Read Our Latest Blogs

Breakdown of the House Ways & Means FY27 Budget Proposal

$63.3 billion, dozens of outside sections, and amendments still to come. Here's what the House FY27 budget proposal actually contains.

The Government Affairs Professional's Tech Stack: Everything You Need to Run a Modern Lobbying Shop in Massachusetts

Introducing MassTrac's Line Item Comparison Tool

Tracking Massachusetts budget changes used to mean spreadsheets and manual comparisons. MassTrac's new Line Item Compare tool changes that. Here's how.

Legislative Data vs. Legislative Intelligence

MassTrac gives government relations professionals the Beacon Hill expertise and tracking tools to turn legislative chaos into clear, actionable intelligence.

MassTrac for Businesses

Massachusetts legislation can move quickly, and staying informed shouldn’t require hunting down information across dozens of sources. This post explores the challenges businesses face tracking activity on Beacon Hill—and how MassTrac simplifies the process by centralizing bill tracking, legislative updates, and policy insights in one place.

The Journalist's Guide to Covering Massachusetts Government with InstaTrac

Covering Massachusetts government involves tracking thousands of bills and a complex state budget. InstaTrac’s tools — MassInsider and MassTrac — help journalists stay ahead with daily news briefings, real-time bill tracking, and easy access to legislative data, making it faster and easier to report on Beacon Hill.

Massachusetts in Context with MassTrac’s “Other States” Feature

Legislation doesn't happen in a vacuum. Policy ideas move from state to state, and what passes elsewhere often influences what happens in Massachusetts. MassTrac's "Other States" feature shows you related legislation from across the country—where similar policies are advancing, how Massachusetts compares, and what context matters for your work here.

What Three Years of Working with AI Taught Me About Legislative Affairs

After three years building AI tools for Massachusetts legislative tracking, we’ve learned what truly works for lobbyists and advocates. From instant bill summaries to smart text comparisons and searchable hearing transcripts, here’s how AI is changing legislative affairs on Beacon Hill.

Are Ballot Initiative Committees the New Normal in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts is experiencing a record-breaking surge in ballot initiative activity for the 2026 election cycle, with 47 petitions filed and up to 12 potential questions headed for the November ballot. A newly formed special legislative committee will review 11 certified citizen initiatives covering tax reform, rent control, election changes, cannabis regulation, and government transparency.

Complete Guide to the Massachusetts State Budget Process

The Massachusetts budget process is an annual cycle that allocates state funding through a series of steps involving the Governor, House, and Senate. Beginning with agency requests and the Governor’s budget proposal, the process moves through House and Senate Ways and Means budgets, floor debates, conference committee negotiations, and final approval before the July 1 fiscal year start.

How Town Clerks Use MuniTrac

Discover how MuniTrac helps Massachusetts town clerks automate meeting minutes, transcription, and public records management—saving time while improving accuracy and transparency.

MassInsider Inside the Classroom

Sean Cusick, a high school English and journalism teacher at Tantasqua Regional High School in Fiskdale, Massachusetts, uses InstaTrac’s MassInsider newsletter to help students understand how modern news and journalism actually work.

InstaTrac Gets an Upgrade

Instatrac is upgrading the way Massachusetts public affairs professionals track legislation and stay informed. With a redesigned website and the launch of MobileTrac, Instatrac now offers faster access to legislative tracking, municipal meeting intelligence, and political news across MassTrac, MuniTrac, and MassInsider.

How the City of Everett Uses MuniTrac to Support City Council and School Committee Operations

Learn how the City of Everett uses MuniTrac to streamline City Council and School Committee meeting minutes, saving staff time while strengthening transparency and public access.

Introducing the New MassInsider

Breaking news: the media landscape has changed. Less breaking: MassInsider has changed with it. On January 5, 2026, InstaTrac rolled out a new and improved MassInsider newsletter, designed for the modern media moment.

End of Year Thoughts (And a Big Thank You)

InstaTrac CEO Michael Segal reflects on a successful 2025, highlighting four new AI features for MassTrac, including audio bill overviews, transcript synopses, Smart Search, and Smart Compare. He thanks the Massachusetts government community for their feedback and trust, crediting real user conversations for driving meaningful product improvements that help policy professionals work more efficiently.

Introducing Smart Search: MassTrac’s New AI Search Functionality

At InstaTrac, we’ve always believed that finding legislation should be fast, intuitive, and as close to the way you naturally think as possible. Today, we’re excited to announce a major leap forward in how you search Beacon Hill: Smart Search, MassTrac’s new AI-powered legislative search engine.Smar...

