawaii State Constitution, "The legislature shall convene annually in regular session at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on the third Wednesday in January." Regular sessions are limited to a period of 60 working days, which exclude Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, and designated recess days. More Info. |
The online code is updated annually in November. | The 2010 HRS has been updated for all Acts passed in the 2010 Legislative session. |
| Idaho | The sessions of the legislature shall be held annually at the capital of the state, commencing on the second Monday of January of each year, unless a different day shall have been appointed by law, and at other times when convened by the governor. The legislature sessions last approximately three months. In 2011, the legislature convened on Monday, January 10, 2011, and adjourned on Thursday, April 7, 2011. More Info. AND More Info. |
Updated annually in July. | Constitution and Statue Database are current. This incorporates all changes made in the 2010 Legislative Session. |
| Illinois | The General Assembly shall convene each year on the second Wednesday of January. The General Assembly shall be a continuous body during the term for which members of the House of Representatives are elected. The Governor may convene the General Assembly or the Senate alone in special session by a proclamation stating the purpose of the session. More Info. |
Updating the database of the Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) is an ongoing process. Recent laws may not yet be included in the ILCS database, but they are found on their Website as Public Acts soon after they become law. | 2010 |
| Indiana | The sessions of the General Assembly shall be held at the capitol of the State, commencing on the Tuesday next after the second Monday in January of each year in which the General Assembly meets unless a different day or place shall have been appointed by law. But if, in the opinion of the Governor, the public welfare shall require it, he may, at any time by proclamation, call a special session. The length and frequency of the sessions of the General Assembly shall be fixed by law. More Info. |
Online Codes updated annually. | This version of the Indiana Code is current through the 2011 Regular Session of the Indiana General Assembly. |
| Iowa | The general assembly shall meet in session on the second Monday of January of each year. Upon written request to the presiding officer of each house of the general assembly by two-thirds of the members of each house, the general assembly shall convene in special session. The governor of the state may convene the general assembly by proclamation in the interim. The general assembly convenes on the second Monday in January and lasts 110 days in odd-numbered years and 100 days in even-numbered years. More Info. |
Updated daily. | The Iowa Code is current through 2009. However, the Iowa Legislature has an advanced search to 2011. |
| Kansas | The legislature shall meet in regular session annually commencing on the second Monday in January, and all sessions shall be held at the state capital. The duration of regular sessions held in even-numbered years shall not exceed ninety calendar days. Such sessions may be extended beyond ninety calendar days by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house. Bills and concurrent resolutions under consideration by the legislature upon adjournment of a regular session held in an odd-numbered year may be considered at the next succeeding regular session held in an even-numbered year, as if there had been no such adjournment. More Info. AND 800-432-3924 |
Updated every January with the previous year’s session changes. More Info. |
2011 More Info. |
| Kentucky | The General Assembly, in odd-numbered years, shall meet in regular session for a period not to exceed a total of thirty (30) legislative days divided as follows: The General Assembly shall convene for the first part of the session on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January in odd-numbered years for the purposes of electing legislative leaders, adopting rules of procedure, organizing committees, and introducing and considering legislation. The General Assembly shall then adjourn. The General Assembly shall convene for the second part of the session on the first Tuesday in February of that year. Any legislation introduced but not enacted in the first part of the session shall be carried over into the second part of the session. http://www.lrc.ky.gov/ |
The WWW version of the Kentucky Revised Statutes will be updated after each regular and extraordinary session of the Kentucky General Assembly as soon as this is feasible. | 2010 More Info. |
| Louisiana | The legislature shall meet annually in regular session for a limited number of legislative days in the state capital. All regular sessions convening in even-numbered years shall be general in nature and shall convene at noon on the last Monday in March. The legislature shall meet in such a session for not more than sixty legislative days during a period of eighty-five calendar days. No such session shall continue beyond six o'clock in the evening of the eighty-fifth calendar day after convening. All regular sessions convening in odd-numbered years shall convene at noon on the last Monday in April. The legislature shall meet in such a session for not more than forty-five legislative days in a period of sixty calendar days. No such session shall continue beyond six o'clock in the evening of the sixtieth calendar day after convening. More Info. |
