2020 Massachusetts legislative session

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Some states made changes to 2020 state legislative sessions and legislative activity in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
For a full list of changes, visit: Changes to state legislative session dates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020.
Massachusetts: No changes impacting state legislative activities were made.
Massachusetts General Court

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General information
Type:   State legislature
Term limits:   None
Session start:   January 1, 2020
Website:   Official General Court Page
Leadership
Senate President:  
Karen Spilka (D)
House Speaker:  Robert DeLeo (D)
Majority Leader:   Senate: Cynthia Stone Creem (D)
House: Ronald Mariano (D)
Minority Leader:   Senate: Bruce Tarr (R)
House: Bradley Jones, Jr. (R)
Structure
Members:  40 (Senate), 160 (House)
Length of term:   2 years (Senate), 2 years (House)
Authority:   Chapter 1, Massachusetts Constitution
Salary:   $62,547/year
Elections
Last election:  November 6, 2018
Next election:  November 3, 2020
Redistricting:  Massachusetts General Court has control

In 2020, the Massachusetts State Legislature was scheduled to convene on January 1 and adjourn on January 5, 2021.

Several state legislatures suspended their sessions or otherwise limited legislative activity in response to the coronavirus pandemic. No modifications to state legislative activity in Massachusetts were made.

Democrats had a veto-proof supermajority this legislative session, just as they did in 2019. Following the 2018 election, Democrats had a 34-6 supermajority in the Senate and a 127-32 supermajority over Republicans in the House, with one third-party member. Republicans controlled the governorship, meaning neither party held a state government trifecta.

At the beginning of the 2020 legislative session:
  • Democrats held a veto-proof supermajority in the Massachusetts state House and state Senate.
  • Massachusetts was one of 14 states with a divided government.
  • Massachusetts' governor was Republican Charles D. Baker.

    • Black.png Click the links to read more about the 2020 state Senate and state House elections.
    Black.png Click the links to read more about the 2018 state Senate and state House elections.

    Partisan control in 2020

    See also: State government trifectas

    Massachusetts was one of 14 states without a state government trifectas at the start of 2020 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.

    Massachusetts was also one of 22 state legislatures where one party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.

    The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the Massachusetts State Legislature in the 2020 legislative session.

    Massachusetts State Senate

    Party As of January 2020
         Democratic Party 34
         Republican Party 4
         Vacancies 2
    Total 40

    From 1992 to 2020, the Massachusetts State Senate was controlled by the Democratic Party. The table below shows the partisan history of the Massachusetts State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2018. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Massachusetts State Senate election results: 1992-2018

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18
    Democrats 31 30 34 33 34 34 34 35 35 36 36 34 34 34
    Republicans 9 10 6 7 6 6 6 5 5 4 4 6 6 6

    Democrats maintained control of the Massachusetts State Senate from 1992 to 2018. Senate Democrats held their largest majority following the 2010 elections when Democrats held a 32-seat advantage. Throughout the period, Democrats usually controlled between 30 and 36 seats, while Republicans controlled between 4 and 10 seats. During the period, Democrats also held more than the 27 seats required to override a gubernatorial veto. Republicans controlled the governor's office from 1992 to 2006 and have held it since 2015.

    Despite the national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D), the Massachusetts Senate was resistant to that trend. Senate Democrats never fell below 34 seats during Obama's presidency. From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats all together.

    Massachusetts House of Representatives

    Party As of January 2020
         Democratic Party 125
         Republican Party 31
         Independent 1
         Vacancies 3
    Total 160

    From 1992 to 2020, the Massachusetts House of Representatives was controlled by the Democratic Party. The table below shows the partisan history of the Massachusetts House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2018. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Massachusetts House of Representatives election results: 1992-2018

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18
    Democrats 124 125 124 131 137 136 139 141 143 128 131 125 125 127
    Republicans 35 34 35 28 23 23 20 19 16 32 29 35 35 32
    Other 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1

    Democrats maintained control of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1992 to 2018. House Democrats held their largest majority following the 2008 elections when Democrats held a 127-seat advantage. Throughout the period, Democrats usually controlled between 124 and 143 seats, while Republicans controlled between 16 and 35 seats. During the period, Democrats also held more than the 107 seats required to override a gubernatorial veto. Republicans controlled the governor's office from 1992 to 2006 and have held it since 2015.

    In the 2010 elections, Democrats kept control of the state House with a 128-32 majority but lost 14 seats. Republicans increased their minority in both the 2014 and 2016 elections but regressed in 2018. The Republican gains from 2010 to 2016 were in line with a national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). House Republicans gained seats in the Massachusetts state House but Democrats never fell below 125 seats during Obama's presidency. From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats all together.

    Leadership in 2020

    Massachusetts State Senate

    Massachusetts House of Representatives

    Regular session

    The following widget shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2020 legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation met these criteria in 2020. This information is provided by BillTrack50.