Massachusetts Ballot Questions 2026

A record 44 ballot initiatives (40 potential laws and 4 potential Constitutional amendments), have cleared the Attorney General’s certification process and are now on track for the 2026 ballot.As a way to circumvent Beacon Hill, groups put together ballot initiatives to pass laws. Depending on who y...

How Lobbyists Use MassTrac to Stay Ahead of Beacon Hill 

Lobbying in Massachusetts means staying ahead of a legislative process that moves fast, changes often, and can shift direction with a single amendment. Without the right tools, even the most experienced advocates find themselves buried in PDFs, outdated committee notices, and frantic refreshes of th...

Top 5 Insights from MASC 2025

We had an incredible time at MASC 2025. From policy discussions to hands-on demonstrations, the conference reinforced just how critical transparent and accessible meeting records are for school committees across Massachusetts. Below are our five key takeaways — and how MuniTrac helps turn each one i...

Meet MuniTrac at the 2025 MASC Conference

Each year, the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) brings together education leaders, administrators, and committee members from across the Commonwealth to share best practices, strengthen governance, and discuss the future of public education. This year, MuniTrac will be there, he...

Behind MuniTrac: My Role in Making Local Government More Transparent

When I joined InstaTrac, I was drawn to one simple but powerful mission: making government information more accessible. As Director of MuniTrac Operations, I have the privilege of turning that mission into action every day by helping municipalities across Massachusetts make their meetings more trans...

Chelsea Petersen and 17 Years of Making Massachusetts Government More Accessible

When I joined InstaTrac more than 17 years ago as a Northeastern Co-Op, the Massachusetts legislative process was opaque to most professionals who needed to track it. Bills moved through the State House with limited visibility, committee hearings weren’t recorded, and getting reliable, timely inform...

Reimagining Bill Overviews: Now You Can Listen to Them

At InstaTrac, innovation often begins with a simple question: how can we make legislative information easier to understand and more engaging to access?That question led us to reimagine one of MassTrac’s most-used features, the Bill Overview. After extensive feedback, and collaboration with a policy-...

Michael Segal and MassTrac's Beacon Hill Expertise

After more than 50 years “working” the Massachusetts State House, I've learned that effective advocacy isn't just about having access to information - it's about understanding what that information means. I'm Michael Segal, President and CEO of InstaTrac, and I built MassTrac service 31 years ago be...

What Are Open Meeting Laws in Massachusetts and Why Do They Matter?

Open meeting laws mandate that many types of public board and committee meetings cannot be kept private. Instead, these laws ensure transparency by requiring that meetings be open to the public, that advance notice is provided, and that accurate minutes are maintained.By mandating transparency, open...

InstaTrac at FOCUS 2025, You Can’t Miss This Year’s Budget Policy Conference

Next week, thought leaders, policy makers, government staff, and advocates will gather for FOCUS 2025, the inaugural policy conference hosted by the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center.It’s a pivotal moment when research, advocacy, and budget proposals converge. And yes, InstaTrac will be there!H...

The Legislature Is Back and MassTrac Has You Covered

The 2025–2026 session is shaping up to be one of the busiest in Massachusetts history. A total of 7,279 bills were filed to kick off the cycle, placing the Commonwealth among the most active legislatures in the country.But here is the challenge: nearly 90 percent of those bills remain in the committ...

Anatomy of a Bill

Legislation can feel intimidating. Bills often span dozens, or even hundreds, of pages, packed with dense language, legal references, and amendments. But understanding how to read a bill is an essential skill for lobbyists, advocates, and political leaders. Once you know the structure, a bill become...

Small Towns, Big Impact 

When we think of government innovation, big cities often come to mind. They have large budgets, complex departments, and a constant need for efficiency at scale. But while major cities may be the first to adopt new technology, small towns and mid-sized municipalities can often benefit even more, esp...

MassTrac’s Committee Page’s

On Beacon Hill, committees are where bills are debated, shaped, and often decided long before they hit the floor. For advocates, lobbyists, legislative staff, or anyone tracking legislation, committee work is the beating heart of the process. That’s why MassTrac’s committee pages are designed to giv...

Transforming Agendas into Actionable Records with MuniTrac

Every municipal meeting starts with an agenda; it's a navigational guide that ensures transparency, structure, and public engagement. But once the meeting is over, many municipalities may struggle to capture what was actually said and decided.Enter MuniTrac, the InstaTrac service that transforms mee...

