Editor’s note: This article was originally written by Julie Pelegrin and posted on April 18, 2019. This version has been expanded and updated where appropriate.

On May 8, legislators, legislative staff, lobbyists, and capitol reporters can all hit the snooze button and roll over for another hour of sleep. But between now and then, there are several amendments to read, bills to consider, and differences to resolve. To help ensure that both houses can complete their work by midnight on May 7, the legislative rules automatically speed up or suspend certain procedural requirements in the last few days of the session.

Last two weeks of session:

• Senate Rule 22 (a)(2): A Senate committee must usually meet on the weekdays and at the times, and places specified in the Schedule of Committee Meetings, but a committee meeting may be held at a different time or place (but not day of the week) if the chair announces the meeting at least 24 hours in advance when the Senate is in session. During the last two weeks of session, the day of the week may be changed and the announcement may be made less than 24 hours if it is made as much in advance as possible.

Last 10 days of Session:

• House Rule 25 (j)(3); Senate Rule 22 (f): Each House and Senate committee chair must submit committee reports to their respective front desks as soon as possible after the committee acts on a bill. No more waiting for two, three, or five days to turn in the report. And during these last 10 days, at the request of the Senate Majority Leader or President, a Senate committee chair must submit the committee report immediately. If that doesn’t happen within 24 hours after the request, the committee staff person is required to submit the report to the Senate front desk on the chair’s behalf.
• House Rule 33 (b.5): Usually, the House rules only allow technical amendments on third reading; offering a substantial amendment on third reading may result in the bill being referred back to second reading. During the last 10 days of session, however, a Representative may offer a substantial amendment to a bill on third reading.
• House Rule 35 (a): Throughout most of the session, a representative may give notice of the intention to move to reconsider a question. In this case, the representative has until noon on the next day of actual session to move to reconsider. However, during the last 10 days of session, a member cannot give notice of intention to reconsider.
• House Rule 35 (b) and (e): A motion to reconsider usually requires a 2/3 vote to pass. But in the last 10 days of session, a motion to reconsider—whether in a House committee or in the full House—requires only a majority vote.
• House Rule 36 (d): The House can consider the Senate amendments made to a House bill without waiting for the members of the House to receive a copy of the rerevised bill and for the notice of consideration to be printed in the calendar.
• House Rule 36 (d): Legislators can vote on a conference committee report once the report is turned in to the front desk—even if the report has not been distributed to the members and has not been calendared for consideration. The usual practice, however, is to try to distribute copies of conference committee reports to legislators before the vote.

Last 5 Days of Session:

• Joint Rule 7: One day after a bill is assigned to a conference committee, a majority of either house may demand a conference committee report, and the committee must deliver the report before the close of the second legislative day after such demand is made. But during the last five days of session, the report must be delivered by the close of the legislative day during which the demand is made. If a bill has been assigned to a conference committee at any time during the session and the committee hasn’t turned in a report, the committee must submit its report to the desk within the last five days of session.

Last 3 Days of Session:

• Senate Rule 26 (a): The Senate can consider the House amendments made to a Senate bill without waiting for the members of the Senate to receive a copy of the rerevised bill and for the notice of consideration to be printed in the calendar.
• Senate Rule 26 (b): Legislators can vote on a conference committee report once the report is turned in to the front desk—even if the report has not been distributed to the members and has not been calendared for consideration. The usual practice, however, is to try to distribute copies of conference committee reports to legislators before the vote.
• Senate Rule 18 (d): Throughout most of the session, a Senator may give notice of reconsideration, and the Secretary of the Senate will hold the bill for which the notice was given for up to two days of actual session. During the last three days of session, however, this rule is suspended, and a Senator cannot hold up a bill by giving notice to reconsider.

Before the 118th legislative day, the President of the Senate may announce that the Senate is in the last three days of the legislative session. This does not mean that the Senate will adjourn sine die before the 120th legislative day, but it does trigger the rule changes that apply in the last three days of session. By contrast, it’s unlikely that the Speaker of the House will announce that the House is in the last 10 days of the legislative session before the 111^th day. It’s more likely that on April 28^th—the 111^th legislative day—she will announce that the House is in the last 10 days of the legislative session. This announcement will remind the members of the House of the end-of-session procedural rule changes.