    Standing legislative committees

    See also: Standing committee and List of committees in Massachusetts state government


    A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.

    At the beginning of the 2020 legislative session, there were 43 standing committees in Massachusetts' state government, including 27 joint legislative committees, seven state Senate committees, and nine state House committees.

    Joint legislative committees



    Senate committees


    House committees


    Legislatively referred constitutional amendments

    In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

    The methods by which the Massachusetts Constitution can be amended:

    See also: Article XLVIII, Amendments to the Massachusetts Constitution, and Laws governing ballot measures in Massachusetts

    The process of amending the Massachusetts Constitution is governed by Article XLVIII, Amendments to the Massachusetts Constitution, which is itself the 48th amendment to the state's constitution.

    Article 48 allows the constitution to be amended through indirect initiative amendments. It imposes a number of restrictions on such proposed amendments:

    • Petitions that relate to "religion, religious practices or religious institutions" are prohibited.
    • Petitions that relate to the "appointment, qualification, tenure, removal, recall or compensation of judges" are prohibited.
    • Petitions that would reverse judicial decisions are prohibited.
    • Petitions relating to the "powers, creation or abolition of courts" are prohibited.
    • Petitions that apply only to "a particular town, city or other political division or to particular districts or localities of the commonwealth" are prohibited.
    • Petitions that would make "a specific appropriation of money from the treasury of the commonwealth" are prohibited.
    • Any petition relating to Amendment 18 is prohibited through citizen initiative; however, Amendment 18 was altered through other paths.
    • Petitions "inconsistent with" a list of "rights of the individual" are prohibited; those rights include:
    • "The right to receive compensation for private property appropriated to public use."
    • "The right of access to and protection in courts of justice."
    • "The right of trial by jury."
    • "Protection from unreasonable search unreasonable bail and the law martial."
    • "Freedom of the press."
    • "Freedom of elections."
    • "The right of peaceable assembly."
    • The sections of the constitution that prohibit various matters from being taken up by citizen initiative are also, themselves, prohibited from change through the process.
    • Petitions that are "substantially the same as any measure which has been qualified for submission or submitted to the people at either of the two preceding biennial state elections" are prohibited.

    The state's general court plays a significant role in the process for an initiated constitutional amendment in Massachusetts:

    • The Massachusetts General Court is allowed to refer an alternative substitute measure to the ballot to compete with the proposed citizen initiative.
    • The state legislature is allowed to amend the text of an initiated constitutional amendment through a three-fourths vote in joint session.
    • In two successive legislative sessions, 25 percent of the members of the Massachusetts General Court must support the proposed amendment in order for it to go on the ballot. There are 200 legislators altogether—40 in the Massachusetts State Senate and 160 in the Massachusetts House of Representatives—so a proposed amendment must earn 50 positive votes. The proposed amendment does not need to earn a 25 percent vote from both chambers, but, rather, from a joint session. This means, for example, that if 50 members of the state house voted in favor of an amendment, it would require no support from any state senator to qualify for the ballot.

    The Massachusetts General Court may also legislatively refer constitutional amendments. This procedure is defined in Section 1 to 3 of Article LXXXI of the Massachusetts Constitution. According to that section:

    • Amendments may be proposed by either house of the Massachusetts General Court.
    • Consideration of the amendment in a joint session may be called for by a vote of either house no later than the second Wednesday in May.
    • Proposed amendments must receive majority approval (50% + 1) two successive joint legislative sessions to be placed on the ballot.
    • If any such proposed amendment is approved by a simple majority of voters and by at least 30 percent of people voting in that election, the amendment is adopted.

    The Massachusetts Constitution can also be changed through a constitutional convention and subsequent ratification from the voters.

    There have been four constitutional conventions in Massachusetts:

    • From 1779–80. This led to the adoption of the Massachusetts Constitution, which is the oldest state constitution continuously in effect.
    • From 1820–21. This convention yielded the Articles of Amendment, 1-9.
    • 1853. This convention led to a proposal for an entirely new constitution and seven proposed amendments. They were submitted to a vote of the people, and they all lost.
    • 1917–19. This constitution proposed 22 amendments and a revised draft of the existing constitution. Voters approved all these proposals.



    Historical context:

    • A total of 39 measures appeared on statewide ballots in Massachusetts from 1996 to 2018.
    • From 1996 to 2018, the number of measures on statewide ballots ranged from zero to eight.
    • Between 1996 and 2018, an average of three measures appeared on the ballot in Massachusetts during even-numbered election years.
    • Between 1996 and 2018, about 54 percent (21 of 39) of the total number of measures that appeared on statewide ballots were approved, and about 46 percent (18 of 39) were defeated.


    Historical partisan control

    The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of Massachusetts.

    Massachusetts Party Control: 1992-2024
    Ten years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
    Governor R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R D D
    Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
    House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D

    See also

    Elections Massachusetts State Government State Legislatures State Politics
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    External links

    Footnotes

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