Pursuant to the Louisiana Constitution Section 19, "All laws enacted during a regular session of the legislature shall take effect on August fifteenth of the calendar year in which the regular session is held and all laws enacted during an extraordinary session of the legislature shall take effect on the sixtieth day after final adjournment of the extraordinary session in which they were enacted. All laws shall be published prior thereto in the official journal of the state as provided by law. However, any bill may specify an earlier or later effective date." | Updated through the 2010 Regular Legislative Session and the November 2010 Constitutional Amendments election. |
| Maine | 2008: Jan. 2nd – April 16th. The Legislature shall convene on the first Wednesday of December following the general election in what shall be designated the first regular session of the Legislature; and shall further convene on the first Wednesday after the first Tuesday of January in the subsequent even-numbered year in what shall be designated the second regular session of the Legislature. More Info. |
Once a year, usually in the Fall. | The online code updates reflects changes made through the 2nd Regular Session of the 124th Maine Legislature, and is current through October 1, 2010. More Info. |
| Maryland | The General Assembly shall meet on the 2nd Wednesday of January for a period not longer than 90 days each year. More Info. |
Legislative info on this website is updated each night during the Session. For a fee, continuously updated info is available through the Legislative Subscription Service. http://mlis.state.md.us/ |
Covers up to the 2011 General Assembly. |
| Massachusetts | The legislative body shall assemble every year on the last Wednesday in May and shall dissolve and be dissolved on the day next preceding the said last Wednesday in May. More Info. |
Online codes are update every two years. More Info. |
This legislature’s website includes all amendments to the General Laws passed through September 30, 2010. For laws enacted since that time, see the 2010 Session Laws and 2011 Session Laws. More Info. |
| Michigan | The Michigan Legislature convenes in annual session at noon on the second Wednesday in January of each year. Each session continues until the members agree to adjourn sine die (without day), subject to interim recesses. Special sessions of the Legislature may be called by the Governor but are limited to the consideration of subjects the Governor places before the Legislature. More Info. |
Every ten minutes. | 2011 |
| Minnesota | Legislature shall meet at the seat of government on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January of each odd-numbered year. When the first Monday in January falls on January 1, it shall meet on the first Wednesday after the first Monday. The state constitution limits the Legislature to meeting 120 legislative days during each biennium (can spread them out over 2yr period). In addition, the Legislature may not meet in regular session after the first Monday following the third Saturday in May of any year. More Info. |
Updated annually, usually by September. | 2010 |
| Mississippi | Pursuant to Section 36 of the Mississippi Constitution, "The Legislature shall meet at the seat of government in regular session on the Tuesday after the first Monday of January of the year A.D., 1970, and annually thereafter, unless sooner convened by the Governor; provided, however, that such sessions shall be limited to a period of one hundred twenty-five (125) calendar days for regular 1972 session and every fourth year thereafter, but ninety (90) calendar days for every other regular session thereafter. Provided further that the House of Representatives, by resolution with the Senate concurring therein, and by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present and voting in each house, may extend such limited session for a period of thirty (30) days with no limit on the number of extensions to each session." More Info. |
Updated annually, legislative action updated daily. | July 1, 2010 |
| Missouri | The general assembly shall meet on the first Wednesday after the first Monday in January following each general election. The general assembly may provide by law for the introduction of bills during the period between the first day of December and the first Wednesday after the first Monday of January. The general assembly shall reconvene on the first Wednesday after the first Monday of January after adjournment at midnight on May thirtieth of the preceding year. More Info. |
The Online Code is updated yearly in August. | August 26, 2010. More Info. |
| Montana | January – May (regular session no later than May 30th). The legislature shall meet each odd-numbered year in regular session of not more than 90 legislative days. Any legislature may increase the limit on the length of any subsequent session. | Updated every 2 years by October 1st. | Up to November 2, 2010 |
| Nebraska | Regular sessions of the Legislature shall be held annually, commencing at 10 a.m. on the first Wednesday after the first Monday in January of each year. The duration of regular sessions held shall not exceed ninety legislative days in odd-numbered years unless extended by a vote of four-fifths of all members elected to the Legislature, and shall not exceed sixty legislative days in even-numbered years unless extended by a vote of four-fifths of all members elected to the Legislature. More Info. |
After the end of a legislative session, all the statutes that are changed with the passage of bills need to be updated. This process is called codification. Once the codification is complete, the statutes are updated and a link will be posted under the Recent Legislative Information section on the home page. | 2011 |
