Massachusetts Joint Rules: A Push for Transparency and Reform
Every two years, the Massachusetts House and Senate kick off a new legislative session with a crucial but often overlooked task: setting the rules for how they’ll work together. These joint rules dictate everything from how bills are heard in committees to how lawmakers cast their votes.
But here’s the catch—recently, they haven’t actually agreed on much of anything. Instead, each branch has operated under its own version of the rules, creating a legislative status quo where transparency and efficiency have taken a back seat.
This session, however, might be different. With growing calls for openness and accountability, the House and Senate have both put forward reforms aimed at making the legislative process clearer and more accessible. But while their goals may be similar, their approaches have key differences.
The Status Quo: No Agreement, No Problem?
Since 2019, the House and Senate have failed to officially agree on joint rules, largely because there hasn’t been much external pressure to do so. The Democratic supermajority has allowed both chambers to function without a formal set of joint procedures. Instead, they’ve been working under their own individual rules, moving legislation along in a way that has, at times, left the public and even some legislators not in leadership positions in the dark about key decisions.
This lack of agreement has allowed committees to operate with little transparency, as there’s been no requirement to make testimony or committee votes public. But that is now changing.
The House’s rules reforms introduce several new transparency measures:
How lawmakers vote in committee will be posted online.
Written testimony given at public hearings will also be made public.
Every bill will come with a plain-English summary ahead of a hearing.
Joint committee chairs in the House and Senate would have greater autonomy in scheduling votes for bills from their respective chambers. This ensures Representatives vote on House bills, and Senators vote on Senate bills.
Committees must report bills out within 60 days of a hearing, with limited extensions, a complete revamp of Joint Rule 10.
Lawmakers must be physically present for hearings, while the public can participate remotely.
Formal sessions would continue until the third Wednesday in December during the first annual session, instead of breaking before Thanksgiving. For the second annual session, formal sessions could extend beyond July 31st to handle critical business like conference reports, newly filed spending bills, or matters vetoed or amended by the Governor.
As of March 7, 2025, the House has not appointed conferees to a Conference Committee. Representative William Galvin (D-Canton) will be on since he is the Chair of the House Committee on Rules.
The Senate’s reforms share many of the same transparency goals but go a step further in a few areas:
Just like the House, the Senate wants all committee votes made public.
The first meeting of any conference committee (where final bill negotiations happen) must be open to the public.
Legislators and the public will get at least a full day to review conference committee reports before they’re voted on.
Instead of 72 hours, the Senate proposes a five-day notice for hearings.
Formal sessions could be scheduled at any point during the two-year legislative cycle.
The Joint Rule 10 deadline for joint committees to report out legislation would be moved up to the first Wednesday in December of the first annual session
The Senate’s approach places particular emphasis on ensuring that the public has more time and access to information about what’s happening behind closed doors. The Senate has appointed Senators Cynthia Stone Creem (D-Newton), Joan Lovely (D-Salem), and Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton) as conferees.
Will Transparency Light a Fire Under Lawmakers?
For years, advocates have pushed for more transparency in the legislative process, but the lack of an agreed-upon set of joint rules has slowed progress. Now, with both chambers proposing reforms that make legislative actions more visible and accessible, there’s a real opportunity for change. If the House and Senate can come to an agreement, Massachusetts residents could soon have a clearer view of how laws are made, who is influencing decisions, and where their representatives stand on key issues.
While the state legislature undergoes this proposed transformation, MassTrac is here to provide the transparency that has been promised to you for years. Many of the new rules being implemented can already be found on our service!
Bill summaries: Starting in 2025, we’ve offered AI-generated bill overviews right after filing. These overviews provide a broad understanding of bills before our legal team creates substantive summaries.
Transcripts: MassTrac offers readily made transcripts for all hearings that go on in the State House. You’ll never miss a hearing or testimony again!
Legislative Tracking: With MassTrac, you can select specific committees, legislators, bills, or subjects to track. Each user will automatically be notified of all actions and statuses pertaining to the chosen field.
Although Massachusetts legislators have promised to change with these new Joint Rules, waiting for transparency to come may take a while. MassTrac can provide you with the tools to regain power through information on Beacon Hill. Need help or want to sign up? We’ve got you covered! Contact us at 617-292-1800 or info@instatrac.com, and let’s make sure you never miss a critical update again.
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