Volume 50 – Report No. 10 • March 10-14, 2025
Copyright © 2025 Beacon Hill Roll Call. All Rights Reserved. By Bob Katzen.
_____________________________________________________________

Our Legislators in the House and Senate for Somerville:

Rep. Christine Barber
DISTRICT REPRESENTED: Thirty-fourth Middlesex. – Consisting of all precincts in wards 4 and 5, precinct 1 of ward 7, and precinct 2 of ward 8, of the city of Medford, precincts 1 and 2 of ward 4, and all precincts of ward 7, of the city of Somerville, both in the county of Middlesex.
*

Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven
DISTRICT REPRESENTED: Twenty-seventh Middlesex. – Consisting of precinct 3 of ward 2, all precincts of ward 3, precinct 3 of ward 4, and all precincts of wards 5 and 6, of the city of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex.
*

Rep. Mike Connolly
DISTRICT REPRESENTED: Twenty-sixth Middlesex. – Consisting of all precincts of ward 1, precinct 1 of ward 2, precincts 1 and 2 of ward 3, and precinct 1 of ward 6, of the city of Cambridge, and all precincts of ward 1 and precincts 1 and 2 of ward 2, of the city of Somerville, both in the county of Middlesex.
*

Sen. Patricia Jehlen
DISTRICT REPRESENTED: Second Middlesex. – Consisting of the cities of Cambridge, wards 9 to 11, inclusive, Medford and Somerville, and the town of Winchester, precincts 4 to 7, inclusive, in the county of Middlesex.
*

THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local senators’ votes on roll calls from recent debate on the joint House-Senate rules. There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week.

LIMIT NUMBERS OF BILLS AT HEARINGS (S 15)

Senate 5-33, rejected an amendment that would reduce from 50 to 30 the maximum number of bills that can be considered at a hearing on bills by a committee.

“Reducing the maximum number of bills heard in a joint committee hearing from 50 to 30 allows for more focused and meaningful discussion,” said Sen. Kelly Dooner (R-Taunton). “With fewer bills being considered, legislators and more importantly, the public have more time to engage with the issues at hand and ensure that everyone, especially those who travel far to testify, receives a fair opportunity to participate and be heard.”

“The amendment proffered a solution looking for a problem,” said Sen. Becca Rausch (D-Needham). “As Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, I presided over a hearing on plastics and waste management last session that considered a number of closely related bills which would have been split up under the proposed amendment. The current ceiling [50] for bills to be heard at a committee hearing is reasonable, both substantively and procedurally and promotes legislative efficiency.”

(A “Yes” vote is for the amendment decreasing the number of bills from 50 to 30. A “No” vote is against the decrease.)

Sen. Patricia Jehlen          No

ALLOW MINORITY REPORT ON CONFERENCE COMMITTEE BILLS (S 15)

Senate 6-32, rejected an amendment allowing the minority members who voted against a conference committee version of a bill to issue a report on why they voted against it. A conference committee is a committee that is appointed by the Senate president and House speaker when the House and Senate approve different versions of a bill. The committee’s job is to craft a compromise version.

“It is important that the perspective from both sides of the debate within our conference committees is represented for the public to consume,” said Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton). “The people of Massachusetts do not benefit from one-party rule.”

Amendment opponents did not offer any arguments against the amendment. Sen. Joan Lovely (D-Salem), the chair of the Senate Committee on Rules, did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking her to comment on why she voted against the bill.

(A “Yes” vote is for the amendment allowing a minority to issue a report. A “No” vote is against allowing a minority to issue a report.)

Sen. Patricia Jehlen         No

PROHIBIT LATE VOTES ON CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORTS (S 15)

Senate 6-32, rejected an amendment that would prohibit any conference committee bills from being considered less than 72 hours before the end of a formal legislative session. The amendment would allow the Legislature to consider a conference committee bill at any time only if the House and Senate vote unanimously to allow consideration. The amendment would replace a rule that allows the Legislature to consider conference committee reports at any time during the legislative session.

“This amendment … closes a loophole that allows leadership to push through last-minute conference committee reports and then reconvene after the formal sessions to vote on them,” said Sen. Kelly Dooner (R-Taunton). “By prohibiting these reports from being filed within 72 hours of the end of formal sessions, this change ensures major legislation is properly reviewed and prevents rushed, last-minute decision-making.”

Sen. Joan Lovely (D-Salem) said the amendment would tie the hands of the House and Senate by establishing an arbitrary deadline that would prevent them from voting on important bills. She said that would result in the bills essentially dying from lack of action.

(A “Yes” vote is for the amendment prohibiting any conference committee reports from being considered less than 72 hours before the end of formal legislative sessions. A “No”vote is against the amendment.)

Sen. Patricia Jehlen     No

*

ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL

$6.4 MILLION TO CLIMATECH COMPANIES – The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) announced $6.4 million in funding for 25 clean energy and climatetech companies and researchers. The investment is designed to accelerate innovation and business growth in 13 cities and towns across Massachusetts.

“These companies have made Massachusetts a leader in climate technologies,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “As the rest of the world races for the competitive edge in climatetech, Massachusetts is leading the way with smart investments in growing businesses. With these investments, big ideas become jobs and economic growth for our state.”

“The climatetech industry is an economic development opportunity for every city and town in Massachusetts,” said Emily Reichert, CEO of MassCEC. “These MassCEC emerging climatetech grants empower innovative ideas and transformative solutions that will shape the future of the state’s economy. By supporting entrepreneurs and innovators, we’re accelerating the deployment of technologies that will lower energy costs and create jobs right here in Massachusetts.”

*

HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION?

Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature’s job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been filed. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late-night sessions and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session. During the week of March 10-14, the House met for a total of 12 minutes while the Senate met for a total of 36 minutes.

Mon. March 10
House 11:00 a.m. to 11:05 a.m.
Senate 11:04 a.m. to 11:07 a.m.

Tues. March 11
No House session
No Senate session

Wed. March 12
No House session
No Senate session  

Thurs. March 13
House 11:01 a.m. to 11:08 a.m.
Senate 11:09 a.m. to 11:42 a.m.

Fri. March 14
No House session
No Senate session

*

________________________________________

Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com