Massachusetts House of Representatives

Massachusetts
House of Representatives
Massachusetts; House of Representatives
2021–2022 Massachusetts legislature
Type
Type	Lower house
Term limits	None
History
New session started	January 6, 2021
Leadership
Speaker	Ronald Mariano (D) ; since December 30, 2020
Speaker pro Tempore	Kate Hogan (D) ; since February 11, 2021
Majority Leader	Claire D. Cronin (D) ; since February 11, 2021
Minority Leader	Bradley Jones Jr. (R) ; since November 21, 2002
Structure
Seats	160
Political groups	Majority Democratic (129) Minority Republican (30) Independent (1)
Length of term	2 years
Authority	Chapter 1 of the Massachusetts Constitution
Salary	$62,500/year; set to increase every two years equal to the increase in the median salary of Massachusetts. All members receive office stipends, and chairs of committees and party leaders receive additional stipends.
Elections
Last election	November 3, 2020; (160 seats)
Next election	; (160 seats)
Redistricting	Legislative Control
Meeting place
	House of Representatives Chamber; Massachusetts State House; Boston, Massachusetts
Website
	[1]

The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. The House of Representatives convenes at the Massachusetts State House in Boston.

Qualifications[]

Any person seeking to get elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives must meet the following qualifications:^[1]

Be at least eighteen years of age
Be a registered voter in Massachusetts
Be an inhabitant of the district for at least one year prior to election
Receive at least 150 signatures on nomination papers

Representation[]

Originally,^[when?] representatives were apportioned by town. For the first 150 persons, one representative was granted, and this ratio increased as the population of the town increased. The largest membership of the House was 749 in 1812 (214 of these being from the District of Maine); the largest House without Maine was 635 in 1837.^[2] The original distribution was changed to the current regional population system in the 20th century. Until 1978, there were 240 members of the house,^[3] a number in multi-member districts; today there are 160 in single-member districts.^[4]

Today, each Representative represents about 40,000 residents. Their districts are named for the counties they are in and tend to stay within one county, although districts often cross county lines. Representatives serve two-year terms which are not limited.

Representatives' desk with microphone and voting buttons (yea/nay)

The Sacred Cod[]

Within the House's debating chamber hangs the Sacred Cod of Massachusetts. The 5-foot-long (1.5 m) pine carving of the cod was offered by Representative John Rowe in 1784 in commemoration of the state's maritime economy and history. Two previous carvings of the cod existed during the legislature's colonial era; the first destroyed in a fire in 1747, and the second during the American War of Independence. Since 1784, the current Sacred Cod has been present at nearly every House session, and moved to its current location when the House began convening in the State House in 1798.

In 1933, members of the Harvard Lampoon stole the cod carving as part of a prank. The theft sparked a large statewide search by the Boston and Massachusetts State Police. Following outrage from Boston newspapers and the General Court itself, the cod was anonymously handed back.^[5]

Composition[]

2020 composition by municipality

The Democrats hold a supermajority in the House.

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)			Total

	Democratic	Republican	Unenrolled		Vacant
Begin 187th (2011-2012)	128	32	0	160
Begin 188th (2013-2014)	131	29	0	160
Begin 189th (2015-2016)	127	35	0	160
Begin 190th (2017-2018)	125	35	0	160
Begin 191st (2019-2020)	127	32	1	160
Begin 192nd (2021-2022)	128	30	1	159	1
April 7, 2021^[6]	129	30	1	160	0
Latest voting share	80.6%	18.8%	0.6%

^[7]

Leadership[]

The Speaker of the House presides over the House of Representatives. The Speaker is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the full House through the passage of a House Resolution. As well as presiding over the body, the Speaker is also the chief leader, and controls the flow of legislation. Other House leaders, such as the majority and minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses relative to their party's strength in the House.

The current Speaker of the House is Ronald Mariano of the 3rd Norfolk District.

