Has North Dakota scheduled its regular legislative sessions every other year since statehood in 1889?

North Dakota has scheduled its regular legislative sessions biennially since statehood. The Constitution adopted in 1889 stated that sessions of the Legislative Assembly “shall be biennial” and directed lawmakers to meet after legislative elections. The first state Legislative Assembly convened on Nov. 19, 1889, shortly after North Dakota entered the Union, and adjourned on March 18, 1890. The second assembly convened on Jan. 6, 1891. 

The Legislative Council’s chronology shows regular sessions convening in every successive odd-numbered year since then. Today, North Dakota remains one of four states whose legislatures meet biennially in odd-numbered years (alongside Montana, Nevada, and Texas).

The Legislature also holds a three-day organizational session in December before each regular session, and governors may call special sessions. These additional meetings, along with interim committee work, do not alter the every-other-year schedule for regular legislative sessions.