9-13-2026 4:48am

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 51 - Report No. 37

September 7-11, 2026

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 representatives voted with their party’s leadership in the 2026 session through Sept. 11.

Beacon Hill Roll Call uses 125 votes from the 2026 House session as the basis for this report. This includes all roll calls that were not votes on local issues.

The votes of the 130 Democrats were compared to the votes of Democratic Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). Mariano missed eight roll call votes so on those eight roll calls, we used the vote of Mariano’s Majority Leader Rep. Mike Moran (D-Brighton).

The votes of the 24 Republicans were compared to the votes of House Republican Minority Leader Brad Jones (R-North Reading).

On the 125 roll calls, Mariano and Jones voted the same way on 75 roll calls (60 percent) and voted the opposite way from each other on 50 roll calls (40 percent.)

THE DEMOCRATS: A total of 100 (76.9 percent) of the 130 Democrats voted with Mariano 100 percent of the time. There were only 30 Democratic representatives who voted differently than Mariano on any roll calls. And 14 of those only voted differently from Mariano just one time.

The Democratic representative who voted the least percentage of time with Mariano was Rep. Colleen Garry (D-Dracut) who voted with Mariano only 86 percent of the time. Garry did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking her to comment on this.

The other four Democrats who voted the opposite of Mariano the most times are Reps. Alan Silvia (D-Fall River) who voted with Mariano 93.1 percent of the time; David Robertson (D-Tewksbury) who voted with Mariano 94.4 percent of the time; Erika Uyterhoeven (D-Somerville) who voted with Mariano 95.1 percent of the time; and Mike Connolly (D-Cambridge) who voted with Mariano 95.2 percent of the time.

Beacon Hill Roll Call asked those four representatives why they voted so many times the opposite of Mariano, while 100 of their colleagues voted with Mariano 100 percent of the time. Only Rep. Silvia responded. Reps. Robertson, Uyterhoeven and Connolly did not respond.

Rep. Silvia responded: A spokesperson from Silvia’s office told Beacon Hill Roll Call, “Rep. Silvia does not vote against the speaker simply for the sake of opposition. Every vote is considered on its merits and through the lens of what best serves the residents of the 7th Bristol District. When those priorities align with House leadership, he is pleased to support them. When they do not, he has the independence to vote according to his conscience and the needs of the people he was elected to represent.”

Beacon Hill Roll Call also asked all 100 representatives who voted with Mariano 100 percent of the time to explain why they did so. Only two responded.

Rep. Alice Peisch (D-Wellesley), Speaker Mariano's Assistant Majority Leader, said, “Of course, I vote with the speaker 100 percent of the time, as do most Democrats, because his position reflects my views and the views of the majority of the caucus.”

Rep. Ken Gordon (D-Bedford) said, “You’ve got the question backwards. Speaker Mariano votes with the members. What you see on the floor is a result of what the members collectively prioritize. And through the committee process we communicate how best to present the issues.”

