Joint Committee Chaos
The Joint Rule 10 deadline for this legislative session was set for February 2, 2022, by when (in theory) all legislation must be acted for further consideration on the House and Senate floors. The committee process in the Massachusetts legislature is notoriously elusive, but our data (as of February 11) reveals some interesting patterns.
Tumultuous, Terrible Tuesdays
A review of the committee hearing calendar this session showed that nearly half of all committee hearings (44.3%) occur on Tuesdays of each week. Sometimes there are as many as 6 hearings occurring simultaneously! Hence, the nickname “Terrible Tuesdays”.
Who’s (not) running in 2022?
Another day, another announcement that a legislator is leaving their post. This year, the sheer number of legislators moving on is impressive. Click for a current list of who is leaving and where they plan on going (as of 2/3/2022):
What do you call a bill that isn’t a bill…
The General Court calls it an outside section. While technically outside sections are only supposed to relate to appropriations, here in Massachusetts, they are often used to bypass the legislative process.
2021 - What DID they do?
Of the 7,817 bills filed to date, only 115 have become law during the first year of the 2021-2022 General Court session. That’s a mere 1.4 percent! What were those laws about? Two words: local government. Here's a quick look at 2021 session laws by category.
Beacon Hill 2021: The Year in Review
From the end of the pre-filing deadline to the start of winter recess, there is plenty of data to inform your efforts when the second half of the 192nd General Court begins in January. Check out our infographic to learn more!
The Case of the Missing Roll Call Votes
As we near the end of the first year of the 2021-2022 two-year legislative session, we wanted to take a few minutes to review activity by the Mass Legislature. When it comes to roll call votes, the Statehouse is way behind.
Compare bill text of any two bills
You can now compare the text of any two bills, from any two-year legislative cycle. Changes are highlighted for you: what was added to the original bill is in green; what was deleted is in red.
Mass Legislators By The Numbers
Curious about just how much has… or hasn’t… happened so far this session? Check out these numbers…
Mass is Last
According to studies by national legislative services Quorum and FiscalNote, Massachusetts leads the nation in the number of bills filed, yet we come in last in terms of the percentage enacted.
InstaTrac’s Michael Segal and Roger Stone
I’ve known Roger Stone, whose prison sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump, for 47 years, but only learned of it last year. Here’s how we “met.”
What happened in 2019? (Not much)
Of the 153 session laws passed during the 2019 sessions, most of them were… You guessed it… Sick Leave Banks! Followed closely by bills affecting municipal governments and local employees.