special session

In a legislature, a special session is a period when the body convenes outside of the normal legislative session. This most frequently occurs in order to complete unfinished tasks for the year (often delayed by conflict between political parties), such as outlining the government's budget for the next fiscal year, biennium, or other period. Special sessions may also be called during an economic downturn in order to cut the budget. In other cases, a special session may be convened to address an emergency such as war or natural disaster. That is sometimes called an emergency special session.

Who calls a special session varies - by vote of the legislature during regular session, by the executive, or by the legislature's speaker or presiding officer.

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