Massachusetts Senate

Upper house of the Massachusetts General Court

Massachusetts Senate
193rd General Court of Massachusetts
Seal of the Senate of Massachusetts
Type
Type	Upper house of the Massachusetts General Court
Term limits	None
History
New session started	January 4, 2023
Leadership
President	Karen Spilka (D) since July 26, 2018
President pro tempore	William Brownsberger (D) since March 20, 2019
Majority Leader	Cynthia Stone Creem (D) since February 28, 2018
Minority Leader	Bruce Tarr (R) since January 5, 2011
Structure
Seats	40

Political groups	Majority (36) Democratic (36) Minority (4) Republican (4)
Length of term	2 years
Authority	Chapter 1, Massachusetts Constitution
Salary	$70,537/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
Voting system	First-past-the-post
Last election	November 8, 2022 (40 seats)
Next election	November 5, 2024 (40 seats)
Redistricting	Legislative Control
Meeting place

State Senate Chamber Massachusetts State House Boston, Massachusetts
Website
Massachusetts Senate
Rules
Rules of the Massachusetts Senate (English)

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, the state capital.

Qualifications

The following are the qualifications to be elected to the Massachusetts Senate:^[2]

Be 18 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
Begin 189th (2015–2016)	34	6	40	0
Begin 190th (2017–2018)
Begin 191st (2019–2020)
Begin 192nd (2021–2022)	37	3	40	0

Begin 193rd (2023–2024)	37	3	40	0
June 5, 2023^[a]	36	3	39	1
November 29, 2023^[b]	36	4	40	0
Latest voting share	90%	10%

^[5]

Current leadership

Current members and districts

Current committees and members

Past composition of the Senate

Composition by municipality in the 187th and 188th General Courts.

Composition by municipality in the 189th General Court and at the opening of 190th General Court.

Composition by municipality in the 190th General Court beginning on December 5, 2017.

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

Notes

^ Anne Gobi (D) resigned from the Massachusetts Senate to accept a job in the gubernatorial administration of Gov. Maura Healey.^[3]
^ Peter Durant (R) is sworn in to succeed Gobi.^[4]

References

^ Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Article LXXXII.
^ "How to Run for Office in Massachusetts" (PDF). March 2017.
^ "State Sen. Gobi tapped for new post in Healey administration as director of rural affairs". WBUR. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
^ "Peter Durant sworn in as senator; GOP sees signs their ideas more 'viable' in Mass". telegram.com. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
^ "Massachusetts Senate". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 5, 2023.

External links

Senate Members of the General Court official government website
Official Senate district definitions as of 2021
- 2002
- 2010, with names of senators
- 2011
State Senate of Massachusetts^{[permanent dead link]} at Project Vote Smart
Massachusetts Senate at Ballotpedia

Members of the Massachusetts Senate

193rd General Court (2023–present)

President of the Senate: Karen Spilka (D)
President pro tempore: Will Brownsberger (D)
Majority Leader: Cynthia Stone Creem (D)
Minority Leader: Bruce Tarr (R)

