Massachusetts House of Representatives | |
---|---|
193rd General Court of Massachusetts | |
Type | |
Type | |
Term limits | None |
History | |
New session started | January 4, 2023 |
Leadership | |
Speaker pro tempore | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | |
Structure | |
Seats | 160 |
Political groups | Majority (134)
Minority (25)
Vacant (1)
|
Length of term | 2 years |
Authority | Chapter 1 of the Massachusetts Constitution |
Salary | $70,537/year; set to increase every two years equal to the increase in the median salary of Massachusetts. All members receive office stipends, and chairs of committees and party leaders receive additional stipends. |
Elections | |
First-past-the-post | |
Last election | November 8, 2022 |
Next election | November 5, 2024 |
Redistricting | Legislative Control |
Meeting place | |
House of Representatives Chamber Massachusetts State House Boston, Massachusetts | |
Website | |
Massachusetts House of Representatives | |
Rules | |
Rules of the Massachusetts House of Representatives |
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. The House of Representatives convenes at the Massachusetts State House in Boston, the state capital of Massachusetts.
Any person seeking to get elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives must meet the following qualifications: [1]
Originally,[ when? ] representatives were apportioned by town. For the first 150 persons, one representative was granted, and this ratio increased as the population of the town increased. The largest membership of the House was 749 in 1812 (214 of these being from the District of Maine); the largest House without Maine was 635 in 1837. [2] The original distribution was changed to the current regional population system in the 20th century. Until 1978, there were 240 members of the house, [3] a number in multi-member districts; today there are 160 in single-member districts. [4]
Districts are named for the counties they are in and tend to stay within one county, although districts often cross county lines. Representatives serve two-year terms which are not limited.
Within the House's debating chamber hangs the Sacred Cod of Massachusetts. The 5-foot-long (1.5 m) pine carving of the cod was offered by Representative John Rowe in 1784 in commemoration of the state's maritime economy and history. Two previous carvings of the cod existed during the legislature's colonial era; the first destroyed in a fire in 1747, and the second during the American War of Independence. Since 1784, the current Sacred Cod has been present at nearly every House session, and moved to its current location when the House began convening in the State House in 1798.
In 1933, members of the Harvard Lampoon stole the cod carving as part of a prank. The theft sparked a large statewide search by the Boston and Massachusetts State Police. Following outrage from Boston newspapers and the General Court itself, the cod was anonymously handed back. [5]
The Democrats hold a supermajority in the House.
Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Unenrolled | Republican | Vacant | ||
Begin 187th (2011-2012) | 128 | 0 | 32 | 160 | |
Begin 188th (2013-2014) | 131 | 0 | 29 | 160 | |
Begin 189th (2015-2016) | 127 | 0 | 35 | 160 | |
Begin 190th (2017-2018) | 125 | 0 | 35 | 160 | |
Begin 191st (2019-2020) | 127 | 1 | 32 | 160 | |
Begin 192nd (2021-2022) | 128 | 1 | 30 | 159 | 1 |
Begin 193rd (2023-2024) | 132 | 1 | 26 | 159 | 1 |
January 18, 2023 [lower-alpha 1] | 133 | 160 | 0 | ||
February 3, 2023 [lower-alpha 2] | 134 | 25 | 160 | 0 | |
February 28, 2023 [lower-alpha 3] | 133 | 159 | 1 | ||
March 1, 2023 [lower-alpha 4] | 132 | 158 | 2 | ||
June 7, 2023 [lower-alpha 5] | 134 | 160 | 0 | ||
November 29, 2023 [lower-alpha 6] | 24 | 159 | 1 | ||
February 4, 2024 [lower-alpha 7] | 133 | 158 | 2 | ||
March 27, 2024 [lower-alpha 8] | 25 | 159 | 1 | ||
Latest voting share | 84% | 16% |
The Speaker of the House presides over the House of Representatives. The Speaker is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the full House through the passage of a House Resolution. As well as presiding over the body, the Speaker is also the chief leader, and controls the flow of legislation. Other House leaders, such as the majority and minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses relative to their party's strength in the House.
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state. All but one of the districts are named for the counties in which they are located. Senators serve two-year terms, without term limits. The Senate convenes in the Massachusetts State House in Boston, the state capital.
Mark James Cusack is an American politician who represents the 5th Norfolk District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. A member of the Democratic Party, Cusack's district encompasses all precincts in the town of Braintree and Precinct 1 and 2 in the town of Holbrook.
Peter J. Durant is an American state legislator and member of the Massachusetts State Senate from the Worcester and Hampshire Senate district.
