Massachusetts Senate | |
|---|---|
| 2021–2022 Massachusetts legislature | |
) | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
New session started | January 6, 2021 |
| Leadership | |
Minority Leader | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 40 |
) | |
Political groups | Majority Democratic (37) Minority Republican (3) |
Length of term | 2 years |
| Authority | Chapter 1, Massachusetts Constitution |
| Salary | $62,500/year; set to increase every two years equal to the increase in the median salary of Massachusetts. Additional stipends are given to leaders of the majority and minority party. |
| Elections | |
Last election | November 3, 2020 (40 seats) |
Next election | November 8, 2022 (40 seats) |
| Redistricting | Legislative Control |
| Meeting place | |
) | |
| State Senate Chamber Massachusetts State House Boston, Massachusetts | |
| Website | |
| Massachusetts Senate | |
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state. All but one of the districts are named for the counties in which they are located (the "Cape and Islands" district covers Dukes, Nantucket, and parts of Barnstable counties). Senators serve two-year terms, without term limits.[1] The Senate convenes in the Massachusetts State House, in Boston.
The current session is the 192nd General Court, which convened January 6, 2021. It consists of 37 Democrats and 3 Republicans. The President of the Senate is Karen E. Spilka of Ashland. The Senate Minority Leader, from the Republican Party, is Bruce Tarr of Gloucester. The last state general election was on November 3, 2020.
Qualifications
The following are the qualifications to be elected to the Massachusetts Senate:[2]
- Be eighteen years of age
- Be a registered voter in Massachusetts
- Be an inhabitant of Massachusetts for five years
- Be a resident of the district when elected
- Receive a least 300 signatures on nomination papers
Recent party control
Democrats hold a supermajority in the Senate.
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Republican | Vacant | ||
| 189th General Court | 34 | 6 | 40 | 0 |
| 190th General Court | 0 | |||
| 191st General Court | 0 | |||
| 192nd General Court | 37 | 3 | 0 | |
| Latest voting share | 92.5% | 7.5% | ||
Current leadership
| Position | Leader | District | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| President of the Senate | Karen E. Spilka | 2nd Middlesex and Norfolk | Democratic |
| Minority Leader | Bruce E. Tarr | 1st Essex and Middlesex | Republican |
| Assistant Minority Leader | Patrick M. O'Connor | Plymouth and Norfolk | |
| Ryan C. Fattman | Worcester and Norfolk |
Committees
The current standing committees of the Massachusetts Senate are as follows:
| Committee | Chair | Vice Chair | Ranking Minority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bills in the Third Reading | |||
| Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets | |||
| Ethics | |||
| Global Warming and Climate Change | |||
| Intergovernmental Affairs | |||
| Personnel and Administration | |||
| Post Audit and Oversight | |||
| Redistricting | |||
| Rules | |||
| Steering, Policy and Scheduling | |||
| Ways and Means |
Current districts and members
Current members of the Senate:
| Senator | Party | District | Home town/city | Assumed office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
) Michael J. Barrett | Democratic | 3rd Middlesex | Lexington | 2013 | |
| Joseph Boncore | Democratic | 1st Suffolk and Middlesex | Winthrop | 2016* | |
| Michael Brady | Democratic | 2nd Plymouth and Bristol | Brockton | 2015* | |
) William Brownsberger | Democratic | 2nd Suffolk and Middlesex | Belmont | 2012* | |
) Harriette L. Chandler | Democratic | 1st Worcester | Worcester | 2001 | |
) Sonia Chang-Díaz | Democratic | 2nd Suffolk | Boston | 2009 | |
) Nick Collins | Democratic | 1st Suffolk | Boston | 2018* | |
| Joanne Comerford | Democratic | Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester district | Northampton | 2019 | |
) Cynthia Creem | Democratic | 1st Middlesex and Norfolk | Newton | 1999 | |
