The Minnesota Legislature plans to convene for the 2009-2010 biennium at noon, Jan. 6.

Of the 134 elected House members, 87 are DFLers and 47 are Republicans. Twenty-two will be serving their first term.

Legislators must constitutionally complete their work by May 18. The state constitution limits the number of days the Legislature can meet over the biennium to 120. A legislative day is defined as any day when either the House or Senate meets in session.

This is the first year of the biennium, which is traditionally reserved for consideration of the state budget, which means addressing an anticipated $4.8 billion shortfall. By law, the state cannot carry a deficit at the end of a biennium. 

Information about the Minnesota House of Representatives can be accessed through the House Web site at www.house.mn.To stay informed about what’s going on at the Legislature, subscribe to Session Weekly, a free, nonpartisan newsmagazine produced each week by House Public Information Services.

For daily electronic updates during session and when news from the House warrants, subscribe to Session Daily. For more information, call (651) 296-2146, 800-657-3550 or go to www.house.mn/hinfo/subscribesw.asp.