Leaders[]

^[8]

Position	Representative	Municipality	Party
Speaker of the House	Ronald Mariano	Quincy	Democratic
Majority Leader	Claire D. Cronin	Easton
Speaker Pro Tempore	Kate Hogan	Stow
Assistant Majority Leader	Michael J. Moran	Brighton
Second Assistant Majority Leader	Joseph F. Wagner	Chicopee
Second Assistant Majority Leader	Sarah K. Peake	Provincetown
First Division Chair	James J. O’Day	Worcester
Second Division Chair	Ruth B. Balser	Newton
Third Division Chair	Frank A. Moran	Lawrence
Fourth Division Chair	Thomas A. Golden, Jr.	Lowell
Minority Leader	Bradley H. Jones, Jr.	North Reading	Republican
Assistant Minority Leader	Bradford Hill	Ipswich
Second Assistant Minority Leader	Kimberly N. Ferguson	Holden
Third Assistant Minority Leader	Susan Williams Gifford	Wareham
Third Assistant Minority Leader	Paul K. Frost	Auburn

The most recent election of members was held on November 3, 2020. Representatives serve two-year terms.

Committees[]

The current standing committees in the Massachusetts House of Representatives are as follows:

Committee	Chair	Vice Chair	Ranking Minority
Bills in the Third Reading	Denise C. Garlick	Brian M. Ashe
Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets	Danielle W. Gregoire	Patricia A. Haddad	David T. Vieira
Ethics	Thomas Walsh	David Allen Robertson	Susan Williams Gifford
Federal Stimulus and Census Oversight	Daniel J. Hunt	John Barrett, III	Nicholas A. Boldyga
Global Warming and Climate Change	Sean Garballey	Rady Mom	Michael J. Soter
Human Resources and Employee Engagement	Daniel Cahill	Liz Miranda	Donald R. Berthiaume, Jr.
Operations, Facilities and Security	Joseph W. McGonagle, Jr.	Jonathan D. Zlotnik	Bradford Hill
Post Audit and Oversight	John J. Mahoney	Gerard J. Cassidy	Peter J. Durant
Rules	William C. Galvin	Smitty Pignatelli	Donald H. Wong
Steering, Policy and Scheduling	Kevin G. Honan	Tricia Farley-Bouvier	Bradford Hill
Ways and Means	Aaron Michlewitz	Ann-Margaret Ferrante Paul J. Donato (Assistant Vice Chair)	Todd M. Smola

Current members and districts[]

Past composition of the House of Representatives[]

Composition by municipality in the 187th General Court.

Composition by municipality in the 188th General Court.

Composition by municipality in the 189th General Court.

Composition by municipality at the beginning of the 190th General Court.

Composition by municipality at the beginning of the 191st General Court.

References[]

^ https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/Candidates-Guide-generic.pdf
^ The Massachusetts State House, p. 110, 111. Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Boston, 1953.
^ League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Archived October 25, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
^ See Amendment CI of the Massachusetts Constitution, adopted by voters in 1974
^ "The 'Sacred' Cod Moves to the New State House". Mass Moments. Mass Humanities. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
^ "House members". The 192nd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. April 7, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
^ "Massachusetts House of Representatives". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
^ "House Leadership". The 192nd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.

Representative Districts, accessed April 9, 2006
House Members of the General Court

External links[]

"Massachusetts - State Legislative District Maps (Lower Chamber)". United States Census Bureau.

[1] ttps://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/Candidates-Guide-generic.pdf

[2] The Massachusetts State House, p. 110, 111. Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Boston, 1953.

[3] League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Archived October 25, 2006, at the Wayback Machine

[4] See Amendment CI of the Massachusetts Constitution, adopted by voters in 1974

[5] "The 'Sacred' Cod Moves to the New State House". Mass Moments. Mass Humanities. Retrieved June 7, 2020.

[6] "House members". The 192nd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. April 7, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2021.

[7] "Massachusetts House of Representatives". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 27, 2021.

[8] "House Leadership". The 192nd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

show v t Government of Massachusetts
Legislative	General Court Senate (Members, President) House of Representatives (Members, Speaker)
Executive	Governor (List) Lt. Governor Attorney General Auditor Secretary of the Commonwealth Treasurer and Receiver-General Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Department of Higher Education Emergency Management Agency Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Department of Environmental Protection Office of Health and Human Services Office of Labor and Workforce Development Department of Mental Health Department of Public Health Office of Public Safety and Security Department of Public Utilities Department of Transportation Department of Youth Services
Judicial	Boston Municipal Court District Court Superior Court Land Court Juvenile Court Housing Court Massachusetts Probate and Family Court Appeals Court () Supreme Judicial Court Essex Probate and Family Court Middlesex Probate and Family Court
Independent agencies	Board of Library Commissioners Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board
Law	Constitution General Laws Code of Massachusetts Regulations Abortion Alcohol Cannabis Capital punishment Crime Elder law Gambling Gun laws LGBT rights Taxation

