I found this italian piece which confirms the above "E' trascorso più di un anno dall'insediamento del Ministro per gli Italiani nel Mondo Mirko Tremaglia. Un breve arco di tempo che ci permette però di tracciare un primo bilancio di quanto è stato fatto dal nuovo dicastero in questo scorcio di legislatura" and
Weekly Checklist 97-40 (Oct. 3, 1997)
... Bills of the House of Commons, First session, 36th parliament, 46 Elizabeth II, 1997 ... Bills of the House of Commons, First session, 36th parliament, 46 Elizabeth II, 1997 ...dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Checklist/w97-40e.html - 81k - Cached - More pages from this site - Save - Block
The laws and acts made in the second session of the First Parliament of our most high and dread soveraign James VII ...
The laws and acts made in the second session of the First Parliament of our most high and dread soveraign James VII by the grace of God, King of Scotland, England, France and Ireland, defender of the faith holden at Edinburgh the 29 of Apr. 1686...name.umdl.umich.edu/A58629.0001.001 - More pages from this site - Save - Block.
Hopefully it helps...PC

Perhaps this is nitpicking, but I wonder if "scorcio" might refer to a "part" of a session instead of the whole. In any case, here are some examples for my suggestion:

"The two 1.25 percent pay raises was the same position that the Legislature had adopted during the **first part of the legislative session.**"

"Members of the delegation will be working particularly hard on passing a local-option sales tax - an idea that has been hanging around Augusta for years, but never has managed to gain much momentum. In the **first part of the legislative session**, with the state facing a particularly difficult economic situation, the Taxation Committee endorsed the idea."

Cheers!