The other 98 representatives who voted with Mariano 100 percent of the time did not respond to Beacon Hill Roll Call. They are: Reps. James Arciero (D-Westford), James Arena-DeRosa (D-Holliston), Shirley Arriaga (D-Chicopee), Bruce Ayers (D-Quincy), Jennifer Balinsky Armini (D-Marblehead), John Barrett (D-North Adams), David Biele (D-South Boston), Hannah Bowen (D-Beverly), Antonio Cabral (D-New Bedford), Daniel Cahill (D-Lynn), Simon Cataldo (D-Concord), Tackey Chan (D-Quincy), Michelle Ciccolo (D-Lexington), Rob Consalvo (D-Hyde Park), Mark Cusack (D-Braintree), Leigh Davis (D-Great Barrington), Michael Day (D-Stoneham), Kip Diggs (D-Barnstable), Mindy Domb (D-Amherst), Kate Donaghue (D-Westborough), Daniel Donahue (D-Worcester), Paul Donato (D-Medford), Michelle DuBois (D-Brockton), Patricia Duffy (D-Holyoke), Tricia Farley-Bouvier (D-Pittsfield), Carole Fiola (D-Fall River), Christopher Flanagan (D-Dennis), Brandy Fluker-Reid (D-Mattapan), William Galvin (D-Canton), Sean Garballey (D-Arlington), Judith Garcia (D-Chelsea), Jessica Giannino (D-Revere), Carlos Gonzalez (D-Springfield), Danielle Gregoire (D-Marlborough), Richard Haggerty (D-Woburn), Ryan Hamilton (D-Methuen), Christopher Hendricks (D-New Bedford), Kate Hogan (D-Stow), Kevin Honan (D-Boston), Tara Hong (D-Lowell), Daniel Hunt (D-Dorchester), Kristin Kassner (D-Hamilton), Patrick Kearney (D-Scituate), Mary Keefe (D-Worcester), Sally Kerans (D-Danvers), Meghan Kilcoyne (D-Clinton), Michael Kushmerek (D-Fitchburg), Kathleen LaNatra (D-Kingston), John Lawn (D-Watertown), David LeBoeuf (D-Worcester), Jack Lewis (D-Framingham), David Linsky (D-Natick), Kate Lipper-Garabedian (D-Melrose), Jay Livingstone (D-Boston), Hadley Luddy (D-Orleans), Bill MacGregor (D-Boston), Adrian Madaro (D-East Boston), John Mahoney (D-Worcester), Joseph McGonagle (D-Everett), Paul McMurtry (D-Dedham), Rita Mendes (D-Brockton), Aaron Michlewitz (D-Boston), Thomas Moakley (D-Falmouth), Samantha Montano (D-Boston), John Moran (D-South End), Michael Moran (D-Brighton), Frank Moran (D-Lawrence), James Murphy (D-Weymouth), Brian Murray (D-Milford), James O'Day (D-West Boylston), Edward Philips (D-Sharon), Bridget Plouffe (D-Brockton), Angelo Puppolo (D-Springfield), Adrianne Ramos (D-North Andover), Orlando Ramos (D-Springfield), Sean Reid (D-Lynn), Estela Reyes (D-Lawrence), John Rogers (D-Norwood), Jeffrey Roy (D-Franklin), Daniel Ryan (D-Charlestown), Amy Sangiolo (D-Newton), Aaron Saunders (D-Belchertown), Adam Scanlon (D-North Attleborough), Greg Schwartz (D-Newton), Priscila Sousa (D-Framingham), Thomas Stanley (D-Waltham), Mark Sylvia (D-Fairhaven), Andrew Tarr (D-Gloucester), Joshua Tarsky (D-Needham), Chynah Tyler (D-Roxbury), Steven Ultrino (D-Malden), Andy Vargas (D-Haverhill), Tommy Vitolo (D-Brookline), Thomas Walsh (D-Peabody), Richard Wells (D-Milton), Bud Williams (D-Springfield), Christopher Worrell (D-Boston) and Jonathan Zlotnik (D-Gardner).

THE REPUBLICANS: None of the 24 GOP members voted with Jones 100 percent of the time.

The Republican representative who voted the least percentage of times with Jones is Rep. John Gaskey (R-Carver) who voted with Jones only 78.4 percent of the time. “For too long the Republican party has played ‘Democrat Lite,’ hoping for scraps from the table of funding to bring home to their districts,” Gaskey told Beacon Hill Roll Call. “I was sent to Beacon Hill to stand up and say, 'No more.' I ran on change and helping the Republican party differentiate from the Democrats and using my vote to stand up against radical far left policies that hurt my district and constituents is one way of doing that.”

Rounding out the top five GOP representatives who voted with Jones the least percentage of times are Reps. Nick Boldyga (R-Southwick) and Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica) who both voted with Jones 86.7 percent of the time; David DeCoste (R-Norwell) who voted with Jones 88 percent of the time; Donald Berthiaume (R-Spencer) who voted with jones 88.7 percent of the time; and Joe McKenna who voted with Jones 88.8 percent.

Beacon Hill Roll Call asked those four representatives why they voted against Jones on several roll calls. Reps. Boldyga, Lombardo, DeCoste and Berthiaume did not respond.

