Hard at Work? Minnesota Legislature Sets Record for Decade-Long Days in Session
Last week, on the 82nd Legislative Day of the 86th Legislature, the Minnesota Legislature set a new record for the most days in session in a decade.
A Smart Politics analysis of historical data compiled from the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library finds that the Legislature has been in session for more days during the last 10 years (2001-2010, or 82nd – 86th Legislatures) than during any stretch in Gopher State History.
Through Monday, March 29th, 2010, the state legislature had been in session for 582 legislative days over the past 10 years, eclipsing the previous mark of 581 days set from 1971 through 1980 (67th-71st Legislatures).
While the number of legislative days for regular sessions is capped at 120 per biennium by the state Constitution, past legislatures have frequently not come close to reaching that limit.
For example, excluding special sessions, the 73rd Legislature (1983-1984) was in session for just 84 days, the 72nd (1981-1982) and 74th (1985-1986) Legislatures were in session for 91 days, and the 75th Legislature (1987-1988) was in session for 93 days.
Recent legislatures, however, have flirted with the upper limit of the number of legislative days in session: 116 days for the 82nd Legislature (2001-2002), 111 days for the 83rd (2003-2004), 112 for the 84th (2005-2006), and 119 for the 85th (2007-2008).
Moreover, the last decade has also been witness to the calling of five special sessions – in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2007 – which has tallied an additional 42 days ‘at the office’ for the state’s 201 legislators.
Minnesota Legislature Days in Session (Regular) by Biennium, 1973-2010
|
Years
|
Legislature
|
Days
|
|
2009-2010*
|
86
|
82+
|
|
2007-2008
|
85
|
119
|
|
2005-2006
|
84
|
112
|
|
2003-2004
|
83
|
111
|
|
2001-2002
|
82
|
116
|
|
1999-2000
|
81
|
118
|
|
1997-1998
|
80
|
109
|
|
1995-1996
|
79
|
112
|
|
1993-1994
|
78
|
106
|
|
1991-1992
|
77
|
100
|
|
1989-1990
|
76
|
96
|
|
1987-1988
|
75
|
93
|
|
1985-1986
|
74
|
91
|
|
1983-1984
|
73
|
84
|
|
1981-1982
|
72
|
91
|
|
1979-1980
|
71
|
99
|
|
1977-1978
|
70
|
99
|
|
1975-1976
|
69
|
108
|
|
1973-1974
|
68
|
116
|
* Through March 29, 2010. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library data compiled by Smart Politics.
That means Minnesotans are perhaps getting more bang for their buck when it comes to putting their legislators to work – as salaries are set at $31,140.90 per year, unlike some states which pay legislators for each calendar day (e.g. Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky, North Dakota, Utah), legislative day (e.g. Montana, Nevada, Wyoming), or week (e.g. Vermont) they are in session.
(Minnesota legislators also receive session per diem rates of $96 per day for Senators and $77 per legislative day for Representatives).
Minnesota legislators have also spread out their days in session across a record 1,270 calendar days since 2001 through last Monday – which is more than 120 days longer (and counting) than the previous record of 1,148 days set during the 77th through 81st Legislatures from 1991-2000.
Note: Legislative committees may meet (and have met) without tallying a legislative day against the constitutional limit, as long as neither chamber meets on the floor on that day.
Minnesota Legislature Days in Session (Total) by Decade
|
Decade
|
Legislatures
|
Calendar days
|
Legislative days
|
|
2001-2010*
|
82-86
|
1,270*
|
582*
|
|
1991-2000
|
77-81
|
1,148
|
559
|
|
1981-1990
|
72-76
|
1,059
|
488
|
|
1971-1980
|
67-71
|
1,147
|
581
|
|
1961-1970
|
62-66
|
745
|
545
|
|
1951-1960
|
57-61
|
612
|
446
|
|
1941-1950
|
52-56
|
543
|
391
|
|
1931-1940
|
47-51
|
693
|
501
|
|
1921-1930
|
42-46
|
539
|
388
|
|
1911-1920
|
37-41
|
567
|
N/A
|
|
1901-1910
|
32-36
|
558
|
N/A
|
|
1891-1900
|
27-31
|
530
|
N/A
|
|
1881-1890
|
22-26
|
386
|
N/A
|
|
1871-1880
|
13-21
|
540
|
N/A
|
|
1861-1870
|
3-12
|
621
|
N/A
|
|
1857-1860
|
1-2
|
351
|
N/A
|
* Through March 29, 2010. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library data compiled by Smart Politics. Note: In some years the House and Senate were not in session the same number of days. Data in the table reflects the largest number of days either chamber was in session in a given year. Aside from special sessions, the Minnesota Legislature did not meet in even-numbered years for nearly a 100-year stretch, from 1880 through 1972. Biennial sessions began in 1879.
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