BOSTON – With legislative committee assignments now officially doled out, local legislators will begin crafting state laws in earnest after a slow start to the legislative session.
State Sen. Joan Lovely (D-Salem) has been appointed to serve as assistant majority leader and chair of the Senate and Joint Committee on Rules. Lovely served in both of these positions during the 192nd session and served as the chair of the temporary Senate Committee on Rules in developing the Senate’s Senate and Joint Rules packages for the 193rd session.
“I am deeply honored to be named Assistant Majority Leader and Chair of the Senate Committee on Rules,” said Lovely, who also represents Peabody. “I would like to thank Senate President Karen Spilka for her leadership and continued confidence and trust in me. I look forward to leading this Committee and working with my Senate colleagues to ensure transparency, accessibility, and equity remain at the forefront of the Senate’s policies and procedures, and that the needs of all our residents are being met.”
Lovely will also serve on the Senate Committee on Ethics, the Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change, and the Senate Committee on Juvenile and Emerging Adult Justice.
She will likewise serve on two joint committees, serving as Senate vice-chair of the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight, and as a member of the Joint Committee on Agriculture.
Rep. Thomas Walsh’s (D-Peabody) lone committee assignment was as the chair of the House Committee on Bills in the third reading.
I’ve been looking forward to the start of this legislative session and continuing to represent the residents of Peabody at the State House,” Walsh said. “Being appointed by Speaker Mariano and ratified by my colleagues for this position is incredibly humbling. There is a tremendous responsibility with this committee and I look forward to doing my very best for my constituents in Peabody as well as our residents across the Commonwealth.”
According to the legislature’s website, the committee is tasked to consider “all bills and resolves prior to their final reading, and examine, correct and recommend such amendments as may be necessary concerning duplication, grammatical errors, constitutionality, etc.”
Sally Kerans (D-Danvers), whose district includes West Peabody, will serve on the Committee on Election Laws. She was also assigned to the Ways and Means Committee, among the most powerful in the chamber, and the committees on substance use and recovery, financial services, mental health, and transportation.
The Massachusetts General Court has 55 committees. All committees are bipartisan, and will hold hearings throughout the legislative session and solicit public testimony to deliberate the movement of bills.
Committee work represents the heart of the legislative process. Bills filed by legislators are referred to committees, which then take each piece of potential legislation under consideration before deciding whether to bring it to the floor of a particular branch of the Legislature.
