8-31-2025 4:07am

Beacon Hill Roll Call

Alan Earls Editor

If you have any questions about this week's report, e-mail us at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com or call us at (617) 720-1562.

Volume 50 -Report No. 35

August 25-29, 2025

By Bob Katzen

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THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call reports on the percentage of times local senators voted with their party’s leadership in the 2025 session through August 29.

Beacon Hill Roll Call uses 68 votes from the 2025 Senate session as the basis for this report. This includes all roll calls that were not on local issues.

The votes of 33 Democrats were compared to Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Creem (D-Newton), second-in-command in the Senate. We could not compare the Democrats’ votes to those of Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland) because, by tradition, the Senate president rarely votes.

Eighteen (54.5 percent) of 33 Democrats voted with Creem 100 percent of the time. Fourteen (42.4 percent) of Democrats voted with Creem at least 90 percent of the time. Only one Democrat voted with Creem less than 90 percent of the time.

The senator who voted with Creem the least percentage of times is Sen. John Keenan (D-Quincy) who voted with Creem only 57 times (85.0 percent).

Rounding out the list of the top five senators who voted with Creem the least percentage of times are Sens. Nick Collins (D-Boston); Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford); and Michael Moore (D-Millbury) who each voted with Creem 63 times (92.6 percent). Sen. John Velis (D-Westfield) voted with Creem 64 times (94.1 percent).

The votes of four Republican senators were compared with those of GOP Senate Minority Leader Sen. Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester). None of the four voted with Tarr 100 percent of the time.

Sens. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton) and Kelly Dooner (R-Taunton) each voted with Tarr 62 times (91.1 percent); and Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth) and Peter Durant (R-Spencer) each voted with Tarr 66 times (97.0 percent).

SENATORS’ SUPPORT OF THEIR PARTY’S LEADERSHIP IN 2025 THROUGH AUGUST 29

The percentage next to the senator’s name represents the percentage of times the senator supported his or her party’s leadership so far in 2025 through August 29. The number in parentheses represents the number of times the senator opposed his or her party’s leadership.

Some senators voted on all 68 roll call votes. Others missed one or more roll calls. The percentage for each senator is calculated based on the number of roll calls on which he or she voted.

Sen. Rebecca Rausch 96.5 percent (3) Sen. Karen Spilka President rarely votes

ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL

AUDITOR DIANA DIZOGLIO UNCOVERS FRAUD IN PUBLIC BENEFITS - State Auditor Diana DiZoglio released a Bureau of Special Investigations (BSI) report that uncovered $4.8 million of public benefit fraud in the final quarter of fiscal year 2025. BSI’s goal is to help make government work better by investigating fraud, abuse and illegal acts involving public assistance benefits across the state.

BSI investigated a total of 1,153 cases and there were overpayments in 143 cases including fraud uncovered when paying for benefits for MassHealth/Medicaid $3,812,331; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program $690,138; Personal Care Attendant $145,638; Department of Early Education and Care $134,526; Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children $23,179; Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children $8,568.

“Public benefit fraud can impact the lives of everyday people across Massachusetts who rely on these programs and services to access care or purchase food,” said DiZoglio. “That is why the work of our fraud examiners is critical to help ensure these services and programs are operating efficiently and reliably for all who need them.”

MOTOR VEHICLE BATTERIES (H 2652) – The House gave initial approval to legislation that would require that motor vehicle repair and storage facilities display a notice that informs the public and first responders of the presence of motor vehicle batteries on the premises.

"This legislation will put safety first in the event of a fire on a property where lithium-ion batteries are present,” said sponsor Rep. Mike Kushmerek (D-Fitchburg). “These batteries are notoriously dangerous and difficult to extinguish. By having identifying signs on location where the batteries are present, it allows for more situational awareness for first responders who may be responding."

CHANGE LANGUAGE IN LAW THAT CREATED COUNCILS ON AGING (H 4301) – The House gave initial approval to legislation that would change some language in the 50-year-old law that created Councils on Aging in local cities and towns. Changes include deleting language that refers to “problems of the aging” and replacing it with “the needs of older adults;” deleting language that calls workers “clerks” and replacing it with language that calls workers “staff;” and adding “and delivering services” to the language in the bill which gives the council the authority to “carry out programs.”

