By Angela Andrews
By the end of this week, 36 legislatures will have convened their 2016 regular session.
Utah will convene next 
Monday, January 25th. Alabama, Connecticut, Oklahoma, Oregon and Wyoming will convene in February while Louisiana and Minnesota will convene in March. By the time Arkansas and North Carolina convene in April, close to 20 legislatures may have adjourned their regular session.
For most legislatures, the even year is the second year of their biennium and session lengths are shorter than the first year. You can learn more about session lengths here. One fact that legislative geeks should know: in Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia, the even year is the first of their biennium. It’s because these states hold off-year elections.
In addition to shorter regular sessions in the second year of the biennium, some legislatures also limit the scope of their session. For example, in even years, the Wyoming Legislature only considers budget bills. Want to learn more about limited scope sessions? Look here.
Finally, don’t forget—there are four states that only meet in regular session in odd-numbered years—Montana, Nevada, North Dakota and Texas.
Want up-to-date information about when legislatures convene, adjourn or go into special session in 2016? Bookmark NCSL’s 2016 legislative session calendar.
Angela Andrews is a program principal in NCSL's Legislative Management program. Email Angela.