A mid-year report on state legislative sessions


Welcome to the Tuesday, July 5, Brew. 

By: Samuel Wonacott

Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

  1. Lawmakers are in session in six states
  2. President Joe Biden’s approval at 39%, the lowest of his presidency thus far 
  3. We’re hiring—and we’d like you to be our next colleague! 

Lawmakers are in session in six states

Now that we’ve reached the halfway point of the year, let’s look back at the status of state legislative sessions over the last six months.  

Currently, most states are out of session. But six state legislatures are in regular session—California, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Lawmakers in California, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Ohio are considered full-time legislators, because they meet periodically throughout the year (in 41 other states, state legislators are considered part-time because they only meet for a portion of the year). 

Massachusetts’ legislative session is scheduled to end July 31. California’s is scheduled to end Aug. 31, while Pennsylvania’s is scheduled to end Nov. 30. In Michigan, New Jersey, and Ohio, sessions are scheduled to end on Dec. 31. 

Since January, lawmakers in all but four states have held regular sessions. That’s because  46 state legislatures hold regular sessions annually. In Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Texas, however, lawmakers hold regular sessions in odd-numbered years only. 

The length of a session varies among the states, and is set by a state’s constitution, a statute, or by the legislature. 

Here’s a roundup of facts about state legislative sessions this year: 

  • 46 states held regular sessions in 2022. 
    • 39 state legislatures convened in January.  
    • Five state legislatures—Oregon, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Arkansas, and Wyoming—convened in February. 
    • Louisiana’s state legislature convened in March, and North Carolina’s convened in May. 
  • 40 states have ended their sessions
    • One state legislature ended its session in February. 
    • 12 state legislatures ended their sessions in March. 
    • Eight state legislatures ended their sessions in April. 
    • 13 state legislatures ended their sessions in May. 
    • Five state legislatures ended their sessions in June.
    • North Carolina ended its session on July 1.  

State legislatures sometimes meet outside of their regularly scheduled sessions in what are called special or extraordinary sessions. According to MultiState, 12 states have held special sessions so far this year—Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Additionally, South Carolina has a forthcoming special session on a date to be determined.

Click below to read more about state legislative sessions.

Keep reading

President Joe Biden’s approval at 39%, the lowest of his presidency so far 

We’ve aggregated polling data since the first days of the Trump administration. Let’s take a look at some recent polling data. 

Recent polling averages show President Joe Biden’s (D) approval rating at 39% as of June 30, the lowest of his presidency thus far. Fifty-six percent of voters disapprove.

Biden first received this rating on June 13. At the end of May, his approval rating was at 40%. Biden’s highest approval rating was 55% on May 26, 2021.

Our polling index takes the average of polls conducted over the last 30 days to calculate presidential and congressional approval ratings. We average the results and show all polling results side-by-side because we believe that paints a clearer picture of public opinion than any individual poll can provide. The data is updated daily as new polling results are published.

Keep reading 

We’re Hiring!

We’re hiring interns and full-time staff! If you’re interested in getting paid to help ensure that every voter in America has unbiased election information, then we encourage you to join our team! We’re looking for fast learners and creative problem solvers who are eager to work hard to make the world a better place.

To apply for these 100% remote opportunities, visit our Job Opportunities page at the link below and submit an application today! 

Keep reading