MassTrac in Your Inbox

In the fast-moving world of Massachusetts politics, staying ahead means keeping track of dozens, and even sometimes hundreds, of developments at once. But sifting through committee schedules, bill text updates, press releases, and news coverage can easily become a full-time job.That’s where MassTrac...

MuniTrac: Turning Municipal Meetings Into Searchable, Shareable Transcripts

Keeping track of what was said in dozens, or even hundreds, of local government meetings each year shouldn’t feel impossible. That’s where MuniTrac comes in.Built specifically for municipal governments and boards, MuniTrac is InstaTrac’s powerful talk-to-text transcription service designed to bring...

How MassTrac’s Smart Compare Tool Can Help Sharpen Your Legislative Strategy

Understanding the exact changes between versions of a bill can make or break your legislative strategy. Whether prepping testimony, tracking amendments, or writing an internal memo, MassTrac’s Smart Compare Tool offers a fast and powerful way to get the clarity you need, without manually combing thr...

How to Compete on Beacon Hill

Compete on Beacon Hill as a Lobbyist using MassTrac, a legislative intelligence software tool.

Demystifying the Massachusetts FY26 budget with MassTrac

The Massachusetts Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget process is a complex, high-stakes undertaking that shapes the Commonwealth’s priorities for the year ahead. For lobbyists and advocates, navigating this process requires not only a deep understanding of the budget’s content but also real-time insights...

Recent History of the Mass. Speaker of House

Whether you’re a new activist, a veteran lobbyist or just a curious citizen, here at InstaTrac we aim to keep you up to date and well informed on everything happening on Beacon Hill. In this week’s blog we’re shining a light on the most powerful and historically controversial position in the General...

Legislative Intelligence

Every week, Beacon Hill is buzzing with new bills, committee hearings, amendments, and debates —it’s a lot to keep up with. Whether you're a seasoned advocate, a policy analyst, or just trying to figure out what’s going on with that bill everyone’s suddenly talking about, staying ahead of state legi...

InstaTrac and the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network Partnership

At InstaTrac, we believe that effective advocacy starts with access to information, access to tools, and access to a large network of people all working toward lasting impact. That’s why we’re proud to announce our partnership with the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network (MNN), a statewide leader amplif...

Beacon Hill Jargon

Welcome to Beacon Hill, where the lingo flows almost as fast as the legislation. If you're new to the Massachusetts political scene or even if you've been at it for a while, you’ve probably found yourself nodding along in meetings while furiously Googling terms like "Joint Rule 10" or "outside secti...

FY26 Budget Comparisons

The Massachusetts state budget process is an annual cycle that begins with the governor's budget proposal, usually submitted in late January. This proposal, referred to as "HB1" in the first year of a legislative session or "HB2" in the second, outlines the governor's fiscal priorities and recommend...

Following Veterans and Military Bills this Session

Memorial Day is not only a moment of remembrance–it’s also an opportunity to reflect on how we support those who’ve served, and the policies that shape their lives and well-being today. In this blog, we’re highlighting key pieces of legislation aimed at supporting veterans and their families and sho...

MassTrac vs Malegislature.gov

When someone in Massachusetts wants to look up legislation, their first stop is usually the official state legislature website malegislature.gov. It’s public, free, and official—so at first glance, why wouldn’t you start there? But for professionals who are serious about tracking legislation, stayin...

Senate Ways & Means FY26 Outside Sections

The Senate Ways and Means Committee has released its version of the Fiscal Year 2026 state budget, proposing approximately $61.3 billion in spending. While the final version of the budget will emerge after negotiations with the House and Governor, this proposal gives us a clear look at the Senate’s...

 The Longest Serving Legislators in Massachusetts

In this week’s blog, we pay homage to the longest-serving legislators in Massachusetts. Their continued dedication and commitment to the Commonwealth has spanned several decades and their influence can be seen across major policy areas. Continue reading to find out which Senator and Representative h...

House Ways & Means FY26 Outside Sections

The House Ways and Means Committee has released its proposal for the Fiscal Year 2026 state budget, totaling approximately $61.4 billion. As always, the budget is about more than just the numbers—it’s a reflection of policy priorities and legislative strategy. Below, we’ll walk through what the budg...

Keep Track of Vote Data with MassTrac

One of the most frustrating parts of tracking legislation in Massachusetts is figuring out how your legislator actually voted. You can spend hours digging through the official state site and still come up empty. That’s where InstaTrac’s MassTrac software comes in. MassTrac makes it easy to stay...

