Joint Meetings or Joint Sessions?
The parliamentary difference between a Joint Meeting and a Joint Session has evolved over time. At present, the distinctions have these features:
A Joint Meeting takes place when the House and Senate agree to recess and meet with the other chamber. The purpose of a joint meeting has usually been for Congress to hear an address from an important figure—generally a visiting foreign leader. This practice became a standard part of foreign leaders’ state visits to the United States after 1945.
A Joint Session takes place when the House and Senate adopt a concurrent resolution. Joint Sessions typically are reserved to hear an address from the President of the United States or to count presidential electoral votes as specified by the U.S. Constitution (Article I, section 1; 12th Amendment). On January 6, 1941, two Joint Sessions were held the same day: to count the presidential electoral votes and to hear President Franklin Roosevelt deliver his Annual Message to Congress.