Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Tracking Mass. Legislative Votes

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As a legislative junkie, I have for years closely followed the Thomas legislative reports and the US Senate website to track votes and nominations that come in front of the federal legislative bodies.

However, as I become more interested in local issues here in Massachusetts, I am troubled by the lack of a real way to follow what goes on in the Massachusetts Legislature. Am I missing something? Apart from major votes (which are collected quite nicely for every state by vote-smart.org), is there a way to see what my legislature is doing? Do I just have to read the House and Senate PDF journals?

It seems quite disappointing that our state and many others lack the ability to post vote results and roll calls online. If transparency is really a goal, then publishing and publicizing what really goes on on Beacon Hill seems necessary.

Otherwise, the common person has no idea what their state representatives are doing on a daily basis.

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Comments

      • It’s just very difficult to actually find.

        <

        p>The roll calls for votes are posted as PDF files, but you have to know the roll call number to find the one you’re looking for. Simply knowing the bill name isn’t enough. To get the roll call number, you have to go through the journal for the House or Senate session in which the roll call took place, and to find the correct journal you need to know the date the session happened.

        <

        p>Oh, and there’s a nice lag between when the sessions happen and when all of these things are posted online.

        <

        p>So, yeah… the system has a lot of room for improvement.

          • The reports from committees (whether releasing bills with a favorable or unfavorable recommendation, or recommitting to another committee) are available in the House/Senate journal available on the Legislature’s website.

            <

            p>I certainly don’t claim that this is at all user-friendly, or even fully up-to-date. All official committee action should be in these journals if you’re willing to search through (several) PDFs for it, though.

            • to find something in the journals.  I don’t think I’ve ever succeeded.  They’re completely useless for someone not deeply versed in legislative procedure.  Really, the whole situation is unacceptable.

          • The challanger asked why Sarah Peake (D-Powtn) voted against posting committee votes on line.  She explained it wasn’t necessary – anyone wanting to know what a committee vote was needed only to drive to Boston, find the committee office and a staffer to help, and the committee votes would be shown upon request – EVERY WEEKDAY, from 9 to 5.

            <

            p>Really, who could ask for anything more?

  4. committee chairs get together and decide how bills are reported out, then there is a pro forma “vote” at the executive session. Few members come to hearings (more to execs), but seldom actually SAY anything at the “vote.” There is no requirement in the Joint Rules or committee rules to post anything, so all the public will know is the status of the outcome of the bill – there is no record of how any committee member felt about it or voted on it.

  5. There is a REASON our state came in as #47 as to open meeting, and something like 36 in FOIA.

    <

    p>It is not that there is no “will” to post everything in the cheap, easy internet of today – it is that THOSE who do not want to do so are those in control.  

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