Yesterday afternoon, Senate President Stanley Rosenberg revealed his senior leadership team and announced which legislators he selected to lead the Senate's special and standing committees.
The committee assignments give clues as to President Rosenberg's stance on a number of issues, while his decision to create five special committees and add three new standing committees hints at what the Senate's agenda may include for the beginning of the two-year legislative cycle.
Senator Karen Spilka, a sixth-term democrat from Ashland, will take one of the most coveted and influential committee chair positions, leading the powerful budget-writing Senate Ways and Means Committee. She replaces Stephen Brewer, who did not seek re-election, and will be joined by Senator Sal DiDomenico, who will take over as vice-chairman of Ways and Means.
Senator Benjamin Downing of Pittsfield will continue to chair the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities & Energy, which has jurisdiction over the exploration, exploitation and development of renewable and conventional energy sources, the siting of energy facilities, public utilities, wind farms, the bottle bill and more.
Rosenberg tapped Senator Jamie Eldridge, a steadfastly liberal Democrat, to take over as chair of the Financial Services committee, which helps to regulate the banking industry.
Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, who was fervently skeptical of charter schools during last year's contentious debate over charter school expansion, remains chair of the Education committee, with another senator seen as opposed to charter schools, Senator Patricia Jehlen, as her vice chair. While that appears to signal that the Senate is taking a stand against charter schools, Rosenberg maintains that Senator Chang-Diaz is not hostile to charter schools, but is looking for a "third way."
In another telling move, Senator Rosenberg tasked Senator Eileen Donoghue of Lowell, who initiated action in the Legislature on Boston's 2024 summer Olympic bid, with chairing the Economic Development and Emerging Technologies Committee in the new session.
Senate Leadership Appointments
- Majority Leader – Harriette
Chandler (D – Worcester)
Sen. Chandler, who was elected from the Massachusetts House to the Senate in 2001, previously served as the Senate Assistant Majority Leader. - President Pro Tempore– Marc
Pacheco(D – Taunton)
Sen. Pacheco, who is the second longest serving member of the Senate, after Rosenberg, will take over for Sen. Richard Moore, who lost his bid for re-election to Republican Ryan Fattman. -
Assistant Majority Leaders
Sen. Rosenberg expanded the number of assistant majority leaders from one to three, selecting the following to serve both as Assistant Majority Leaders, and as chairs of other Senate standing committees:
- Cynthia Creem (D – Newton)
- Brian Joyce (D – Milton)
- Mark Montigny (D – New Bedford)
- Majority Whip– Anthony
Petruccelli(D – East Boston)
Sen. Petruccelli, who previously chaired the Financial Services Committee, will now join the ranks of Senate leadership. - Assistant Majority Whip–
Kenneth Donnelly(D – Arlington)
Sen. Donnelly previously chaired the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight.
Special Senate Committee Appointments
The special committees the Senate created shed further light on the Senate's goals. Special committees include:
- Special Senate Committee on Housing,
which will make recommendations to move the Commonwealth towards a
sustainable housing policy that will increase access to housing for
low and moderate income individuals and families, reduce
homelessness and make recommendations to appropriately allocate
state resources.
- Chair Linda Dorcena Forry (D – Dorchester)
- Vice Chair Harriette Chandler (D – Worcester)
- Special Senate Committee on Innovative
Education, which will review the current status of
alternative models for delivery of education services to discuss
the future of those models including sustainability and funding,
and to suggest new pathways for innovative education in the
Commonwealth.
- Chair Patricia Jehlen (D – Somerville)
- Vice Chair Barbara L'Italien (D – Dracut)
It is worth noting that Senator Patricia Jehlen, who is also vice
chair of the Education committee, was skeptical of charter schools
during last year's contentious charter school debate in the
Senate.
- Special Senate Committee on Opioid
Addiction, which will assessthe implementation of
recently passed legislation to combat opioid abuse and make further
recommendations to strengthen our Commonwealth's ability to
respond to the opioid crisis with a focus on prevention,
intervention, treatment and recovery.
- Chair Jennifer Flanagan (D – Leominster)
- Special Senate Committee on Marijuana, which will assess the implementation of medical marijuana and examine the issue of marijuana legalization in other states and make recommendations for the Senate regarding any legalization or ballot initiative on the subject.
- The creation of this commission is timely, as advocates are
considering attempting to put a question to legalize majijuana on
the 2016 ballot.
- Chair Jason Lewis (D – Winchester)
- Special Senate Committee on Government
Expenditures, Performance and Accountability, which
will examine and evaluate government spending across all public
agencies, quasi-public agencies and municipalities throughout the
Commonwealth to assess existing finances, systems and procedures
and seek to identify measures that will result in savings and
efficiencies, improved performance and enhanced outcomes.
