THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call reports on the percentage of times local senators voted with their party’s leadership in the 2025 session through Dec. 19.
Beacon Hill Roll Call uses 113 of the 116 votes from the 2025 Senate session as the basis for this report. This includes all roll calls except three that were on local issues.
The votes of 32 Democrats were compared to Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Creem (D-Newton), second-in-command in the Senate. We could not compare the Democrats’ votes to those of Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland) because, by tradition, the Senate president rarely votes.
Sixteen (50%) of the 32 Democrats voted with Creem 100% of the time. Not counting the senators who voted 100% of the time with Creem, another 15 (46.8%) of Democrats voted with Creem at least 90% of the time (from 90% of the time to 99.9% of the time.) Only one Democrat, Sen. John Keenan (D-Quincy), voted with Creem less than 90% of the time. He voted with Creem only 88.3% of the time (99 times.)
Rounding out the list of the top five senators who voted with Creem the least percentage of times are Sens. Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford) 104 times (92.0%); Michael Moore (D-Millbury) 105 times (92.9%); and both Michael Brady (D-Brockton) and Nick Collins (D-Boston) 108 times (95.5%).
Beacon Hill Roll Call contacted all five senators and asked them why they voted among the least percentage of times with Sen. Creem.
Only Sens. Keenan and Moore responded:
“I have great respect and admiration for my Senate colleagues and appreciate that we represent unique districts and at times have different opinions on issues,” said Keenan. “In the final determination, I will always vote in the way that, in my judgment, best serves my constituents in the Norfolk and Plymouth District and the commonwealth as a whole.”
“The people of the Second Worcester District sent me to the Massachusetts Senate to address the challenges affecting their daily lives and to amplify their voices on Beacon Hill,” said Moore. “My ultimate responsibility is to do what is right for my constituents and my voting record reflects that.”
Three senators did not respond to repeated requests asking them to comment. They are Sens. Brady, Montigny and Collins.
Beacon Hill Roll Call also contacted all 16 senators who voted with Creem 100% of the time and asked them to comment and to cite any issues, beyond the ones that came to a roll call vote, on which they disagree with Creem. None of the 16 responded.
They are Sens. Mike Barrett (D-Lexington); Will Brownsberger (D-Belmont); Jo Comerford (D-Northampton); Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn); Julian Cyr (D-Truro); Sal DiDomenico (D-Everett); Lydia Edwards (D-Boston); Cindy Friedman (D-Arlington); Pat Jehlen (D-Somerville); Robyn Kennedy (D-Worcester); Joan Lovely (D-Salem); Paul Mark (D-Becket); Jake Oliveira (D-Ludlow); Pavel Payano (D-Lawrence); Mike Rodrigues (D-Westport)and Mike Rush (D-West Roxbury).
The votes of four Republican senators were compared with those of GOP Senate Minority Leader Sen. Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester). None of the four voted with Tarr 100% of the time. Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton) voted with Tarr the least percentage of times – only 88.4% of the time (100 times.)
Kelly Dooner (R-Taunton) voted 102 times with Tarr (90.2%); Peter Durant (R-Spencer) 106 times with Tarr (93.8%); and Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth) 109 times with Tarr (96.4%.)
Senators’ support of their party’s leadership in 2025 through Dec. 19
The percentage next to the senator’s name represents the percentage of times the senator supported his or her party’s leadership in 2025 through December 19. The number in parentheses represents the number of times the senator opposed his or her party’s leadership.
Some senators voted on all 113 roll call votes. Others missed one or more roll calls. The percentage for each senator is calculated based on the number of roll calls on which he or she voted.