THE UNENROLLED: Rep. Susannah Whipps (U-Athol) is the only unenrolled House member and is not affiliated with either the Republican or Democratic party. We based her record on how many times she voted with Democratic House Speaker Ron Mariano. She voted with Mariano 97.5 percent of the time.

THE CRITICS:

Aaron Singer, the producer and director of the documentary “Shadows on the Hill”: "The lockstep votes make more sense when you consider the levers leadership holds over everyone else. Four in 10 families struggled to afford healthcare last year, yet every House Democrat voted to make the Senate healthcare bill friendlier to the insurance industry. What's more likely: 100% of Democrats thought that rewrite was best for their district, or nobody wanted to cross the guy who controls their pay, power and perks?"

Mary Connaughton, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Government Transparency at the Pioneer Institute: “These numbers reveal just how damaging a run amok stipend system can be - one that rewards loyalty to the speaker over true representation of the people.”

Paul Craney, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance: “It proves the legislative system is broken. Not much more can be said of it.”

Scotia Hille, Act on Mass Executive Director: “Massachusetts’ 351 cities and towns are home to an incredible diversity of residents, voices, ideas and opinions. And a functional democracy should reflect that. The results from this legislative session once again show that a single voice matters in the Statehouse: that of the representative from Quincy. Voters should ask themselves if that is representation enough for them.”

PERCENTAGE OF TIMES LOCAL SREPRESENTATIVES VOTED WITH THEIR PARTY'S LEADERSHIP IN 2026 THROUGH SEPT. 11

The percentage next to the representative's name represents the percentage of times the representative supported his or her party’s leadership in 2026 through September 11. The number in parentheses represents the number of times the representative opposed his or her party’s leadership.

Some representatives voted on all 125 roll call votes. Others missed one or more roll calls. The percentage for each representative is calculated based on the number of roll calls on which he or she voted.

Rep. Jeffrey Roy 100 percent (0)

ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL

STREAMLINE NEW HOUSING – The Pioneer Institute issued a report that it says identifies ten straightforward permitting and administrative changes that can be initiated by cities and towns without waiting for lawmakers on Beacon Hill to act. The report says action by cities and towns can “reduce the time and cost of building new homes, at a time when housing costs are helping drive residents to lower-cost states.”

“We keep hearing the same story: families and employers are choosing New Hampshire, Rhode Island or states further afield because it’s simply cheaper to live and build there,” said Jim Stergios, executive director of the institute. “Municipalities can’t single-handedly fix the state’s housing shortage, but they don’t have to wait for Beacon Hill to stop making it worse. This paper gives them a concrete roadmap to clear out the friction in their own back offices.”

The suggested changes include making online permitting information clear, easily accessible and consistent with zoning; using a standardized online portal for permit application submittals; offering developers a pre-application meeting with municipal department heads and local board members; coordinating peer reviews early in the process; requiring training for local board members; and minimizing the number of local officials who hold sway over subjective criteria.

“Much of the delay and added cost in residential permitting is invisible to the public,” said Andrew Mikula, Pioneer Institute’s Chief Housing Economist and the author of the report. “Contentious town meeting and city council votes make headlines, but there is real potential for streamlining and standardization in the back-office interactions between applicants, staff and volunteer board members that happen long before any public hearing.”

BROWNSBERGER WINS RECOUNT – Sen. Will Brownsberger (D-Belmont) eked out a 35-vote victory in a recount of the votes in the Senate Suffolk and Middlesex District which consists of Belmont, Watertown and parts of Boston and Cambridge. Brownsberger, a key member of Senate President Spilka’s leadership team, also presides over most Senate sessions. He edged out challenger Daniel Lander of Boston who was backed by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.

This race became a proxy war over some voters’ dissatisfaction with the Beacon Hill status quo and a test of Wu's political strength after Brownsberger helped defeat her tax reclassification push in 2024. Wu’s proposal would have allowed the city of Boston to shift more of its property tax burden onto commercial real estate in fiscal years 2027 through 2029.

In a statement about the recount results, Lander congratulated Brownsberger and said his own campaign showed "this district is hungry for change."

