What Can Key Words Tell us About Key Issues?
One of the most important services InstaTrac offers is our keyword search, lovingly named Sapphire. The keyword search takes words or phrases and provides a variety of results under various categories like bills, legislators, news, committees, etc. This function provides our users with a variety of different instances in which their keyword was used. Along with a display of results popping up, users are also able to search back through various past sessions to check information from prior sessions involving their keyword.
The use of keyword searches also provides us with insightful information, like the number of times words were searched and the number of results provided for each search. This data is important because it helps us develop a greater understanding of what is going on in the legislature (and beyond). In order to highlight the importance of the site search, we’re breaking down some of the most searched terms from the beginning of the year to now, and what this means for the legislature and the government as a whole.
Key Words:
“Privacy”
At the top of our list is the keyword ‘privacy’ with 138 searches in the past 3 months and yielding almost 200 bills for this session. This is hardly surprising given how expansive the notion of privacy is. It is a legal priority for most domains, the prominent ones being data, healthcare, education, and internet usage. As it’s such an important and pervasive topic, it is logical it would be a popular search.
“PFAS”
Following closely behind with 133 searches is ‘PFAS,’ a maybe surprising term for those who are unfamiliar. PFAS or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are synthetic chemicals nicknamed ‘forever-chemicals’ because of how long-lasting they are. PFAS are found in practically everything and have made their way into water, soil, blood and food. They are likely linked to harmful health effects making it a health and environmental concern for many. This search yields 26 bills aiming to protect the environment and the public from PFAS.
“Decker”
Representative Marjorie Decker wins the “popularity contest” amongst legislators with 102 searches so far this session. She has sponsored 77 bills, many of them focused on healthcare and human services. She is the Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Health and a member of the House Committee on Rules and the Joint Committee on Rules. Perhaps she has been so popular this session because she is in third place for sponsoring the most bills in the House.
“Moran”
The term ‘Moran’ closely followed Decker, with 100 searches. The name is split amongst 3 legislators: Sen. Susan Moran, Rep. Michael Moran and Rep. Frank Moran. Confusing, we know.
“Alcohol”
Continuing the trend of close in numbers, ‘alcohol’ lands 5th place in our list at 96 searches. Alcohol has been a hot topic in the legislature recently with 183 bills filed involving it and the recent news that the legislature is seeking to increase alcohol taxes. This potential rise in taxes is done in an effort to help pay for alcohol related costs, which, as of 2010 the last time data was available, cost the state $2.26 billion in that year alone. However, also worth noting is the fact that there were half as many bills involving alcohol filed this session in comparison to last.
“Crighton”
Senator Brendan Crighton has been searched 84 times. Of the 72 bills filed by him, several are hot-topic issues. This includes a bill to electrify the MBTA and a bill to allow undocumented students eligibility for in-state tuition. Furthermore, last month Sen. Crighton was awarded the Champion for Children and Families Award, presented by the Mass Partnerships for Youth. Much of this work has been done through his position on key committees including the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery and the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities.
“Healey”
An important, and unsurprising, name on this list is “Healey” which received 78 searches since the beginning of the year. This, of course, makes sense as recently elected Governor Healey has just started her first term this year. Apart from her historic term, being the first female governor in Massachusetts, she has already filed her $55.5 billion budget bill for fiscal year 2024, seeks to extend free school meals for Massachusetts students, and has made the USA Today’s list for Women of the Year.
“Velis”
Senator John Velis followed with 76 searches. He has filed 81 bills including one on PFAS and has for years advocated for stricter PFAS standards for things such as drinking water. While we’re not entirely sure if his work is the reason that PFAS is trending so high on this list, it is safe to say that he likely had some part in that. Velis also filed other important bills such as one supporting data transparency in the cannabis industry. He has also supported many bills aimed at supporting veterans.
“Friedman”
Senator Cindy Friedman is number nine on our list with 73 searches so far this year. This is likely due to her filing of 31 bills and co-sponsoring 24 this session involving some hot topics like full spectrum pregnancy care, regulating and controlling pharmaceutical costs, and legislation to help lift kids out of deep poverty.
“Vargas”
Our list concludes with Representative Andres Vargas who had 72 searches. He has filed 34 bills, several of them focused on ensuring quality nutrition in schools from universal school meals to establishing the Hunger Free Campus Initiative for Universities. One of Governor Healey’s top goals is to promote affordability especially for human services such as free school lunches. Vargas has championed these programs, which are estimated to save families $1,200 a year.
While some of these names and keywords are not surprising to see on this list, there are definitely a few that many would have not predicted to make the cut. However, whether you predicted these keywords or not, they're very indicative of what is going on in our government right now. Especially in terms of hot-button issues like privacy, public health, and alcohol taxes, it is no surprise that people are wanting to stay on top of the legislative process. Seven of these ten key terms were, in fact, names and not topics showing just how important it is to follow the legislators, and not just the legislation.
The importance of the key terms and their search frequency cannot be underscored enough as a window into the ongoings of the government. We can use these results and this list to notice trends and topics that we hadn’t heard of or paid attention to prior. Even better, the keyword search is a constant here at InstaTrac, meaning we can generate new lists as the months and sessions go on to see how these searches change and what that means for the Commonwealth. Staying on top of the legislature may seem overwhelming, but with keyword search, daily bill action alerts, and amendment summaries, InstaTrac makes it easy! Never miss a blog post - and stay on top of what’s happening on Beacon Hill! Follow us on Twitter, Linkedin, Youtube, or Instagram.