When Is the Legislative Session in New York?

The legislative session is the period of time when the legislature meets to conduct business. The session usually starts in January and ends in June of each year.

Example: Legislative Session Calendar for 2023

According to the New York State Assembly, the legislative session calendar for 2023 is as follows:

• The legislative session convenes on January 4, 2023.
• The final day for submission of the executive budget is February 1, 2023.
• The beginning of the new fiscal year is April 1, 2023.
• The legislative session adjourns on June 30, 2023.

The session calendar is intended to afford members flexibility in conducting legislative business in Albany and planning activities within their home districts. The session calendar will foster orderly and timely consideration of legislation. Unforeseen events may require modification of the session calendar.

Extraordinary Sessions

Legislation can be passed after June and before January, but only in special circumstances.

The New York State Constitution allows the governor to call an extraordinary session of the legislature to address urgent matters of public interest. The governor can also add items to the agenda of an extraordinary session by issuing a proclamation. For example, Gov. Hochul announced an extraordinary session of the New York State Legislature to begin on June 30, 2022.

Alternatively, the legislature can convene an extraordinary session by petition of request from two-thirds of both legislative houses.

Extraordinary sessions are rare and usually deal with specific issues that require immediate action. Most of the legislative business is conducted during the regular session from January to June.