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.
Massachusetts Senate | |
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2021–2022 Massachusetts legislature | |
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Type | |
Type | |
Term limits | None |
History | |
New session started | January 6, 2021 |
Leadership | |
Minority Leader | |
Structure | |
Seats | 40 |
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Political groups | Majority
Minority |
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 | |
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State Senate Chamber Massachusetts State House Boston, Massachusetts | |
Website | |
Massachusetts Senate |
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 | Municipality | Party |
---|---|---|---|
President of the Senate | Karen E. Spilka | Ashland | Democratic |
Minority Leader | Bruce E. Tarr | Gloucester | Republican |
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:
- *Originally elected in a special election
Past composition of the Senate
![](../I/190th_MA-Senate_composition_beginning_December_5_2017.png.webp)
![](../I/Massachusetts_191st_General_Court_Senate_Composition_January_2019.svg.png.webp)
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
- https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Leadership/Senate
- 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