- Chair Brian Joyce (D – Milton)
- Vice Chair Bruce Tarr (R – Gloucester)
Senate Standing Committees Appointments
Ways and Means – Chair Karen Spilka (D – Ashland)
- Jehlen – AVC
- DiDomenico
- Brownsberger
- Chang-Diaz
- Donnelly
- Donoghue
- Downing
- Keenan
- Kennedy
- McGee
- Moore
- Petruccelli
- Rush
- Timilty
Rules – Chair Mark Montigny (D – New Bedford)
- Creem – Vice
- Chandler
- Spilka
Ethics– Chair Cynthia Creem (D – Newton)
- Brownsberger – Vice
- Chandler
- DiDomenico
Bills in Third Reading – Chair Brian Joyce (D – Milton)
- Petruccelli – Vice
- Donoghue
- Downing
Post Audit & Oversight – Chair Michael Barrett (D – Lexington)
- Downing – Vice
- Lewis
- Moore
- Welch
Steering & Policy – Chair Daniel Wolf (D – Harwich)
- Lewis – Vice
- Chang-Diaz
- O'Connor Ives
Bonding, Capital Expenditures & State Assets – Chair John Keenan (D – Quincy)
- Chang-Diaz – Vice
- Donnelly
- Donoghue
- Moore
Global Warming – Chair Marc Pacheco (D – Taunton)
- Eldridge – Vice
- Barrett
- Downing
- McGee
Children's Caucus – Chair Thomas McGee (D – Lynn)
Intergovernmental Affairs* – Chair Linda Dorcena Forry (D – Dorchester)
- L'Italien – Vice
- Gobi
- Moore
- Rodrigues
Redistricting* – Chair Benjamin Downing (D – Pittsfield)
- Joyce – Vice
- Chang-Diaz
- L'Italien
- Timilty
Personnel & Administration* – Chair Michael Rush (D – West Roxbury)
- O'Connor Ives - Vice
- Donnelly
- Donoghue
- Pacheco
*Newly created Senate standing committee
Senate Joint Standing Committee Appointments
Financial Services – Chair Jamie Eldridge (D – Acton)
- Lesser – Vice
- Keenan
- O'Connor Ives
- Rodrigues
Higher Education – Chair Michael Moore (D – Millbury)
- Donoghue – Vice
- Downing
- L'Italien
- O'Connor Ives
Children & Families – Chair Jennifer Flanagan (D – Leominster)
- Lovely – Vice
- Chang-Diaz
- Keenan
- Lewis
Economic Development & Emerging Technologies – Chair Eileen Donoghue (D – Lowell)
- Gobi – Vice
- Barrett
- Keenan
- Lesser
- McGee
Mental Health & Substance Abuse – Chair Jennifer Flanagan (D – Leominster)
- Lovely – Vice
- Donnelly
- Dorcena Forry
- Eldridge
Public Health – Chair Jason Lewis (D – Winchester)
- Flanagan – Vice
- Lesser
- Lovely
- Timilty
Education – Chair Sonia Chang-Diaz (D – Boston)
- Jehlen – Vice
- Dorcena Forry
- Lewis
- L'Italien
Telecommunications, Utilities & Energy – Chair Benjamin Downing (D – Pittsfield)
- Pacheco – Vice
- Gobi
- Joyce
- Wolf
Judiciary – Chair William Brownsberger (D – Belmont)
- Keenan – Vice
- Chang-Diaz
- Creem
- Jehlen
Housing – Chair Linda Dorcena Forry (D – Dorchester)
- Keenan – Vice
- Chandler
- Gobi
- Jehlen
State Administration & Regulatory Oversight – Chair Joan Lovely (D – Salem)
- Eldridge – Vice
- Barrett
- Keenan
- Rodrigues
Environment, Natural Resources & Agriculture – Chair Anne Gobi (D – Spencer)
- Rush – Vice
- Eldridge
- McGee
- Timilty
Public Safety & Homeland Security – Chair James Timilty (D – Walpole)
- Moore – Vice
- Chang-Diaz
- Flanagan
- Welch
Tourism, Arts & Cultural Development – Chair Eric Lesser (D – Longmeadow)
- Downing – Vice
- Eldridge
- Lovely
- Wolf
Public Service – Chair James Timilty (D – Walpole)
- Rodrigues – Vice
- Barrett
- Donnelly
- Kennedy
Revenue – Chair Michael Rodrigues (D – Westport)
- Timilty – Vice
- Downing
- Lesser
- Wolf
Community Development & Small Businesses – Chair Kathleen O'Connor Ives (D – Newburyport)
- Rush – Vice
- L'Italien
- Rodrigues
- Wolf
Elder Affairs – Chair Patricia Jehlen (D – Somerville)
- L'Italien – Vice
- Barrett
- Gobi
- Lesser
Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure – Chair Thomas Kennedy (D – Brockton)
- Petruccelli – Vice
- O'Connor Ives
- Rodrigues
- Timilty
Municipalities & Regional Government – Chair Barbara L'Italien (D – Dracut)
- Lovely – Vice
- Brownsberger
- Donoghue
- Timilty
Election Laws – Chair Thomas Kennedy (D – Brockton)
- Donnelly – Vice
- Brownsberger
- DiDomenico
- Welch
Transportation – Chair Thomas McGee (D – Lynn)
- Keenan – Vice
- Donoghue
- Dorcena Forry
- Lesser
- Rush
Health Care Financing – Chair James Welch (D – West Springfield)
- Montigny – Vice
- Barrett
- Dorcena Forry
- Joyce
- L'Italien
Labor & Workforce Development – Chair Daniel Wolf (D – Harwich)
- Barrett – Vice
- Donoghue
- Lewis
- Moore
Veterans & Federal Affairs – Chair Michael Rush (D – West Roxbury)
- Kennedy – Vice
- Barrett
- Gobi
- Lesser
The Commonwealth's leadership has seen more change in the past few weeks than it has at any one time in the past eight years, as both the new Governor and the new Senate President fill out their leadership ranks. ML Strategies recently provided an analysis of Governor Baker's new administration, and will continue to provide updates as Beacon Hill adjusts to its fresh political situation.
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