Supporters said the bill modernizes the language in a 50-year-old law that created Councils on Aging at a time when there were very few senior centers. They noted that the number of Councils on Aging and senior centers has grown to 350 and said the bill updates the statute to reflect the modern functioning of these critical centers.

Rep. Kate Donaghue (D-Westborough), the sponsor of the bill, did not respond to repeated requests from Beacon Hill Roll Call asking her to comment on passage of her proposal and whether she thinks it will make it through the Legislature in the 2025-2026 session. The bill was given initial approval by the House in the 2023-2024 session but died when the House took no further action on it.

BAN THE USE OF TINTED LICENSE PLATE COVERS (H 4029) – The House gave initial approval to a bill that would prohibit the use of tinted or smoked license plate covers, along with any bracket, frame or covering that alters or obscures the license plate’s visibility. Specifically, the bill prohibits anything that obscures the license plate; the color of the license plate; the name or abbreviated name of the state; or any character or characters, decal, stamp or other device indicating the month or year in which the vehicle's registration expires.

“I filed this bill after working with constituents who were concerned that tinted license plate covers may seem harmless, but in reality they make it harder for tolling systems, accident investigators and law enforcement officers to do their jobs,” said sponsor Rep. Bruce Ayers (D-Quincy). “With Massachusetts now relying on electronic tolling infrastructure, it’s critical that plates remain clear and fully legible. This legislation is about fairness safety, and ensuring our transportation system works the way it’s supposed to.”

BAY STATE HIRES COMPANY TO RUN THE UPCOMING ONLINE LOTTERY – The State Lottery Commission voted to approve a five-year contract for the company that next summer in 2026 will launch an online version of the Lottery that allows people to place bets online. It was a unanimous vote to authorize the Lottery’s Executive Director Mark William Bracken to enter into a deal for "a full-service iLottery platform and related services" with Aristocrat Interactive – a Malta-based company which had been recommended by the procurement team that reviewed five responses the Lottery got to its solicitation. Malta is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa.

"This is a huge milestone,” said Lottery Commissioner Meghan Liddy. “I've been around for a while. The years passed by quickly, but at times it did not seem like a quick process at all, and it was a very arduous process to get this done. Just huge congratulations to the team."

Bracken said, "You know, we're saying summer of '26 ... Summer, obviously, has the summer months. I would love it to be early summer of '26 as opposed to late summer of '26. We'd love to get in the marketplace, meet our players where they are, you know, hopefully bring on some new players that aren't exposed or aren't in love with the products of our traditional retail because, like we've said before, online Lottery really is a different product line."

The House and Senate approved creation of an online Lottery authorization in the fiscal year 2025 budget that Gov. Maura Healey signed in 2024.

$75.6 MILLION REBATE TO HEALTH INSURANCE CONSUMERS – Gov. Maura Healey announced that five of the state’s health insurance carriers will return $75.6 million to over 350,000 people covered by individual and small employer healthcare plans in Massachusetts under the state’s enforcement of the Massachusetts health laws. The five carriers are Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts HMO Blue; Fallon Community Health Plan; Harvard Pilgrim Health Care; Mass General Brigham Health Plan; and UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company.

Massachusetts has the country's strictest Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) law, requiring the state’s health insurance carriers to spend at least 88 percent of premiums on health care services for individuals and small groups—setting a higher bar than the federal standard of 85 percent. When an insurance carrier's average MLR over a three-year period falls below the required threshold, it is required to rebate a portion of premium payments to individuals and small employers. The rebates reflect a portion of the difference between what the insurance carriers charged in premiums and what they actually spent on health care costs.

“Massachusetts has strong laws in place to make sure that the money that you are paying for health care actually goes to covering high-quality services,” said Gov. Healey. “That’s why we are able to approve over $75 million back to consumers and businesses. This is just the latest action we are taking to lower the cost of health care, housing and energy that people are facing every day.”

“These rebates are more than just numbers—they’re dollars back in the pockets of families and small business owners across the commonwealth,” said Division of Insurance Commissioner Michael Caljouw. “The enforcement of this law is part of our larger strategy of protecting Massachusetts health care consumers and encouraging insurers to be more efficient, reduce administrative overhead and focus on cost-effective ways to deliver care.”

