2023-2024 Legislative Cycle’s Committee Changes
Last week, House leadership and committee assignments were released, unveiling some major changes amongst government leadership positions. Committees are essential to the success of the legislative process as they allow members to gain insight from stakeholders on relevant issues. Along with studying these issues, legislation is drafted and recommended to the relevant legislative body by committees.
One of the most noteworthy assignments was the selection of Representative Mike Moran (D) as the Majority Leader, elevating him from his prior position as Assistant Majority Leader. This assignment fills what was previously a vacant role, following former Majority Leader Claire Cronin’s resignation of early 2022 to serve as ambassador to Ireland. Representative Alice Piesch (D) filled the role of Assistant Majority Leader. Along with this, there were plenty of new committee assignments and many new chair and vice chair position holders. These assignments are important as committee leadership is influential in deciding which bills to refer back to the legislature as well as what amendments and changes need to be made to bills.
Along with changes to leadership positions, there have also been noteworthy revisions made to the committees themselves.It will be important to see the impacts that these leadership and structural changes will have on the legislature this session and future sessions to come.
Significant Changes
Several committees had significant changes such as titles and scope of responsibilities. What was previously the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture was split into two separate committees. The Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources remained and a new Joint Committee of Agriculture was established. This committee is led by chair Rep. Paul Schmid (D) and Senator Anne Gobi (D) and Vice Chairs Rep. Natalie Blais (D) and Senator Joanne Comerford (D). The Committee on Environment and Natural Resources will continue their work on subject matters such as pollution, conservation, hunting and fishing regulations, and waste disposal. Matters that are specific to agriculture and farming in the Commonwealth will now stand alone, demonstrating these domains are of increasing importance and distinct from other environmental concerns.
Another important development was the removal of Covid-19 from the title and principal concerns of the now-named Joint Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Management (previously the Joint Committee on Covid-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management). Rep. William Driscoll (D) reprises his position as Chair alongside Sen. Marc Pacheco (D). They are joined by Vice Chairs Sen. Walter Timilty (D) and Rep. Steven Owens (D). The need for pandemic preparedness still appears on their list of priorities, though Covid-19 is not mentioned by name.
Pandemic awareness is one of several emergency considerations handled by the committee. This change reflects not only the current situation of the virus but also the legislature's perspective on it. The 7-day average of Covid-19 cases in Massachusetts has decreased by half in the past month, from 1,000 to 515. At the pandemic’s height, Massachusetts saw 35,000 new cases following New Years of 2022. While Covid-19 is still a salient issue, it is now an issue of public health more than an emergency situation. Emergency law or budget changes due to Covid-19 seem much more unlikely in comparison to the beginning of the pandemic. While public health, vaccinations, and eradicating the virus remain concerns of the state and federal government, the severity of the situation has decreased. Subsequently, the need for legislative attention has also been reduced.
Along with the significant committee changes mentioned above, there was also the creation of several new committees as well. One of these committees is the Senate Committee on Juvenile and Emerging Adult Justice, which is chaired by Senator Brendan Crighton (D) and vice chaired by Senator Cynthia Stone Creem (D). Originally, this committee was the Task Force on Emerging Adults in the Criminal Justice System during the 2019-2020 legislative session. The purpose of this committee is to examine laws surrounding minors and young adults (18 to 25 years old). The previous task force was in charge of examining the age of juvenile court distinction as well as discussing legal reforms involving minors and young adults, but it is not certain how many of these tasks the committee would take on.
Another interesting committee change was the removal of ‘technology’ from the now House Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs. Rep. Angelo Puppolo, Jr. (D) is the Chair for this committee with Rep. Adam Scanlon (D) as Vice Chair. This committee focuses on finding federal funding opportunities for the Commonwealth. Previously it also included technology concerns, though the reason for the change is unclear.
With all of these new changes to the committees it will be interesting to see how the legislature is impacted this session. Tracking all these committee assignments may seem overwhelming, but InstaTrac makes it easy with comprehensible bill summaries, daily alerts, and more! Never miss a blog post - and stay on top of what’s happening on Beacon Hill! Follow us on Twitter, Linkedin, Youtube, or Instagram.