193rd House Scorecard: 2023-2024 Session

193rd House Scorecard: 2023-2024 Session

About the Scorecard:

A scorecard serves its purpose if it tells a story and informs advocacy.

As such, we prioritize votes that are contentious over those that are unanimous: unanimous votes neither tell a story nor inform advocacy. We prioritize bills and amendments that relate to our Progressive Platform and Legislative Agenda over those that do not, and we make a point of including bills and amendments for which our members lobbied their legislators.

Since legislators’ jobs are to vote, we count absences as the same as votes against the progressive position when calculating scores. HOWEVER, when legislators submit letters to the Clerk detailing how they would have voted had they been present, we will count these intentions, so long as their vote would not have alone decided the outcome of a bill or amendment. This helps us better achieve one of our main goals — informing advocacy — and acknowledges that there are extenuating circumstances behind some absences.

193rd House Scores *

"Who's my legislator?" Find out here.

vote descriptions

Key/Descriptions ">

* What you see in our Scorecards and accompanying materials and analysis are the result of many, many hours of hard work by dedicated volunteers. Research, interviews, coding, data input, reviewing, designing, coordinating, investigating, editing, and intensive consideration and deliberation. Our scorecards are unique and are having the impact we seek: giving voters access to obscure info that is necessary to keep legislators accountable.

Please support this work with your contribution. With more resources, we can make improvements on many fronts, including design and interactivity. You can also support our work by sharing it, with attribution to Progressive Mass: progressivemass.com/scorecard

192nd House Scorecard: 2021-2022 Session

192nd House Scorecard: 2021-2022 Session

About the Scorecard:

A scorecard serves its purpose if it tells a story and informs advocacy.

As such, we prioritize votes that are contentious over those that are unanimous: unanimous votes neither tell a story nor inform advocacy. We prioritize bills and amendments that relate to our Progressive Platform and Legislative Agenda over those that do not, and we make a point of including bills and amendments for which our members lobbied their legislators.

Since legislators’ jobs are to vote, we count absences as the same as votes against the progressive position when calculating scores. HOWEVER, when legislators submit letters to the Clerk detailing how they would have voted had they been present, we will count these intentions, so long as their vote would not have alone decided the outcome of a bill or amendment. This helps us better achieve one of our main goals — informing advocacy — and acknowledges that there are extenuating circumstances behind some absences.

* What you see in our Scorecards and accompanying materials and analysis are the result of many, many hours of hard work by dedicated volunteers. Research, interviews, coding, data input, reviewing, designing, coordinating, investigating, editing, and intensive consideration and deliberation. Our scorecards are unique and are having the impact we seek: giving voters access to obscure info that is necessary to keep legislators accountable.

Please support this work with your contribution. With more resources, we can make improvements on many fronts, including design and interactivity. You can also support our work by sharing it, with attribution to Progressive Mass: progressivemass.com/scorecard

191st House Scorecard: 2019-2020 Session

191st House Scorecard: 2019-2020 Session

About the Scorecard:

A scorecard serves its purpose if it tells a story and informs advocacy.

As such, we prioritize votes that are contentious over those that are unanimous: unanimous votes neither tell a story nor inform advocacy. We prioritize bills and amendments that relate to our Progressive Platform and Legislative Agenda over those that do not, and we make a point of including bills and amendments for which our members lobbied their legislators.

Since legislators’ jobs are to vote, we count absences as the same as votes against the progressive position when calculating scores. HOWEVER, when legislators submit letters to the Clerk detailing how they would have voted had they been present, we will count these intentions, so long as their vote would not have alone decided the outcome of a bill or amendment. This helps us better achieve one of our main goals — informing advocacy — and acknowledges that there are extenuating circumstances behind some absences.

