The Iowa Senate vote against proposed new congressional and legislative districts guarantees the state will have its first special session since 1992 sometime in late May or early June. The sessions are rare and expensive. This year's regular session is 115 days long and counting. Legislators are not eligible for expense allowances during overtime days.
Special sessions are more expensive because legislators are eligible for daily expenses.
The Legislature held two special sessions in 1992 after then-Gov. Terry Branstad and the Democrat-controlled Legislature bogged down in a battle over budget deficits. Ultimately, lawmakers and Branstad agreed to couple a sales-tax increase with budget cuts and spending reforms. The first special session ran a little over two days, ending at 2 a.m. on a Friday. The second was a one-day session to ratify the budget deal reached by Branstad and legislative leaders.