Sen. Michael Barrett 100% (0); Sen. John Cronin. 98.2% (2); Sen. James Eldridge 96.4% (4); Sen. Barry Finegold 98.2% (2); Sen. Cindy Friedman 100% (0); Sen. Bruce Tarr 100% (0)
Also up on Beacon Hill
KEEP DARK MONEY OUT OF TOWN MEETING (H 806) – The House gave initial approval to a bill that would apply the state’s campaign finance election laws to political expenditures of more than $1,000, made by persons, corporations, associations, organizations or other groups of people, to influence the outcome of articles that appear on Town Meeting warrants. The person or group would be required to file disclosure forms and failure to comply would be punishable by a 1-year prison sentence and/or a $1,000 fine.
Supporters said that the bill will close a loophole that allows unlimited amounts of unreported funds by outside individuals and groups to influence and sway the town’s decision. They noted the flow of dark drowns out the vote of the local voters.
The four co-sponsors of the legislation, Reps. Simon Cataldo (D-Concord), Tom Moakley (D-Falmouth) and Sens. Dylan Fernandes (D-Falmouth) and Julian Cyr (D-Truro), submitted joint testimony in a letter to the Election Laws Committee which heard testimony on the measure in October.
The letter said, “Our proposal is consistent with existing Massachusetts campaign finance law, which requires full disclosure of contributions and expenditures for candidates, political committees and ballot question campaigns. By extending disclosure requirements to individuals and entities aiming to influence town warrant articles, this bill would bring local governance practices in line with these established democratic norms for state-level elections, closing a loophole in Massachusetts election laws.”
The letter continued, “There is motivation for entities to use the existing loophole. Major policy decisions are made at a town meeting level. Many warrant articles concern areas where corporate and special interest groups have a direct financial stake, such as zoning laws, housing developments, telecommunication rules and environmental regulations. Without mandated transparency, these groups can present their well-funded campaigns as grassroots efforts.”
REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS (H 836) – The House gave initial approval to a measure that would establish uniform polling hours of 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for elections in which regional school districts ask voters to incur debt.
Supporters said that under current law, regional school district committees have discretion to set polling hours anywhere between four and eight consecutive hours, which can result in reduced voter access compared to standard municipal and state elections.
They noted that this inconsistency was evident during a recent special election for the Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical School’s $317 million new building project where polls were open only from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.—providing just seven hours of voting time compared to the standard 13-hour window used in most municipal and state elections.
“This bill simply makes voting easier and fairer by setting uniform polling hours … when regional school districts ask voters to incur debt for major projects, such as renovations or new buildings, ensuring every voter has the same opportunity to participate, no matter where they live,” said sponsor Rep. Richard Haggerty (D-Woburn). “This extended 13-hour polling window is designed to accommodate voters with diverse work schedules, family obligations and other commitments, ensuring all residents have a fair and equal opportunity to participate in decisions affecting their regional schools.”
ADOPT A SHELTER DOG MONTH (H 3288) – The House gave initial approval to legislation that would designate the month of October as Adopt a Shelter Dog Month.
“Massachusetts shelters take in more than 20,000 animals each year, and despite our high save rate, they continue to struggle with staffing shortages, rising intakes and limited community resources,” said sponsor Rep. Bruce Ayers (D-Quincy). “Establishing October as ‘Adopt a Shelter Dog Month’ will give us a statewide platform to promote adoption, support our shelters and ensure more dogs have a real chance at finding a permanent home.”
SAFEGUARD SHORT TERM RENTALS (S 2736) – The Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee held a hearing on a bill, known as the “Maggie Hubbard Rental Safety Act, that would require that all short-term rentals in Massachusetts be inspected for working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors within one year prior to rental. It also mandates that rental platforms and agents verify this certification before listing a property, ensuring consistent, statewide fire safety protections for renters.
“Shannon Hubbard and her one-year-old daughter Maggie were tragically killed in a short-term rental that lacked working smoke and carbon monoxide detector,” said sponsor Sen. Julian Cyr (D-Truro). “It was an entirely preventable and unacceptable loss … By requiring annual safety inspections and ensuring that rental platforms verify compliance before listing a unit, the bill puts in place the basic, common-sense protections every renter deserves and strengthens public safety in communities across Massachusetts.”