191st House Scores *

"Who's my legislator?" Find out here.

vote descriptions

Key/Descriptions 🔻 click to 🔻 view in separate window 🔻 ">

* What you see in our Scorecards and accompanying materials and analysis are the result of many, many hours of hard work by dedicated volunteers. Research, interviews, coding, data input, reviewing, designing, coordinating, investigating, editing, and intensive consideration and deliberation. Our scorecards are unique and are having the impact we seek: giving voters access to obscure info that is necessary to keep legislators accountable.

Please support this work with your contribution. With more resources, we can make improvements on many fronts, including design and interactivity. You can also support our work by sharing it, with attribution to Progressive Mass: progressivemass.com/scorecard

190th House Scorecard: 2017-2018 Session

190th House Scorecard: 2017-2018 Session

About the Scorecard:

A scorecard serves its purpose if it tells a story and informs advocacy.

As such, we prioritize votes that are contentious over those that are unanimous: unanimous votes neither tell a story nor inform advocacy. We prioritize bills and amendments that relate to our Progressive Platform and Legislative Agenda over those that do not, and we make a point of including bills and amendments for which our members lobbied their legislators.

Since legislators’ jobs are to vote, we count absences as the same as votes against the progressive position when calculating scores. HOWEVER, when legislators submit letters to the Clerk detailing how they would have voted had they been present, we will count these intentions, so long as their vote would not have alone decided the outcome of a bill or amendment. This helps us better achieve one of our main goals — informing advocacy — and acknowledges that there are extenuating circumstances behind some absences.

189th House Scorecard: 2015-2016 Session

189th House Scorecard: 2015-2016 Session

About the Scorecard:

Every two years, you elect your State Representative. But what happens after that? Where do they stand on the issues of the day on Beacon Hill? How do they vote on the bills that come before the House of Representatives during the two-year legislative session?

Every year, Progressive Massachusetts puts together a scorecard of Legislators’ votes, zeroing in on those roll call votes that often can show the distinction between a progressive legislator, and everyone else.

With the Progressive Mass scorecard, you can see how your State Representative votes, helping the public understand where he or she stands on specific policies, and giving you the information to better advocate for the issues that you care about, and even influence your vote in election years.

188th House Scorecard: 2013-2014 Session

188th House Scorecard: 2013-2014 Session

About the Scorecard:

A scorecard serves its purpose if it tells a story and informs advocacy.

As such, we prioritize votes that are contentious over those that are unanimous: unanimous votes neither tell a story nor inform advocacy. We prioritize bills and amendments that relate to our Progressive Platform and Legislative Agenda over those that do not, and we make a point of including bills and amendments for which our members lobbied their legislators.

We research and compile this data for progressives to assess legislators’ voting records. We welcome you to use and share this material, with attribution!


* What you see in our Scorecards and accompanying materials and analysis are the result of many, many hours of hard work by dedicated volunteers. Research, interviews, coding, data input, reviewing, designing, coordinating, investigating, editing, and intensive consideration and deliberation. Our scorecards are unique and are having the impact we seek: giving voters access to obscure info that is necessary to keep legislators accountable.

Please support this work with your contribution. With more resources, we can make improvements on many fronts, including design and interactivity. You can also support our work by sharing it, with attribution to Progressive Mass: progressivemass.com/scorecard

187th House Scorecard: 2011-2012 Session

187th House Scorecard: 2011-2012 Session

About the Scorecard:

A scorecard serves its purpose if it tells a story and informs advocacy.

As such, we prioritize votes that are contentious over those that are unanimous: unanimous votes neither tell a story nor inform advocacy. We prioritize bills and amendments that relate to our Progressive Platform and Legislative Agenda over those that do not, and we make a point of including bills and amendments for which our members lobbied their legislators.

We’ve researched and compiled this data so that you can make informed assessments of your legislators’ voting records. We welcome you to use and share this material, with attribution!


VOTE DESCRIPTIONS & KEY 

1.  Income Tax: Vote to reduce the income tax to 5% over 3 years. Roll Call # 39 H 3400.
Progressive position was “no”.

2.  Public benefits and undocumented immigrants: Vote on an amendment to remove some restrictions around public benefits for undocumented immigrants. Roll Call # 71 H 3400.
Progressive position was “yes”.