"While this race did not end as we'd hoped, I am so deeply proud of the campaign we built,” said Lander. "I know we have woken up the State Senate and sent a message loud and clear that the days of delay and inaction must end now."

“I am just grateful to be able to continue to serve,” Brownsberger said. “I look forward to getting back to work.”

$10 BILLION IN MARIJUANA SALES—The Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) announced that Massachusetts marijuana establishments have exceeded $10 billion in all-time gross sales. The milestone comes nearly a decade after voters approved adult-use cannabis in the November 2016 election, and nearly eight years after the November 2018 opening of the state’s first two adult-use retail stores opened in Northampton and Leicester.

“The adult-use cannabis market has grown quickly since the first retail stores opened in 2018, and now reliably generates more than $1.5 billion in gross sales annually,” said CCC Executive Director Travis Ahern. “As the industry enters its next phase with new license types and operators, we look forward to continuing our mission of overseeing a safe, equitable cannabis market for Massachusetts consumers and patients.”

“The licensees that comprise the adult-use industry deserve congratulations for safely growing the industry from scratch and providing a significant return to Massachusetts taxpayers through sales, excise and local taxes along the way,” noted Commissioner Anthony Wilson. “As commissioners, we will continue the work of making sure the industry continues to grow carefully, safely and equitably.”

CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE – The House and Senate in July approved two different versions of a primary care and health care affordability bill. The House version includes a provision that would eliminate the civil statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse. The Senate version does not include that provision. A House-Senate conference committee is working on hammering out a compromise version of the two bills.

Under current law, effective for abuse that took place after June 26, 2014, survivors must sue within 35 years of the abuse, or within seven years of discovering that the abuse caused them psychological harm. However, the clock does not start ticking until the survivor turns 18. In practice, that caps most claims around age 53 and leaves survivors whose window has already closed with no path back into court.

Supporters say the provision would eliminate the deadlines that currently bar many survivors from ever bringing a civil claim. They note the provisions will open a two-year window allowing survivors whose claims have already expired under current law to revive them against both perpetrators and the institutions that enabled or concealed the abuse. Moving forward, it will also allow survivors to sue individuals and institutions responsible for their abuse at any point in their lives, with no filing deadline.

Research cited by Enough Abuse shows that most survivors take years, often decades, to come forward. More than half delay disclosure by five years or more, and the typical age at first disclosure to anyone, including a spouse, is not until the survivor's 50s. Roughly one in five survivors never disclose their abuse at all. Male survivors tend to wait longest, often more than two decades. Enough Abuse argues that this pattern of delayed disclosure is caused by the abuse itself, through shame, fear and manipulation engineered by an abuser the child is taught to trust, and that a fixed civil deadline modeled on an ordinary accident claim misunderstands the long-lasting harm child sexual abuse causes.

“Speaker Mariano and the House took a meaningful step forward for survivors, and we are deeply grateful for it,” said Jetta Bernier, executive director of Enough Abuse. “Survivors of childhood sexual abuse have waited long enough. The Senate now has the opportunity to stand with the House and make sure [the provision] is part of the final bill that goes to the governor this session.”

“Massachusetts is among the weakest states in the country on this issue,” said Sen. Joan Lovely (D-Salem), who pointed out that 19 states, two territories and the federal government have already eliminated the civil statute of limitations for some or all childhood sexual abuse claims, and 31 states and three territories have enacted revival windows allowing survivors with expired claims to return to court. “Many abusers and the institutions that protect them have not had to answer for what they did. They’ve just had to wait out the clock and let the statute of limitations run out. That is exactly what this legislation is designed to stop. Survivors in Massachusetts deserve no less than what most states have already done.”

THE $72.80 PROJECT – Northampton 20-year-old Vassar College student Noah Daube-Valois has launched the $72.80 Project, a podcast series spotlighting the financial realities faced by nursing home and rest home residents surviving on a $72.80 a month personal allowance.

Currently, the Personal Needs Allowance (PNA), the monthly stipend Medicaid (MassHealth) recipients are permitted to retain from their income, is $72.80 to cover personal essentials not funded by facilities.

