A legislative session is a period of time during which a legislature (usually a state senate and house of representatives) conducts its business. Sessions are usually limited to one year, although Congress, with its six-year term for senators and two-year terms for members of the House, does not have true session limits.
Legislators are able to introduce bills at any point in a session by placing them in the hopper on the Clerk’s desk in the chamber. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned its legislative number and referred to its committee of jurisdiction. If the committee releases the bill, it can then be read, debated, amended, and voted on in a “mark-up” session. At this stage, it is also possible for the bill to be withdrawn or tabled.
Once a bill is passed by a committee, it may be sent to the full House or Senate for further consideration. During floor debate, Members of each chamber provide speeches for and against the legislation and vote on it. If the bill passes, it becomes law; if the bill fails, it may be reintroduced during the next session.
In most parliamentary systems, once a legislature completes its business and is adjourned, it will remain in recess until the head of state or presiding officer calls parliamentarians back into session. The exact length of each legislative session will vary, but the governing body generally returns to work exactly where it left off.
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