Predicting Committee Hearing Trends for 2025-2026 Legislative Cycle

The committee hearing phase is one of the most crucial stages of the Massachusetts legislative process. It’s where bills gain momentum or stall out based on testimony from stakeholders, organizations, and citizens. Given Massachusetts’ exceptionally high bill volume—only a handful of states file mor...

Civility in Difficult Policy Negotiations: A Strategy for Long-Term Success

The Importance of Civility in Policy NegotiationsIn today’s highly charged political climate, maintaining civility in policy discussions is more crucial than ever. Respectful negotiation isn’t just courteous—it’s essential for effective governance. Difficult policy negotiations often involve high st...

Bill Page Information on MassTrac

Welcome to MassTrac! Whether you're tracking a specific bill, researching legislative history, or keeping up with committee discussions, our bill information page is designed to provide everything you need in one place. Let’s walk through how to find and use bill information effectively.Finding a Bi...

Tracking the Most Active Freshman Legislators in Massachusetts

The New Faces on Beacon HillThe Massachusetts Legislature has welcomed a fresh wave of lawmakers, and their early actions provide key insights into their priorities and approaches to governance. While some legislators hit the ground running, filing and co-sponsoring bills at a rapid pace, others hav...

Massachusetts Joint Rules: A Push for Transparency and Reform

Every two years, the Massachusetts House and Senate kick off a new legislative session with a crucial but often overlooked task: setting the rules for how they’ll work together. These joint rules dictate everything from how bills are heard in committees to how lawmakers cast their votes.But here’s t...

The Daily Alert: Your Ultimate Power Tool for Beacon Hill

Ever feel like Massachusetts legislation moves at lightning speed? With over 9,500 bills and 10,000 amendments in every two-year cycle, it’s easy to miss key updates—unless you have The Daily Alert on your side.Delivered straight to your inbox every morning, The Daily Alert is a digest emailed every...

How Old is the 194th Massachusetts General Court?

When we think about the Massachusetts Legislature, it’s easy to focus on policies, party lines, and leadership battles. But one key factor that shapes governance—often overlooked—is the age of our legislators. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median age in Massachusetts is 40, whil...

How Massachusetts Legislators' Backgrounds Shape Their Advocacy

Members of the Massachusetts Legislature don’t just speak for specific places on a map. While each lawmaker serves a district, they also bring their personal history, career background, and lived experiences into their work. These factors shape how they advocate for communities and champion causes b...

From Boston to the Berkshires: What Legislators Are Fighting for This Session

Every two years, Massachusetts legislators embark on a pivotal mission: filing bills that will ultimately shape the state’s policies and priorities for the next session. This process is more than just a procedural step—it’s a look into the issues that matter most to lawmakers and their constituents,...

How to Engage With New Members of the General Court

The 2024 elections have ushered in 22 new legislators to the Massachusetts Legislature - 3 in the Senate and 19 in the House. For public affairs professionals, this is a pivotal moment: building relationships with these new members early lays the foundation for collaboration, influence, and long-ter...

2025 - 2026 Refiled Bills

What Are Refiled Bills?Refiled bills are legislative proposals given a second chance at life. These bills reappear in a new legislative session after not being passed or fully resolved in a previous one. When a bill is introduced in the Massachusetts Legislature, it undergoes a rigorous process of r...

Start-of-Session Tips & Tricks

Here we go again - the 2025-2026 legislative cycle began January 1, 2025. Here are some tips and tricks on how to use the MassTrac service to help you kick off the next two years smoothly.Tip 1: Don’t Delete Your TracksOne of the most crucial tips is to not delete any of your tracks (found in the ‘M...

2023 -2024 Session Laws

The Massachusetts State Legislature is organized in two-year sessions, starting on the odd year. This past session, the 193rd session of the General Court (2023-2024) passed 463 laws, known as session laws. General laws, the other category of statutes, are acts that have been codified and organized...

2023-2024 Session By The Numbers

It’s a wrap! The Massachusetts Legislature closed up shop on the 193rd legislative session.  MassTrac tallied key metrics that defined this legislative cycle.10,159The number of bills filed in 2023/24. That’s a decrease of 149 bills, or 1%,  from the last cycle.391 (and still counting as o...

MassTrac’s 2025 New Features

Starting January 1, 2025, MassTrac is introducing exciting new features that will make tracking the Massachusetts State Legislature easier, more comprehensive, and faster than ever. Here’s a look at what’s coming at the start of the 2025-2026 legislative session:1. AI-Generated Bill OverviewsGet ins...