The exact amounts of the 2025 rebates depend on the carrier and the premium paid by individual and small group purchasers.

MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS AND VETERANS SUICIDE AWARENESS AND REMEMBRANCE DAY (H 3388) – The House gave initial approval to a bill that would establish September 22nd as Military Service Members and Veterans Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Day. The day would acknowledge that suicide is an epidemic among service members and veterans and works to foster awareness and call for suicide prevention measures and support.

“We brought forward this veteran suicide remembrance and awareness bill in direct response to the tragedies that have left holes in the fabric of our communities and in order to build awareness to prevent future tragedy,” said bill sponsor Rep. Joan Meschino (D-Hull). “[The bill] is an important step in offering support to both our active service members and veterans.”

QUOTABLE QUOTES – TALES FROM SPIN CITY – Two of former Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration officials, Brian Shortsleeve and Mike Kennealy, both vying for the Republican party’s nod to run against incumbent Democrat Gov. Maura Healey in 2026, participated in a debate on Friday, August 22nd. Shortsleeve served as Chief Administrator head of the MBTA while Kennealy was Baker’s Secretary of Housing and Economic Development.

Who won the debate? It depends on who you ask.

The answer from Republican Brian Shortsleeve’s campaign:

“Marine Corps Veteran, successful business leader and proven government reformer Brian Shortsleeve, Republican candidate for governor, delivered a commanding performance during the one-hour live debate.”

“We don’t need a Healey lite,” said Shortsleeve, referring to his GOP opponent Mike Kennealy. “We need a Marine who will put the people of Massachusetts first. The people of Massachusetts are tired of empty promises and rising costs. I’m running to bring real-world leadership to Beacon Hill, cut waste and restore common sense to state government. We can’t afford another four years of top-down mandates, endless benefits for illegal immigrants, rising utility costs and economic mismanagement.”

The answer from Republican Mike Kennealy’s campaign:

“Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Kennealy emerged as the clear winner in the first primary debate of the election cycle.”

“We already knew that Mike Kennealy is the only candidate capable of taking on and defeating Maura Healey,” said Ben Hincher, Kennealy’s campaign manager, “Tonight, anyone tuning into this race for the first time saw the truth: Mike Kennealy is running against Maura Healey, while his opponent is running against Mike Kennealy. Mike laid out a clear, common-sense agenda: ending Massachusetts’ sanctuary state policies, cutting the green gimmicks that have driven up our electric bills and restoring affordability for families across the commonwealth. He showed voters that he will bring pragmatic, principled and commonsense leadership back to Beacon Hill.”

The answer from Democrat Gov. Maura Healey’s campaign:

“Two Trump-supporting Republican candidates for governor held a ‘debate’ on an August Friday afternoon.”

“You know that the MassGOP is embarrassed by their own candidates when they schedule their first debate for 5 p.m. on a summer Friday,” said Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Steve Kerrigan. “It’s just the latest sign that Kennealy’s and Shortsleeve’s candidacies are failing, along with their fundraising numbers. The only thing that was more blurry than the debate’s livestream was the candidates’ plans to stand up to Donald Trump. Not once did they mention his devastating cuts to lifesaving research funding, his plans to kick hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents off their health care or his tariffs that are raising costs for everyone.”

Kerrigan continued, “The Republican candidates for governor yet again showed that they’re afraid to stand up to Donald Trump and won’t stand for the people of Massachusetts. One thing is for sure after tonight: Gov. Maura Healey is the only candidate who will make life easier for people, lower the cost of housing, health care and energy and stand up to Donald Trump when he hurts our state.”

HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION?

Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature’s job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been filed. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late-night sessions and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session.

During the week of August 25-29, the House met for a total of 24 minutes and the Senate met for a total of 22 minutes.

Mon. August 25 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:07 a.m.

Senate 11:09 a.m. to 11:20 a.m.

Tues. August 26 No House session

No Senate session

Wed. August 27 No House session

No Senate session

Thurs. August 28 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:17 a.m.

Senate 11:09 a.m. to 11:20 a.m.

Fri. August 29 No House session

No Senate session.

Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com