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 (the "Cape and Islands" district covers Dukes, Nantucket, and parts of Barnstable counties). Senators serve two-year terms, without term limits.[1] The Senate convenes in the Massachusetts State House in Boston, the state capital.
Massachusetts Senate | |
|---|---|
| 193rd General Court of Massachusetts | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
New session started | January 4, 2023 |
| Leadership | |
President pro tempore | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 40 |
 | |
Political groups | Majority (36)
Minority (4)
|
Length of term | 2 years |
| Authority | Chapter 1, Massachusetts Constitution |
| Salary | $70,537/year; set to increase every two years equal to the increase in the median salary of Massachusetts. Additional stipends are given to leaders of the majority and minority party. |
| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post | |
Last election | November 8, 2022 (40 seats) |
Next election | November 5, 2024 (40 seats) |
| Redistricting | Legislative Control |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| State Senate Chamber Massachusetts State House Boston, Massachusetts | |
| Website | |
| Massachusetts Senate | |
| Rules | |
| Rules of the Massachusetts Senate | |
Qualifications
editThe following are the qualifications to be elected to the Massachusetts Senate:[2]
- Be 18 years of age
- Be a registered voter in Massachusetts
- Be an inhabitant of Massachusetts for five years
- Be a resident of the district when elected
- Receive a least 300 signatures on nomination papers
Recent party control
editDemocrats hold a supermajority in the Senate.
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Republican | Vacant | ||
| Begin 189th (2015–2016) | 34 | 6 | 40 | 0 |
| Begin 190th (2017–2018) | ||||
| Begin 191st (2019–2020) | ||||
| Begin 192nd (2021–2022) | 37 | 3 | 40 | 0 |
| Begin 193rd (2023–2024) | 37 | 3 | 40 | 0 |
| June 5, 2023[a] | 36 | 39 | 1 | |
| November 29, 2023[b] | 4 | 40 | 0 | |
| Latest voting share | 90% | 10% | ||
Current leadership
editCurrent members and districts
editCurrent committees and members
editPast composition of the Senate
edit
Composition by municipality in the 190th General Court beginning on December 5, 2017.
Composition by municipality at the beginning of the 191st General Court.
See also
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ^ Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Article LXXXII.
- ^ "How to Run for Office in Massachusetts" (PDF). March 2017.
- ^ "State Sen. Gobi tapped for new post in Healey administration as director of rural affairs". WBUR. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- ^ "Peter Durant sworn in as senator; GOP sees signs their ideas more 'viable' in Mass". telegram.com. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ^ "Massachusetts Senate". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
Further reading
edit- "Senate of the General Court of Massachusetts". Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 2005., 2007
- "House–Senate power struggle brewing", Boston Globe, April 4, 2015
External links
edit- Senate Members of the General Court official government website
- Official Senate district definitions as of 2021
- State Senate of Massachusetts[permanent dead link] at Project Vote Smart
- Massachusetts Senate at Ballotpedia