The Battle of Firearms…Again

Last summer, Democrats on Beacon Hill passed a sweeping gun bill. Now, there’s a veto referendum to be had on the 2026 ballot for voters to decide the continuance or discontinuance of the measure. A “yes” vote would uphold the law as is. A “no” vote would completely repeal the law, relaxing gun owne...

What the Passage of the Economic Development & Climate Bills Means

The Massachusetts legislature has recently passed the long-awaited economic development bill as well as a climate bill. Both address innovation and environmental challenges facing the Commonwealth while at the same time position Massachusetts as a leader in technological advancements, clean energy,...

2024 Newly Elected Legislators in Mass.

The 2024 elections results have all been tallied. Below, find a complete list of the new state representatives and senators for the upcoming 2025 - 2026 session.

2024 Mass. Election Results

Federal To be expected in Massachusetts, Vice President Kamala Harris swept away all of the Bay State’s 11 electoral votes as well as the popular vote. Over 60% of voters voted for Harris while approximately 36% voted for President Donald Trump. ...

Home Rule Petitions in Massachusetts

What is a Home Rule Petition?In Massachusetts, a home rule petition is a unique legislative mechanism that allows cities and towns to request specific powers or exemptions from state law that are tailored to their local needs. Unlike standard state legislation that applies uniformly across Massachus...

Election Related Legislation in MA

With November’s election quickly approaching, it’s important to look at the legislature’s track record on election-related legislation and enacted laws, including campaign finance related bills. Over the past 20 years, or 10 legislative sessions, there have been a variety of election-related legisla...

2024 Massachusetts Ballot Measures

In addition to the presidential, congressional, state legislative, and local elections, Bay-Staters will vote on five ballot questions. In Massachusetts, people can propose laws and constitutional amendments with an initiative petition that must collect 75,000 signatures. Once they complete the sign...

Full-Time State Legislator Salaries Compared to Mass.

State Legislatures across all 50 states vary in their salaries based on a myriad of factors, including cost of living, full-time or part-time schedules, and leadership stipends. Massachusetts is one out of ten states that has a full-time legislature. Full-time legislatures are characterized by membe...

Lack of Competition in State Legislature

In Massachusetts, all seats in the state legislature are up for election every two years. All members of the state Senate and House of Representatives have two-year terms and are not bound by any term limits. State legislators also have relatively simple requirements to run for office. For the Massa...

Preparing to Lobby for the 2025-2026 Legislative Cycle

Lobbying at the Massachusetts State Legislature can be a highly rewarding but complex task. With its unique rules, timelines, and political dynamics, it’s essential to be well-prepared to navigate this legislative environment effectively. Whether you’re advocating for a nonprofit, corporation, or gr...

Preparing for New Legislators

The arrival of new legislators presents both opportunities and challenges for lobbyists. Whether they are seasoned policymakers or fresh faces, the transition period is critical for establishing relationships and influencing policy discussions. As a lobbyist or advocate, your goal is to ensure your...

2024 Mass. Primary Candidates for State Legislature

2024 Mass. Primary Candidates for State Legislature #block-yui_3_17_2_1_1724769475082_1334 {--sqs-block-content-flex: 0; }

Formal vs Informal Sessions

In the Massachusetts Legislature, formal and informal sessions differ primarily in their rules, procedures, and the type of business that can be conducted. The 2023-2024 session has been characterized as inefficient and unserious due to the fact that many high priority bills did not get passed and w...

Bills in Extension: Legislative Inefficiency

It is clear that the Massachusetts State Legislature has been struggling to effectively pass some of the major legislative priorities in recent sessions. The 2023-2024 session saw the lowest number of roll call votes out of the past five sessions, in both the House and the Senate. In addition, there...

Votes by Chamber 2023-2024

Massachusetts is one of only ten states across the country to have a full-time state legislature that meets throughout an entire year instead of only portions of the year. Because Massachusetts has this full-time legislature with large levels of staffing, one would expect they pass a large number of...

How InstaTrac Can Benefit Your Media Organization

Effective communication of up to date and accurate information is the hallmark of quality journalism. In today’s complex and fast moving media landscape, gathering detailed research efficiently is absolutely crucial. Public policy relates to a wide variety of current events, but it can sometimes be...

Final FY25 Enacted in Legislature

On July 18, 2024, the Legislature enacted the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) budget totalling $58.03 billion. It funds investments comprehensively in healthcare, economic development, transportation, housing, education, and more.The FY25 budget represents a $1.8 billion increase from the FY24 budget. The C...