Rep. Hadley Luddy (D-Orleans), a co-sponsor of the proposal, did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call, asking her why she co-sponsored the bill.
PROHIBIT DISCRIMINATION BASED ON HEIGHT AND WEIGHT (H 1919) – The Judiciary Committee held a hearing on a proposal that would add height and weight to Massachusetts’ existing anti-discrimination laws, by prohibiting discrimination, based on height and weight, in employment, education, housing and places of public accommodation.
The measure would require the Attorney General’s Office to investigate complaints unless the action in question is based on the purpose of compliance with any established state, federal or industry safety standards. It would also prohibit places of public accommodation, resort or amusement from issuing or circulating any policies or communications that signal discriminatory treatment based on body size, aligning this protection with how Massachusetts approaches other forms of discrimination.
“No one should lose out on a job, education or basic dignity because of their height or weight,” said sponsor Rep. Tram Nguyen (D-Andover). “Particularly, we know that the effects of weight-based discrimination do not fall evenly. Communities facing intersecting barriers, such as limited access to affordable, nutritious foods or other systemic inequities, are often hit hardest. This legislation expands nondiscrimination protection to ensure that every person in Massachusetts is treated with fairness, dignity and respect.”
Quotable Quotes
“This funding marks a major milestone for communities around our commonwealth that have waited far too long for meaningful investment. When I proposed the Environmental Justice Fund … I did so with the conviction that every neighborhood deserves clean air, safe water and a healthy environment. These funds, which we procured by holding polluters accountable, will help repair historic harms and ensure that these resources flow directly to the communities most in need of our support.”
— Attorney General Andrea Campbell announcing the awarding of $475,000 in grants to support community-based projects that address environmental harms in disadvantaged communities.
“President Trump’s executive order preempting state-level AI regulation is nothing less than a giveaway to the trillion-dollar Big Tech companies and ultra-wealthy CEOs that funded his campaign. One of the most basic functions of government is the power to protect its people. By taking away our power to place reasonable guardrails around the development and use of artificial intelligence, the president is neutering our ability to defend Bay Staters against the worst drawbacks of this technology, including AI-generated deepfakes, predatory algorithms, dangerous misinformation campaigns and more.”
— Sen. Mike Moore (D-Millbury) urging the Bay State Congressional delegation to fight President Trump’s recently-signed executive order on artificial intelligence, which directs U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to establish an AI Litigation Task Force whose sole purpose will be to challenge state-level AI regulations in court.
“From our smallest hill towns to our Gateway Cities and regional hubs, we are listening to local leaders and making sure they have the resources they need to deliver for their residents. These Community Development Block Grants will support housing and economic development in cities and towns across the state, and the new Rural and Small Town designation will make sure that no community is left behind.”
— Gov. Maura Healey, announcing nearly $33.5 million in federal Community Development Block Grant awards to support housing, infrastructure, social services and economic development projects in 52 communities across Massachusetts.
“These grants put real resources behind our commitment to protecting Massachusetts’ farmland. We are proud to support Massachusetts farming heritage and legacy to ensure our farmlands are there for generations to come.”
— Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper announcing over $1.8 million in funding to help protect farmland, support farm businesses and keep agricultural land in active use across Massachusetts through the newly created Massachusetts Farmland Partnership Program.
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 December 15-19, the House met for a total of one hour and seven minutes and the Senate met for a total of 47 minutes.
Mon. Dec. 15 – House 11 a.m. to 11:12 a.m. Senate 11:20 a.m. to 11:24 a.m.
Tues. Dec. 16 – No House session. No Senate session.
Wed. Dec. 17 – No House session. No Senate session.
Thurs. Dec. 18 – House 11:01 a.m. to 11:56 a.m. Senate 11:16 a.m. to 11:59 a.m.
Fri. Dec. 19 – No House session. No Senate session.
Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at [email protected] Bob founded Beacon Hill Roll Call in 1975 and was inducted into the New England Newspaper and Press Association (NENPA) Hall of Fame in 2019.
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