Thanks to friends-of-BillTrack50 Duane Morris for the following helpful information:

What is State Legislative Prefiling?

State legislative prefiling allows lawmakers to submit bills ahead of the start of the legislative session. This process is designed to facilitate early consideration of proposals, enabling a more organized and efficient legislative process.

Prefiling also provides the public, businesses, and interest groups with an opportunity to review proposed legislation before sessions begin, allowing time to engage and respond proactively.

Why is Tracking Prefiled Bills Important?

Monitoring state legislative prefiling ensures you stay ahead of the curve in legislative advocacy. Here are the top reasons to prioritize prefiled bill tracking:

Early Policy Influence - Tracking prefiled bills allows stakeholders to engage with legislators before momentum builds, maximizing your ability to shape legislation.

Strategic Advocacy Planning - With early knowledge of legislative priorities, advocacy groups can craft focused strategies aligned with their objectives.

Efficient Resource Allocation - By identifying significant prefiled bills, organizations can allocate resources to initiatives most likely to impact their goals.

Key State Legislative Prefiling Dates

Prefiling dates vary by state, with some states allowing prefiling several months in advance, while others have shorter windows. Below is a table outlining the prefiling dates for all 50 states, where applicable.

NOTE: This data is gathered from various sources and collated by AI and there may be some errors.  And exact dates may vary by year. Please make sure you check the state sites before relying on the dates for anything important!  Our State Stats pages provide useful links for checking dates and deadlines for specific states. 

ALSO NOTE: Once prefiling starts, it might take a few days for the bills to appear in BillTrack50 due to technical processes which our data supplier needs to carry out.  Please be patient!

Please let us know if you do spot anything here that is wrong, or if you think we should have prefiled bills in BillTrack50 and you can't find them.