Multistate Associates Blog Why 46 States Meet Annually: The Modernization of State Legislatures (is North Dakota Next?)

Currently, 46 states hold annual legislative sessions while only 4 states (Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Texas) meet biennially in odd-numbered years, meaning all 50 state legislatures are in session in 2025. North Dakota is considering joining the annual session states via HB 1408, which would split their constitutionally limited 80-day biennial session into annual 40-day sessions beginning in 2028. Legislative session frequency has followed a cyclical pattern in American history, starting with mostly annual sessions in the early 1800s, shifting to predominantly biennial sessions by 1900 (with 87% of states meeting biennially), and then returning to mostly annual sessions by today. The trend toward annual sessions since the 1960s reflects modernization of state legislatures, with increased staff resources and the need to respond to faster-paced policymaking, suggesting the pendulum is unlikely to swing back toward biennial sessions.