3.  Undocumented immigrants (secure communities): Vote on restricting spending by the governor until the commonwealth joins the secure communities program, a program that uses unnecessarily harsh measures to track down undocumented immigrants. Roll Call # 73 H 3400.
Progressive position was “no”.

4.  Casinos: Vote to accept a conference committee report on gaming legislation, because casinos have been shown to have a negative impact on small businesses and communities. Roll Call #144 H 3807.
Progressive position was “no”.

5.  Transgender rights: Vote was on final passage of a bill adding gender identity to various civil rights and discrimination provisions. Roll Call #163 H 3810.
Progressive position was “yes”.

6.  Criminal justice reforms: Vote to engross a bill denying parole to habitual offenders. Roll Call # 180 H 3811.

Progressive position was “no”.

7.  Labor unions: Vote was to ensure that labor contracts between unions and public sector employers are valid until a successor agreement is negotiated by the parties. Roll Call # 181 H 3789.
Progressive position was “yes”.

8.  Criminal justice reforms: Vote to engross a bill that would allow convicted defendants access to forensic and scientific analyses. Roll Call # 193 S 1987.
Progressive position was “yes”.

9.  Affordable housing: Vote to engross a bill establishing community housing support services and create a demonstration program that creates no less than 1000 units of permanent supported housing. Roll Call # 202 S 1967.
Progressive position was “yes”.

10.  Social safety net: Vote on an amendment to unnecessarily expand restrictions on the use of EBT cards. Roll Call # 242 H 4100.
Progressive position was “no”.

11.  Foreclosure/consumer protection: Vote on delaying foreclosure sales until the creditor has taken important and measurable steps to avoid foreclosure. Roll call # 248 H 4087.

Progressive position was “yes”.

12.  Economy: Vote to engross a bill to increase infrastructure investment and enhance competitiveness and economic growth in the Commonwealth. Roll Call # 254 H 4110.
Progressive position was “yes”.

13.  Early Education/Child Care: Vote to engross a bill improving early education and child care by family care providers. The bill strengthens professional standards for family care providers. Roll Call # 259 H 3986.
Progressive position was “yes”.

14.  Election/Voting Reforms: Vote on engrossment of a bill to improve election laws by pre-registering 16 and 17 year olds and expanding audits at polling places. Roll Call # 266 H 4120.
Progressive position was “yes”.

15.  Election/Voting Restrictions: Vote was on an amendment to remove a requirement to show ID to vote from the election reform bill. Roll Call # 267 H 4132.
Progressive position was “yes”.

16.  Health care cost (Global payments): Vote to engross a comprehensive healthcare cost containment bill. Roll Call # 275 S 2270.

Progressive position was “yes”.

17.  Criminal justice/minimum mandatory sentencing: Vote was to override the Governor’s veto of the “three strikes” crime bill and his proposed re-introduction of judicial discretion in certain limited situations where a person has been convicted three times of an enumerated set of violent felonies. Roll Call # 315 H 3818.
Progressive position was “no”.

18.  Criminal justice/minimum mandatory sentencing: Vote was on final passage of the “three strikes” crime bill. Roll Call # 343 H 3818.
Progressive position was “no”.

19.  Undocumented immigrants: Vote was to override the governor’s veto of a bill to make the RMV use it’s licensing for business vehicles as a tool to search for undocumented workers. Roll Call # 344 H 4238.
Progressive position was “no”.

 

* What you see in our Scorecards and accompanying materials and analysis are the result of many, many hours of hard work by dedicated volunteers. Research, interviews, coding, data input, reviewing, designing, coordinating, investigating, editing, and intensive consideration and deliberation. Our scorecards are unique and are having the impact we seek: giving voters access to obscure info that is necessary to keep legislators accountable.

Please support this work with your contribution. With more resources, we can make improvements on many fronts, including design and interactivity. You can also support our work by sharing it, with attribution to Progressive Mass: progressivemass.com/scorecard