A bicameral legislative body, the legislature is split between the upper Senate and the lower House of Delegates.

[1] Regular sessions of the legislature commence on the second Wednesday of January of each year.

The length of the general session may not go beyond 60 calendar days unless extended by a concurrent resolution adopted by a two-thirds vote of each house.

Given the part-time nature of the legislature of West Virginia, multiple extraordinary sessions are not uncommon.

[1] Bills are drafted by the Office of Legislative Services or legislative staff counsel, reviewed by the sponsor of the bill and submitted for introduction to the clerk of the chamber of which the sponsor is a member.