State legislatures across the country are already laying groundwork for the 2027 legislative session, even though many 2026 sessions are still wrapping up. For advocates, agencies and anyone who tracks state policy, this overlap matters. Interim hearings, prefiling windows and early committee work happening right now will shape which bills move once the 2027 legislative session opens. From agency bill requests to interim study topics named by legislative leadership, the building blocks of next year’s agenda are taking shape well before any text becomes public.
No 2026 Session Means Full Focus on 2027
Montana, Nevada, North Dakota and Texas do not hold a regular session in even numbered years. These legislatures meet only in odd numbered years, so all of 2026 has gone toward interim committee work and bill drafting ahead of their 2027 legislative session. Several other states have also published 2027 convene dates well ahead of schedule, including Colorado, Kansas, South Dakota, Tennessee and Utah, giving stakeholders an unusually early planning horizon.
Interim Hearings Are Setting the Agenda
Even in states with active 2026 sessions, interim committees continue meeting between regular sessions to study issues, hold hearings and recommend legislation. Missouri, Oklahoma and South Carolina, among others, maintain ongoing interim hearing schedules that often preview the topics most likely to resurface when the next session opens. Montana and Wyoming have already named their interim study topics and started working bill drafts, a process that typically runs through the fall ahead of formal introduction in 2027.
Prefiling Windows Are Not One Size Fits All
How and when bills can be filed ahead of session varies considerably from state to state.
- Early Openers: States such as Maryland and South Dakota typically open prefiling for the next cycle in December, well before convening.
- No Prefiling at All: States including Colorado, North Carolina and Ohio do not permit prefiling, so no bill text is publicly available until session begins.
- Carryover Adds a Wrinkle: Because carryover rules differ by state and sometimes by chamber, a bill drafted now is not guaranteed to advance automatically once the 2027 legislative session opens. It may instead need to be reintroduced from scratch.
Why the Timing Matters
The gap between sessions is not downtime for state legislatures. It is when bill concepts take shape, agencies submit requests and committees signal priorities. Teams that wait for formal bill introduction to start engaging often find that an issue’s framing, and sometimes the bill language itself, was already set during the interim. Tracking this activity now offers a meaningful head start on understanding what the 2027 legislative session is likely to bring.
FOCUS will continue to monitor developments on how states prepare for 2027 across the country.
by Juliana Walsh 6/22/26