| Nevada | The sessions of the Legislature shall be biennial, and shall commence on the 1st Monday of February following the election of members of the Assembly, unless the Governor of the State shall, in the interim, convene the Legislature by proclamation. The Legislature shall adjourn sine die each regular session not later than midnight Pacific standard time 120 calendar days following its commencement. Any legislative action taken after midnight Pacific standard time on the 120th calendar day is void, unless the legislative action is conducted during a special session convened by the Governor. | Updated every 2 years, after each session. | 2009 |
| New Hampshire | The senate and house shall assemble biennially on the first Wednesday of December for organizational purposes in even numbered years, and shall assemble annually on the first Wednesday following the first Tuesday in January, and at such other times as they may judge necessary; and shall dissolve and be dissolved at 12:01 A.M. on the first Wednesday of December in even numbered years and shall be styled The General Court of New Hampshire. More Info. |
Code updated yearly in November. More Info. |
October 7th, 2011 More Info. |
| New Jersey | Commence on 2nd Tuesday in January of each even-numbered year (with two annual sessions). Because the Constitution also specifies that all business from the first year may be continued into the second year, the distinction between the two annual sessions is more ceremonial than actual. Each house averages 40 meeting days. More Info. |
Updated daily. More Info. |
Updated through P.L. 2011, ch. 89 and JR 6 |
| New Mexico | The New Mexico State Legislature convenes in regular sessions on the third Tuesday in January each year. The Legislature meets for 60 days in odd-numbered years and 30 days in even-numbered years. sessionsdates.pdf |
During a legislative session, every effort is made to finish updating the information in the Bill Finder by 6 a.m. of the next calendar day. The revision date is posted on the search page of the Bill Finder. After a legislative session, updates will be made as the governor takes action on the bills that have passed. The deadline for the governor's action is 20 days after the session ends; no updates are necessary after that deadline. | Statutes are current through the First Session of the Fiftieth Legislature (2011). More Info. |
| North Carolina | Legislature meets biennially beginning with odd-numbered years. | Updated annually a couple of months after sessions end. | The Statutes on the North Carolina General Assembly website reflect changes made in the 2010 legislative session. More Info. |
| North Dakota | The North Dakota Legislative Assembly meets biennially, from approximately the second week in January to mid-April in each odd-numbered year. Days in regular session are "legislative days," which generally include Monday-Friday of each week. The Legislative Assembly met for 79 legislative days in 2009, from Tuesday, January 6, through Monday, May 4. Special sessions are rare (the most recent special session was from Monday, May 5, through Wednesday, May 7, 2003). The 2011 regular session will convene Tuesday, January 4, 2011. const.pdf |
Online code is updated annually. | The Century Code includes all statutory changes made by the 62nd (2011) Legislative Assembly, which adjourned on Thursday, April 28, 2011. More Info. |
| Ohio | Each general assembly shall convene in first regular session on the first Monday of January in the odd-numbered year, or on the succeeding day if the first Monday of January is a legal holiday, and in second regular session on the same date of the following year. More Info. |
Updated every 3 mos. | Effective until June 29, 2011. Includes legislation filed in the Secretary of State’s office through July 1, 2011, with the exception of HB 153. |
| Oklahoma | Legislature shall meet on the first Monday in February of each year and the regular session shall be finally adjourned sine die not later than five o'clock p.m. on the last Friday in May of each year. | Updated annually. | The Oklahoma Statutes were last updated on February 18, 2011. |
| Oregon | The Legislature convenes annually in February at the State Capitol in Salem, but sessions may not exceed 160 days in odd-numbered years and 35 days in even-numbered years. Five-day extensions are allowed by a two-thirds vote in each house. In odd-numbered years, the Legislative Assembly convenes on the second Monday in January, to swear-in newly elected officials, elect legislative leaders, adopt rules, organize and appoint committees, and begin introducing bills. More Info. |
Code Updated annually. More Info. |
Code Updated: 2009. However, the legislature’s website has a 2010 Special Session Oregon Laws for the most up to date version of the law. The 2011 Edition will be available in the early months of 2012. |
| Pennsylvania | The General Assembly shall convene the first Tuesday of January. The General Assembly must meet in regular session annually, meaning the session of one year must adjourn by noon of the first Tuesday of the following year. Two regular sessions cannot meet at the same time. It must also adjourn by midnight, November 30, in even-numbered years due to the expiration of the terms of office of all House members and half the Senate. More Info. More Info. |
Couldn’t find specific dates, but it appears it is updated fairly regularly during session when Governor passes law. More Info. |
Updated up to July 2011. More Info. |
| Rhode Island | There shall be a session of the general assembly at Providence commencing on the first Tuesday of January in each year, generally for 60 meeting days, generally ending around late June. More Info. |
Updated annually. | 2010 More Info. |