show v t Current members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
192nd General Court (2021–2022) Speaker of the House Ronald Mariano (D) Speaker pro tempore Kate Hogan (D) Majority leader Claire D. Cronin (D) Minority leader Bradley Jones Jr. (R)
Tim Whelan (R, 1st Barnstable) Kip Diggs (D, 2nd Barn.) David Vieira (R, 3rd Barn.) Sarah Peake (D, 4th Barn.) Steven Xiarhos (R, 5th Barn.) Dylan Fernandes (D, Barn., Dukes, Nan.) John Barrett (D, 1st Berkshire) Paul Mark (D, 2nd Berk.) Tricia Farley-Bouvier (D, 3rd Berk.) Smitty Pignatelli (D, 4th Berk.) F. Jay Barrows (R, 1st Bristol) Jim Hawkins (D, 2nd Bris.) Carol Doherty (D, 3rd Bris.) Steve Howitt (R, 4th Bris.) Patricia Haddad (D, 5th Bris.) Carole Fiola (D, 6th Bris.) Alan Silvia (D, 7th Bris.) Paul Schmid (D, 8th Bris.) Christopher Markey (D, 9th Bris.) William M. Straus (D, 10th Bris.) Christopher Hendricks (D, 11th Bris.) Norman Orrall (R, 12th Bris.) Antonio Cabral (D, 13th Bris.) Adam Scanlon (D, 14th Bris.) James Kelcourse (R, 1st Essex) Lenny Mirra (R, 2nd Ess.) Andy Vargas (D, 3rd Ess.) Bradford Hill (R, 4th Ess.) Ann-Margaret Ferrante (D, 5th Ess.) Jerry Parisella (D, 6th Ess.) Paul Tucker (D, 7th Ess.) Lori Ehrlich (D, 8th Ess.) Donald Wong (R, 9th Ess.) Daniel Cahill (D, 10th Ess.) Peter Capano (11th Ess.) Thomas Walsh (D, 12th Ess.) Theodore C. Speliotis (D, 13th Ess.) Christina Minicucci (D, 14th Ess.) Linda Dean Campbell (D, 15th Ess.) Marcos Devers (D, 16th Ess.) Frank A. Moran (D, 17th Ess.) Tram Nguyen (D, 18th Ess.) Natalie Blais (D, 1st Frnk.) Susannah Whipps (I, 2nd Frnk.) Todd Smola (R, 1st Hpdn.) Brian Ashe (D, 2nd Hpdn.) Nicholas Boldyga (R, 3rd Hpdn.) Kelly Pease (R, 4th Hpdn.) Aaron Vega (D, 5th Hpdn.) Michael Finn (D, 6th Hpdn.) Thomas Petrolati (D, 7th Hpdn.) Joseph Wagner (D, 8th Hpdn.) Jose Tosado (D, 9th Hpdn.) Carlos Gonzalez (D, 10th Hpdn.) Bud Williams (D, 11th Hpdn.) Angelo Puppolo (D, 12th Hpdn.) Lindsay Sabadosa (D, 1st Hampshire) Daniel R. Carey (D, 2nd Hpsh.) Mindy Domb (D, 3rd Hpsh.) Sheila Harrington (R, 1st Middlesex) James Arciero (D, 2nd Mid.) Kate Hogan (D, 3rd Mid.) Danielle Gregoire (D, 4th Mid.) David Linsky (D, 5th Mid.) Maria Robinson (D, 6th Mid.) Jack Lewis (D, 7th Mid.) Carolyn Dykema (D, 8th Mid.) Thomas M. Stanley (D, 9th Mid.) John J. Lawn (D, 10th Mid.) Kay Khan (D, 11th Mid.) Ruth Balser (D, 12th Mid.) Carmine Gentile (D, 13th Mid.) Tami Gouveia (D, 14th Mid.) Michelle Ciccolo (D, 15th Mid.) Thomas Golden Jr. (D, 16th Mid.) David Nangle (D, 17th Mid.) Rady Mom (D, 18th Mid.) Dave Robertson (D, 19th Mid.) Bradley Jones Jr. (R, 20th