▌Paul Mark (D, Berk., Hpsh., Frnk., & Hpdn.)
▌Paul Feeney (D, Bris. & Norf.)
▌Michael Rodrigues (D, 1st Bris. & Plym.)
▌Mark Montigny (D, 2nd Bris. & Plym.)
▌Marc Pacheco (D, 3rd Bris. & Plym.)
▌Julian Cyr (D, Cape & Islands)
▌Pavel Payano (D, 1st Essex)
▌Joan Lovely (D, 2nd Essex)
▌Brendan Crighton (D, 3rd Essex)
▌Bruce Tarr (R, 1st Ess. & Mid.)
▌Barry Finegold (D, 2nd Ess. & Mid.)
▌Adam Gomez (D, Hampden)
▌John Velis (D, Hpdn. & Hpsh.)
▌Jacob Oliveira (D, Hpdn., Hpsh. & Wor.)
▌Jo Comerford (D, Hpsh., Frnk., & Wor.)
▌Edward J. Kennedy (D, 1st Mid.)
▌Patricia D. Jehlen (D, 2nd Mid.)
▌Michael J. Barrett (D, 3rd Mid.)
▌Cindy Friedman (D, 4th Mid.)
▌Jason Lewis (D, 5th Mid.)
▌Karen Spilka (D, Mid. & Norf.)
▌Sal DiDomenico (D, Mid. & Suff.)
▌Jamie Eldridge (D, Mid. & Wor.)
▌Cynthia Stone Creem (D, Norf. & Mid.)
▌John F. Keenan (D, Norf. & Plym.)
▌Walter Timilty (D, Norf., Plym. & Bris.)
▌Mike Rush (D, Norf. & Suff.)
▌Becca Rausch (D, Norf., Wor. & Mid.)
▌Susan Moran (D, Plym. & Barn.)
▌Patrick O'Connor (R, 1st Plym. & Norf.)
▌Michael Brady (D, 2nd Plym. & Norf.)
▌Nick Collins (D, 1st Suffolk)
▌Liz Miranda (D, 2nd Suffolk)
▌Lydia Edwards (D, 3rd Suffolk)
▌Will Brownsberger (D, Suff. & Mid.)
▌Robyn Kennedy (D, 1st Worcester)
▌Michael O. Moore (D, 2nd Worcester)
▌Ryan Fattman (R, Wor. & Hpdn.)
▌Peter Durant (R, Wor. & Hpsh.)
▌John Cronin (D, Wor. & Mid.)

▌Democratic (36)
▌Republican (4)
List of Massachusetts Senate delegations

Massachusetts General Court
- Massachusetts House of Representatives
- Massachusetts Senate

Districts of the Massachusetts General Court

Senate

Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden
Bristol and Norfolk
Bristol and Plymouth: 1st, 2nd
Cape and Islands
Essex: 1st, 2nd, 3rd
Essex and Middlesex: 1st, 2nd
Hampden
Hampden and Hampshire: 1st, 2nd
Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester
Middlesex: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
Middlesex and Norfolk: 1st, 2nd
Middlesex and Suffolk
Middlesex and Worcester
Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex
Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth
Norfolk and Plymouth
Norfolk and Suffolk
Plymouth and Barnstable
Plymouth and Bristol: 1st, 2nd
Plymouth and Norfolk
Suffolk: 1st, 2nd
Suffolk and Middlesex: 1st, 2nd
Worcester: 1st, 2nd
Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex
Worcester and Middlesex
Worcester and Norfolk
Obsolete districts

House

Barnstable	1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
Berkshire	1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th
Bristol	1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th
Cape and Islands	Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket
Essex	1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th
Franklin	1st, 2nd
Hampden	1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
Hampshire	1st, 2nd, 3rd
Middlesex	1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st, 32nd, 33rd, 34th, 35th, 36th, 37th
Norfolk	1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th
Plymouth	1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
Suffolk	1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th
Worcester	1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th
Defunct districts	Former districts

Commons

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Legislative elections	2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
List of U.S. state legislators

v t e 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 Office for Administration and Finance Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Department of Higher Education Emergency Management Agency Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Department of Environmental Protection Department of Revenue Office of Health and Human Services Office of Housing and Economic Development 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 (Judges) Supreme Judicial Court Essex Probate and Family Court Middlesex Probate and Family Court
Independent agencies	Board of Library Commissioners Commission Against Discrimination Commission on the Status of Women Disabled Persons Protection Commission Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board Massachusetts District Attorneys Massachusetts Inspector General Office of Campaign and Political Finance Office of the Comptroller Massachusetts Sheriffs State Ethics Commission
Law	Constitution General Laws Code of Massachusetts Regulations Abortion Alcohol Cannabis Capital punishment Crime Elder law Gambling Gun laws LGBT rights Taxation

Massachusetts General Courts by year convened

1 (1780)
2 (1781)
3 (1782)
4 (1783)
5 (1784)
6 (1785)
7 (1786)
8 (1787)
9 (1788)
10 (1789)
11 (1790)
12 (1791)
13 (1792)
14 (1793)
15 (1794)
16 (1795)
17 (1796)
18 (1797)
19 (1798)
20 (1799)
21 (1800)
22 (1801)
23 (1802)
24 (1803)
25 (1804)