| South Carolina | The annual session of the General Assembly shall convene at the State Capitol Building in the City of Columbia on the second Tuesday of January of each year and generally lasts through June. | Updated annually by January. However, individual laws are updated as they are changed. | The unannotated South Carolina Code on the General Assembly's website is now current through the 2010 session. |
| South Dakota | The sessions of the Legislature shall be biennial. A regular session of the Legislature shall be held in each odd-numbered year on the second Tuesday of January and shall not exceed forty legislative days, excluding Sundays, holidays and legislative recess. A regular session of the Legislature shall be held in each even-numbered year beginning with the year 1964 and shall not exceed thirty-five legislative days, excluding Sundays, holidays and legislative recess. More Info. |
Updated every July 1st. | 2011 More Info. |
| Tennessee | Session beings the second Tuesday in January at 12:00 Noon. There is no defined adjournment date. But, the General Assembly usually adjourns in late May. More Info. |
Updated annually. | 2010 |
| Texas | Gen, Feb – May. The Legislature shall meet every two years. No Regular Session shall be of longer duration than one hundred and forty (140) days. More Info. |
Information updates occur immediately after the information is entered into the legislature's internal computer system. More Info. |
The statutes available on this website are current through the 81st Legislature. The Texas Constitution is current through the amendments approved by the voters in November 2009. This website will not reflect changes in law made during the 82nd Legislature until 2012. |
| Utah | Annual general sessions of the Legislature shall be held at the seat of government and shall begin on the fourth Monday in January. No annual general session of the Legislature may exceed 45 calendar days, except in cases of impeachment (generally ends 1st Wed. in March). More Info. |
Code updated annually in July. | July 1, 2011. More Info. |
| Vermont | The Legislature runs from early January through late April. The adjournment date varies from year to year, but in general the Legislature tries to complete its work in sixteen or seventeen weeks. |
Information is added to this site daily during the Legislative session. In general, information is added to the Web site as soon as it is available. More Info. |
December 14, 2010. |
| Virginia | The General Assembly shall meet once each year on the second Wednesday in January. Except as herein provided for reconvened sessions, no regular session of the General Assembly convened in an even-numbered year shall continue longer than sixty days; no regular session of the General Assembly convened in an odd-numbered year shall continue longer than thirty days; but with the concurrence of two-thirds of the members elected to each house, any regular session may be extended for a period not exceeding thirty days. More Info. |
The Code of Virginia is updated annually on July 1 to reflect the legislation passed during the previous session. More Info. |
July 1, 2011 More Info. |
| Washington | Regular Sessions. A regular session of the legislature shall be convened each year. Regular sessions shall convene on such day and at such time as the legislature shall determine by statute. During each odd-numbered year, the regular session shall not be more than one hundred five consecutive days. During each even-numbered year, the regular session shall not be more than sixty consecutive days. More Info. |
The online version of the Revised Code of Washington is updated twice a year, once in the early fall following the legislative session, and again at the end of the year if a ballot measure that changes the law passed at the general election. | January 3, 2011 |
| West Virginia | Regular sessions of the Legislature shall commence on the second Wednesday of January of each year. The regular session of the Legislature held in the year 1973 and every fourth year thereafter shall, in addition to the meeting days preceding the adjournment provided for in section eighteen of this article (election of officers), not exceed 60 calendar days computed from and including the second Wednesday of February, and the regular session held in all other years shall not exceed 60 calendar days computed from and including the second Wednesday of January. http://www.legis.state.wv.us/FAQs/ |
Updated annually, usually not until the early Fall. | The West Virginia Code is updated with legislation passed through the 2010 Second Special Session. More Info. |
| Wisconsin | The Wisconsin Legislature operates in a biennial session that lasts from early January of the odd numbered year to early January of the odd numbered year two years later. The session is referred to by the odd-numbered year, for example, acts from the 2001-2002 Legislative Session are called 2001 Wisconsin Acts. During the session, business is conducted during scheduled Floor periods. More Info. |
The Wisconsin 2009-10 Statutes website is updated through July 25, 2011. More Info. |
July 25, 2011. More Info. |
| Wyoming | The Legislature meets in general session in odd numbered years, beginning on the second Tuesday of January. The general session is limited to 40 legislative days, but generally lasts around 38 days. The Legislature meets in budget session in even numbered years, beginning on the second Monday of February. A typical budget session lasts 20 legislative days. 2008 Budget Session Adjourned March 7, 2008. 2009 General Session Convenes January 13, 2009. http://legisweb.state.wy.us/ More Info. (307) 777-7881 |
Updated annually in July. | This version of the Wyoming Statutes contains changes from the 2011 General Session and reflects the contents of the statutes as they will exist as of July 1, 2011. |