Leonard "Lenny" Mirra is a former American state legislator who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He is a Georgetown resident and a member of the Republican Party.
Maura Tracy Healey is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 73rd governor of Massachusetts since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as Massachusetts Attorney General from 2015 to 2023 and was elected governor in 2022, defeating the Republican nominee, former state representative Geoff Diehl.
The 2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Republican Governor Charlie Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito sought reelection to a second term in office, facing Democratic challengers Jay Gonzalez and Quentin Palfrey, respectively. Candidates were selected in the primary election held on September 4, 2018.
The 2022 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Massachusetts. Republican former state representative Geoff Diehl, Democratic state attorney general Maura Healey, and Libertarian Kevin Reed sought to succeed incumbent governor Charlie Baker, who did not seek re-election after two terms. The race was one of six Republican-held governorships up for election in 2022 in a state carried by Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election and the only race in which the incumbent was retiring despite being eligible for re-election.
Jon Santiago is an American physician and Democratic politician who served as the Massachusetts state representative for the 9th Suffolk district from 2019 to March 2023. He ran a campaign for mayor of Boston in 2021, but withdrew from the race before the primary election.
Massachusetts House of Representatives' 1st Barnstable district in the United States is one of 160 legislative districts included in the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court. It covers part of Barnstable County. The district is currently represented by Democrat Chris Flanagan of Dennis.
Massachusetts House of Representatives' 6th Worcester district in the United States is one of 160 legislative districts included in the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court. It covers part of Worcester County. Republican State Representative John Marsi has represented the district since March 2024.
Massachusetts House of Representatives' 6th Middlesex district in the United States is one of 160 legislative districts included in the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court. It covers part of the city of Framingham in Middlesex County. Democrat Priscila Sousa of Framingham has represented the district since 2023.
The 129th Massachusetts General Court, consisting of the Massachusetts Senate and the Massachusetts House of Representatives, met in 1908 during the governorship of Curtis Guild Jr. William D. Chapple served as president of the Senate and John N. Cole served as speaker of the House.
The 192nd Massachusetts General Court was a meeting of the legislative branch of the state government of Massachusetts. It consisted of elected members of the Senate and House of Representatives. It first convened in Boston at the Massachusetts State House on January 6, 2021, during the governorship of Charlie Baker. The 192nd term ended in early 2023. Will Brownsberger, Michael Moran, and Dan Hunt oversaw decennial redistricting based on the 2020 census.
The 2022 Massachusetts Attorney General election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the next attorney general of Massachusetts. Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Maura Healey was eligible to seek a third term, but instead announced she would run for governor.
The 2022 Massachusetts House of Representatives election was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, with the primary election having been held on Tuesday, September 6, 2022. Massachusetts voters selected all 160 members of the State House to serve two-year terms in the 2023–2024 Massachusetts legislature. The election coincided with United States national elections and Massachusetts state elections, including U.S. House, Governor, and Massachusetts Senate.
Kate R. Cook is an American lawyer and government official serving as the chief of staff for the Massachusetts governor's office since January 2023.
The 193rd Massachusetts General Court is the current meeting of the legislative branch of the state government of Massachusetts, composed of the Massachusetts Senate and the Massachusetts House of Representatives. It first convened in Boston at the Massachusetts State House on January 4, 2023, on the last day of the governorship of Charlie Baker and is scheduled to continue until January 7, 2025, during the first two years of Governor Maura Healey's first term.
Kristin E. Kassner is a current member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 2nd Essex District. In 2022 Kassner challenged incumbent Rep. Lenny Mirra. After the initial counting of votes, Kassner lost the election by 10 votes. However, following a hand recount, totals shifted to reflect a one-vote victory for Kassner. Following litigation, appeals, and a review by a special committee of the House of Representatives, Rep. Kassner was sworn in by Governor Maura Healey on Friday, February 3, 2023.
The 2024 Massachusetts House of Representatives election will be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, with the primary election to be held on Tuesday, September 3, 2024. Massachusetts voters will select all 160 members of the State House to serve two-year terms in the Massachusetts General Court. The election will coincide with United States national elections and Massachusetts state elections, including U.S. Senate, U.S. House, U.S. President, and Massachusetts Senate.
The 2024 Massachusetts State Senate election will be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, with the primary election to be held on Tuesday, September 3, 2024. Massachusetts voters will select all 40 members of the State Senate to serve two-year terms in the Massachusetts General Court. The election will coincide with United States national elections and Massachusetts state elections, including U.S. Senate, U.S. House, U.S. President, and Massachusetts House.
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) (Per Chapter 11, Acts of 1988. Based on 1985 census)