Supporters note that In Massachusetts, one of the most expensive states in the country, the PNA has remained stagnant at $72.80 per month (roughly $2.40 per day) since fiscal year 2008. By contrast states such as Alaska allow up to $200 per month, Nevada provides $163 and Florida grants $160.

Daube-Valois created the project after spending the summer coordinating activities for residents at Rockridge Retirement Community in Northampton. “Some of the activities I facilitate are trips to the Big Y and Walmart,” said Daube-Valois “Recently, an older resident broke down in tears explaining that on $72.80 a month, after meeting his personal care needs, he cannot even afford to take his grandson out for ice cream like his own grandfather did for him. When our elders are forced to ration basic dignity in one of the wealthiest states in the nation, policy has failed. I created this podcast to spark a multi-generational fight for the right thing to do.”

The group Dignity Alliance Massachusetts has designated raising the PNA as one of its primary legislative priorities. Several measures, pending before the Legislature, propose increasing the monthly allowance and indexing future adjustments to inflation.

“For nearly two decades, nursing home residents on MassHealth have had their discretionary income frozen while the cost of everyday living skyrocketed,” said former Sen. Dick Moore, chair of the Legislative Workgroup for Dignity Alliance Massachusetts. “Noah’s podcast brings human faces and lived experiences to numbers on a budget sheet. It’s past time for the Legislature to restore basic financial dignity to our most vulnerable residents.”

You can follow the podcast at https://tinyurl.com/Project7280 and by streaming on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

QUOTABLE QUOTES

“From the beaches of Cape Cod to the peaks of the Berkshire mountains, Massachusetts’ diverse landscapes support thousands of unique plant and animal species that are essential to the health of our environment. As a mom, I will always work to preserve for the next generation the natural resources, economic opportunity and public health benefits that come from the strong environmental protections the Trump Administration is attempting to strip away.”

---Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell who co-led a coalition of 21 attorneys general in filing two lawsuits to protect endangered and threatened species. The suits challenge new rules that gut essential protections for wildlife under the Endangered Species Act and threaten the survival of imperiled species.

“Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has made progress enforcing its hospital transparency rules, but this report shows that most hospitals still owe patients clear, usable dollars-and-cents prices they can look up before receiving care. Too many patients are still being denied the real, upfront prices they need to shop for affordable care and protect themselves from overcharges.”

---Cynthia Fisher, Founder and Chairman of Patient Rights Advocate on a report that many hospitals are still not complying with Price Transparency Rules.

“Shellfishing is an important part of the North Shore’s economy, culture and way of life, and we’ve been working to support our Massachusetts shellfishers and strengthen our working waterfronts. Because the water in Plum Island Sound is cleaner and the science says it’s safe, we can give more than 200 commercial shellfishers up to 72 more days a year to harvest. That means more certainty for their businesses, more local seafood on our tables and more support for a North Shore industry that has been part of these communities for generations.”

---Gov. Maura Healey announcing expanded access to shellfish harvesting in Plum Island Sound after extensive testing by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries found significant improvements in water quality.

“Did you know there is $3.4 billion in unclaimed property here in Massachusetts? Check the list, go online, or call our office to begin the process, because some of it could belong to you.”

---State Treasurer Deb Goldberg on the latest release of owners’ names added to the state’s list of unclaimed property owners which includes forgotten savings and checking accounts, un-cashed checks, insurance policy proceeds, stocks, dividends and the contents of unattended safe deposit boxes. Most accounts are considered abandoned and are turned over to the state after three years of inactivity. Go to www.findmassmoney.gov for a complete list of over 10 million properties or call 1-888-344-MASS (6277).

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 Sept. 7-11, the House met for a total of 17 minutes and the Senate met for a total of 22 minutes

Mon. Sept. 7 No House session.

No Senate session.

Tues. Sept. 8 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:06 a.m.

Senate 11:15 a.m. to 11:25 a.m.

Wed. Sept. 9 No House session.

No Senate session.

Thurs. Sept. 10 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:11 a.m.

Senate 11:11 a.m. to 11:23 a.m.

Fri. Sept. 11 No House session.

No Senate session.

Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com