Karen Spilka

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Spilka was a candidate in the 2013 special election to succeed U.S. Representative Ed Markey of Massachusetts's 5th congressional district , who resigned in June 2013 to take a seat in the U.S. Senate. The primary election was held on October 15, 2013, and Katherine Clark won the Democratic nomination. [19]

Massachusetts Senate President (2018-present)

On July 26, 2018, Spilka was unanimously [20] elected by the members of the Massachusetts Senate to serve as the President of the Senate, making her the third woman to hold this office. Following a tumultuous period in the Massachusetts Senate, Spilka was regarded by her colleagues as a source of stability and a more collaborative leader than previous Senate Presidents. [9]

Education funding

Upon becoming Senate President, Spilka's "first priority" was the passage of the Student Opportunity Act. [8] Totaling $1.5 billion, [21] this law included the largest increase in education funding in Massachusetts’ history. [8] Signed into law in 2019, the Student Opportunity Act adjusted the formula used by the state to calculate the cost of educating students by updating costs related to health care, special education, English language learning, and programs for low-income students. [22] The act also encourages schools districts to use additional funds on programs to support students’ "social-emotional and physical health," [23] in line with Spilka's longstanding support for social-emotional learning. [24]

After having been delayed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Student Opportunity Act will be phased in starting in 2022. [25]

Racial justice and police reform

Karen Spilka announces new police reform legislation in July 2020. Ghows-WL-200708875-a42732b7.jpg
Karen Spilka announces new police reform legislation in July 2020.

In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, Spilka announced the creation of a racial justice advisory group led by Massachusetts Senators Sonia Chang-Diaz and William Brownsberger to draft legislation in response to police brutality, [26] [27] which was subsequently passed and signed into law by Governor Charlie Baker. [28] This sweeping police reform law, An Act relative to justice, equity and accountability in law enforcement in the Commonwealth, [29] is notable for pioneering multiple novel approaches to police reform. [30] The law created a first-in-the-nation civilian-led commission to standardize the certification and decertification of police officers, with the power to conduct independent investigations into police misconduct, [29] and also created the first state-wide restriction on law enforcement's use of facial recognition technology in the United States. [30] The bill furthermore banned the use of chokeholds and created a duty to intervene for police officers when witnessing another officer using force inappropriately. [29] The law was hailed as 'robust' by commentators, including the ACLU's Director of Racial Justice, who noted that it created "probably the strongest" police oversight commission in the country. [31]

In recognition of these and other actions to advance equity and racial justice in Massachusetts, Spilka was awarded the Chaney Goodman Schwerner Advocacy Award by the New England Area Conference of the NAACP in 2020. [32]

Union opposition

In 2022, Spilka released a statement saying that the Massachusetts Senate did not "see a path forward" for efforts by Senate staffers to unionize. Staffers have been seeking recognition after announcing their intention to unionize earlier that year and denounced the response as anti-union. [33]

Transparency

Spilka has pushed for the Senate's business to be more available to the public. She changed Senate committee hearings from in-person only, to being broadcast live online, made Senate committee votes public, and made all testimony to committees public. In her opening speech in January 2025, she said the Senate would go further, making Senators' votes in joint committees public, and that the Senate would provide summaries of all bills coming to the Senate floor. [34]

In the same speech she publicly called on the House of Representatives to make their work more open to the public, and make all committee votes public, all testimony public, and keep the first meeting of conference committees open to the press and the public. [35] The House has long resisted calls to adopt Senate transparency reforms. [36]

Personal

Spilka is a longtime resident of Ashland, Massachusetts. She is married to Joel Loitherstein, an environmental engineer. She has three children. [37] For many years, Spilka was the legal guardian of her youngest sister, Susie, who had Down syndrome. Susie died of Alzheimer's disease in 2017 at the age of 58. [38]

Spilka is a well-known dog lover. In 2014, she adopted Lincoln, a pit-bull mix rescue, at the State House during the MSPCA Animal Lobby Day. [39] Her love for Lincoln has made her vocally opposed to stereotypes around pit-bulls. When the Senate passed legislation in 2024 getting rid of certain breed restrictions, she noted, "A dog’s breed has nothing to do with their behavior, and every breed of dog can love a family unconditionally, the way Lincoln loves my family." [40]

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References

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Karen Spilka
Karen E. Spilka.jpg
95th President of the Massachusetts Senate
Assumed office
July 26, 2018
Political offices
Preceded by President of the Massachusetts Senate
2018–present
Incumbent