| Brendan Crighton | Democratic | 3rd Essex | Lynn | 2018* | |
| John Cronin | Democratic | Worcester and Middlesex | Lunenburg | 2021 | |
) Julian Cyr | Democratic | Cape and Islands | Truro | 2017 | |
| Sal DiDomenico | Democratic | Middlesex and Suffolk | Everett | 2010* | |
) Diana DiZoglio | Democratic | 1st Essex | Methuen | 2019 | |
.jpg')) James Eldridge | Democratic | Middlesex and Worcester | Acton | 2009 | |
) Ryan Fattman | Republican | Worcester and Norfolk | Webster | 2015 | |
| Paul Feeney | Democratic | Bristol and Norfolk | Foxborough | 2017*[4] | |
) Barry Finegold | Democratic | 2nd Essex and Middlesex | Andover | 2019 | |
| Cindy Friedman | Democratic | 4th Middlesex | Arlington | 2017* | |
) Anne Gobi | Democratic | Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex | Spencer | 2015 | |
| Adam Gomez | Democratic | Hampden | Springfield | 2021 | |
) Adam Hinds[5] | Democratic | Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden | Pittsfield | 2017 | |
) Patricia Jehlen | Democratic | 2nd Middlesex | Somerville | 2005* | |
) John Keenan | Democratic | Norfolk and Plymouth | Quincy | 2011 | |
) Edward Kennedy | Democratic | 1st Middlesex | Lowell | 2019 | |
) Eric Lesser | Democratic | 1st Hampden and Hampshire | Longmeadow | 2015 | |
| Jason Lewis | Democratic | 5th Middlesex | Winchester | 2014* | |
) Joan Lovely | Democratic | 2nd Essex | Salem | 2013 | |
) Mark Montigny | Democratic | 2nd Bristol and Plymouth | New Bedford | 1993 | |
) Michael Moore | Democratic | 2nd Worcester | Millbury | 2009 | |
) Susan Moran | Democratic | Plymouth and Barnstable | Falmouth | 2020* | |
) Patrick O'Connor | Republican | Plymouth and Norfolk | Weymouth | 2016* | |
.jpg')) Marc Pacheco | Democratic | 1st Plymouth and Bristol | Taunton | 1993 | |
) Rebecca Rausch | Democratic | Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex | Needham | 2019 | |
) Michael Rodrigues | Democratic | 1st Bristol and Plymouth | Westport | 2011 | |
) Michael Rush | Democratic | Norfolk and Suffolk | Boston | 2011 | |
) Karen Spilka | Democratic | 2nd Middlesex and Norfolk | Ashland | 2005 | |
) Bruce Tarr | Republican | 1st Essex and Middlesex | Gloucester | 1995 | |
) Walter Timilty[6] | Democratic | Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth | Milton | 2017 | |
) John Velis | Democratic | 2nd Hampden and Hampshire | Westfield | 2020* | |
- *Originally elected in a special election
Past composition of the Senate
)
Composition by municipality in the 187th and 188th General Courts.
)
Composition by municipality in the 189th General Court and at the opening of 190th General Court.
)
Composition by municipality in the 190th General Court beginning on December 5, 2017.
)
Composition by municipality at the beginning of the 191st General Court.
See also
- 2021–2022 Massachusetts legislature
- Massachusetts Senate Delegations
- List of former districts of the Massachusetts Senate
- Massachusetts House of Representatives
- Massachusetts Senate elections, 2004, Massachusetts Senate elections, 2006, Massachusetts Senate elections, 2008, Massachusetts Senate elections, 2010
References
- ^ Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Article LXXXII.
- ^ https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/Candidates-Guide-generic.pdf
- ^ "Senate Leadership". The 192nd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ Daniel Libon (October 17, 2017). "Feeney Beats Ventura, Shortsleeve In State Senate Race". Patch.
- ^ https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Profile/AGH0
- ^ https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Profile/WFT0
Further reading
- "Senate of the General Court of Massachusetts". Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 2005., 2007
- "House–Senate power struggle brewing", Boston Globe, April 4, 2015
External links
- Senate Members of the General Court official government website
- Official Senate district definitions as of 2011
- State Senate of Massachusetts at Project Vote Smart
- Massachusetts Senate at Ballotpedia