Page 18 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2025 By Bob Katzen If you have any questions about this week’s report, e-mail us at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com or call us at (617) 720-1562 CORRECTION: Beacon Hill Roll Call previously reported the wrong roll call tally by which the Senate rejected an amendment that would have required an independent review of the emergency assistance housing program by the Inspector General, to help identify savings and potential cost recovery. The amendment was in fact defeated on a 10-28 roll call vote. GET A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO MASSTERLIST — Join more than 22,000 people, from movers and shakers to political junkies and interested citizens, who start their weekday morning with MASSterList—the popular newsletter that chronicles news and informed analysis about what’s going on up on Beacon Hill, in Massachusetts politics, policy, media and infl uence. The stories are drawn from major news organizations as well as specialized publications. MASSterlist will be emailed to you FREE every Monday through Friday morning and will give you a leg up on what’s happening in the blood sport of Bay State politics. For more information and to get your free subscription, go to: https:// MASSterList/subscribe/ THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local senator’s votes on roll calls from recent sessions in which the Senate debated the rules by which it will operate in the 2025-2026 legislative session. ADOPT SENATE RULES (S 14) Senate 39-0, adopted a set of Senate rules for the 20252026 session. Rules include requiring that the votes senators take in joint committees be published online; requiring inperson or written testimony received by Senate members of a joint committee be published online; requiring Senate committees to make bill summaries available online for legislation reported favorably out of the committee; and requiring every senator and Senate employee to undergo cybersecurity training every two years. “These changes would provide more opportunity to residents to participate in the Legislature’s work, encourage greater insight into bills being considered by the Legislature and provide more transparency on legislators’ positions on issues that impact Massachusetts residents,” said Senate President Karen Spilka (DAshland). “This comprehensive rule proposal was a collaborative eff ort that makes the work we do here in the Senate more transparent, more effi cient and respectful to the needs of members and residents,” said Sen. Joan Lovely (D-Salem), Chair of the Senate Committee on Rules. “We are proud of the Senate’s work, and we want people to know what is going on in The People’s House. These measures take meaningful steps towards a more transparent Legislature and allow for more access to information by members of the public about our work, including easier participation.” (A Yes” vote is for the rules package.) Sen. Lydia Edwards Didn’t Vote TIGHTEN RULES FOR REMOTE VOTING (S 14) Senate 5-32, rejected an amendment that would change the current rule that allows a senator, who is not physically at the session in the Senate chamber, to vote remotely from any location and without giving a reason for his or her absence from the Senate chamber. The amendment would have allowed senators who are not in the chamber to vote remotely only in cases of disability, illness, providing care for an immediate family member, pregnan cy or childbirth for a senator, a senator’s spouse, partner or domestic partner. The amendment does not require the senator to provide proof or documentation of the reason for not being in the chamber. “Legislators work best when they have the kinds of discussions and collaborations only possible through in-person interaction,” said amendment sponsor Sen. John Keenan (D-Quincy). “Nearly every other state legislature, including the Massachusetts House of Representatives, meets in person. The Senate should do the same.” Sen. Lovely said the current rule works well and does not need to be changed. She noted if there are empty chairs in the Senate chamber, it’s not necessarily because those senators aren’t in the building. They may be up in their offi ces or at another meeting in the building. She also noted that sometimes senators are needed in their districts on a day the Senate meets and argued that remote voting off ers a rare opportunity to be with our constituents in our districts and still be recorded on a Senate vote at the same time. She noted it is rare that someone needs to operate from home for illness or disability. (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment. A “No” vote is against it.) Sen. Lydia Edwards Didn’t Vote BAN SESSIONS AFTER MIDNIGHT (S 14) Senate 6-31, rejected an amendment that would prohibit the Senate from meeting beyond midnight. The amendment would replace the current rule that allows the Senate to meet after midnight if two-thirds of the Senate votes to do so. “We have moved up the initial committee reporting deadline for legislation and will allow conference committee reporter to be considered for an extra fi ve months,” said amendment sponsor Sen. John Keenan (D-Quincy). “These changes should make it unnecessary for a session to extend through the night into the next day. Few good discussions are made by sleep-deprived, overworked minds.” Sen. Joan Lovely (D-Salem) said that during the last few budget debates, no session went past 8 p.m. She noted that it is rare that the Senate meets past midnight. (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment prohibiting the Senate from meeting after midnight. A “No” vote is against the amendment.) Sen. Lydia Edwards Didn’t Vote REQUIRE THE SENATE RECORD TO REVEAL WHEN A SENATOR HAS VOTED REMOTELY (S 14) Senate 6-31, rejected an amendment that would require that all Senate roll call votes, publicly published by the state, include “Virtual Vote” (VV) alongside any member’s name if the senator was not in the chamber and voted remotely from his or home, offi ce or other location. “I sponsored [this amendment] because senators are elected to represent their constituents on Beacon Hill, not in a Zoom room,” said amendment sponsor Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton). “We’re a full-time Legislature and our bosses are the constituents in our districts. They deserve to know when we are showing up to work. We shouldn’t get an unlimited pass to work from home without anybody who elected us knowing.” Other amendment supporters said that the only way a constituent can know if a senator was present for a vote or voted remotely, is by watching the session online, which takes a lot of time and which most people don’t have time to do. Sen. Lovely said that the votes that are cast remotely are of the same weight and impact and do not have to be singled out when a roll call is published. She noted that all Senate sessions are broadcast live online and are archived online on video. She said that anyone who watches a session will know whether his or her senator was in the chamber or voting remotely because it is announced at the session. (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment requiring the notation “virtual voting.”
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