Mid.) Kenneth Gordon (D, 21st Mid.) Marc Lombardo (R, 22nd Mid.) Sean Garballey (D, 23rd Mid.) Dave Rogers (D, 24th Mid.) Marjorie Decker (D, 25th Mid.) Michael Connolly (D, 26th Mid.)) Denise Provost (D, 27th Mid.) Joe McGonagle (D, 28th Mid.) Jon Hecht (D, 29th Mid.) Richard Haggerty (D, 30th Mid.) Michael Day (D, 31st Mid.) Kate Lipper-Garabedian (D, 32nd Mid.) Steven Ultrino (D, 33rd Mid.) Christine Barber (D, 34th Mid.) Paul Donato (D, 35th Mid.) Colleen Garry (D, 36th Mid.) Dan Sena (D, 37th Mid.) Bruce Ayers (D, 1st Norfolk) Tackey Chan (D, 2nd Norf.) Ronald Mariano (D, 3rd Norf.) James M. Murphy (D, 4th Norf.) Mark Cusack (D, 5th Norf.) William C. Galvin (D, 6th Norf.) William Driscoll (D, 7th Norf.) Louis Kafka (D, 8th Norf.) Shawn Dooley (R, 9th Norf.) Jeffrey Roy (D, 10th Norf.) Paul McMurtry (D, 11th Norf.) John H. Rogers (D, 12th Norf.) Denise Garlick (D, 13th Norf.) Alice Peisch (D, 14th Norf.) Tommy Vitolo (D, 15th Norf.) Matt Muratore (R, 1st Plymouth) Susan Gifford (R, 2nd Plym.) Joan Meschino (D, 3rd Plym.) Patrick J. Kearney (D, 4th Plym.) David DeCoste (R, 5th Plym.) Josh Cutler (D, 6th Plym.) Alyson Sullivan (R, 7th Plym.) Angelo D'Emilia (R, 8th Plym.) Gerard Cassidy (D, 9th Plym.) Michelle DuBois (D, 10th Plym.) Claire D. Cronin (D, 11th Plym.) Kathleen LaNatra (D, 12th Plym.) Adrian Madaro (D, 1st Suffolk) Daniel Joseph Ryan (D, 2nd Suff.) Aaron Michlewitz (D, 3rd Suff.) David Biele (D, 4th Suff.) Liz Miranda (D, 5th Suff.) Russell Holmes (D, 6th Suff.) Chynah Tyler (D, 7th Suff.) Jay Livingstone (D, 8th Suff.) Jon Santiago (D, 9th Suff.) Edward F. Coppinger (D, 10th Suff.) Liz Malia (D, 11th Suff.) Dan Cullinane (D, 12th Suff.) Daniel J. Hunt (D, 13th Suff.) Angelo Scaccia (D, 14th Suff.) Nika Elugardo (D, 15th Suff.) RoseLee Vincent (D, 16th Suff.) Kevin Honan (D, 17th Suff.) Michael Moran (D, 18th Suff.) Jeff Turco (D, 19th Suff.) Kimberly Ferguson (R, 1st Worcester) Jonathan Zlotnik (D, 2nd Wor.) Stephan Hay (D, 3rd Wor.) Natalie Higgins (D, 4th Wor.) Donnie Berthiaume (R, 5th Wor.) Peter Durant (R, 6th Wor.) Paul Frost (R, 7th Wor.) Michael Soter (R, 8th Wor.) David Muradian (R, 9th Wor.) Brian Murray (D, 10th Wor.) Hannah Kane (R, 11th Wor.) Harold Naughton Jr. (D, 12th Wor.) John J. Mahoney (D, 13th Wor.) Jim O'Day (D, 14th Wor.) Mary Keefe (D, 15th Wor.) Dan Donahue (D, 16th Wor.) David LeBoeuf (D, 17th Wor.) Joseph D. McKenna (R, 18th Wor.)
Democratic (129) Republican (30) Independent (1) Massachusetts General Court Massachusetts House of Representatives Massachusetts Senate

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