How to Register to Lobby in Massachusetts

Out of all 50 states, Massachusetts stands out as one of the most difficult to lobby in legally. Why? Because lobbyist employers must be registered to do business in the Commonwealth and not just follow basic laws on lobbying. The Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website lays out lobbyi...

The Disability Law Center’s Strategy for Tracking Legislation

Since 1995, the Massachusetts Legislature has cumulatively introduced over 60 bills mentioning the Disability Law Center (DLC). For the DLC, it’s critical to know what actions the legislature is taking regarding disabilities that affect more than 787,000 Massachusetts residents. Before the 2021...

2024 Conference Committee Bills

In Massachusetts, a conference committee is a special type committee formed to reconcile differences between versions of the same bills passed by the House and Senate. A conference committee consists of three members from each chamber, often including the bill’s sponsors and members of the majority...

Case Study: The Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts Analyzes Legislation and Tracks Changes with MassTrac

The Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts (PFFM) is an advocacy organization that represents approximately 12,000 firefighters and their families across Massachusetts by pushing for policies that support public servants. “We advocate for safety legislation, as well as employment policies, and...

Lobbyist Expenditures 2023

As the 2024 election approaches, and candidates are ramping up their campaigns, we want to draw attention to last year’s financial currents that influence legislative decisions. Through a detailed analysis of the lobbying expenditures for 2023, we’ve highlighted the industries with the highest spend...

Final Senate FY25 Budget

As the budgeting process unfolds for fiscal year 2025 in Massachusetts, Governor Healey, the House and the Senate have now presented their respective spending plans. Let's delve into the key highlights and differences between these two proposals.After considering 1100 amendments and adding almost 50...

Press Release: InstaTrac Welcomes Mark Stodder as New Addition to the Team

Boston, MA — May 24, 2024For Immediate Release...

Case Study: How Senator Moran’s Office Uses MassTrac to Track Bills

Before MassTrac, Cameron Lease, Legislative Director for Senator Susan Moran’s Office (Plymouth and Barnstable District), relied on manual methods and spreadsheets to track bills. This approach was labor-intensive, requiring significant time and resources. Bills were at risk of slipping through the...

Final House FY25 Budget

The Massachusetts Representatives passed a $58.07 billion state budget for fiscal year 2025, $95.8 million more than what the House Ways and Means Committee (HWM) originally proposed. The final House budget is still $62 million less than Governor Healey’s budget. So, what increased the HWM’s bu...

InstaTrac Celebrating 30 Years

InstaTrac was founded by President Michael Segal in March of 1994, built to serve government affairs professionals in Massachusetts. The goal was to create more transparency and knowledge in the Commonwealth, where elected officials and government stakeholders have the tools and data they need to ma...

Unveiling the 2024 Massachusetts House Ways and Means Budget

 Massachusetts continues to proceed with its budget process - the House Ways and Means Committee’s appropriation totaled $57.91 billion representing a $150 million decrease from the Governor’s budget which stands at $58.1 billion. Last week, Representatives filed 1,495 amendments to the FY2025...

Blueprint for State House Lobbying in an Election Year

As the Presidential election season begins, there's a tendency for attention to be solely focused on the federal level, overshadowing the significance of state and local politics. However, it's crucial for government affairs professionals not to neglect state and local matters amid the excitement of...

The Art of Effective Stakeholder Engagement

Stakeholder engagement is a dynamic and inclusive process that involves interacting and collaborating with individuals, groups, or organizations that have a vested interest or are directly affected by a particular project, initiative, or organization. These stakeholders can include employees, custom...

Legislators Not Seeking Reelection in 2024

As we head into the 2024 election cycle, a wave of change is sweeping through as several legislators announce their departure from office. Let's take a closer look at the legislators bidding farewell, their legacies, and what to anticipate in the upcoming elections.House Departures:Rep. Dylan Fernan...

Top 10 Most Read Bills on MassTrac of 2023

As we navigate through the legislative landscape of the new year, we’re highlighting the top 10 most read bills that have captured the attention of lawmakers and citizens alike! These bills, ranging from issues of taxation to firearm regulations, represent the embodiment of the state's political and...

A Guide to Effective Local Government Advocacy

Local government advocacy is a powerful tool for individuals and organizations seeking positive change within their communities. Whether you're advocating for improved infrastructure, enhanced public services, or social justice initiatives, engaging with local government is a crucial step toward cre...

Political Party Swayers of 2023

As this year concludes, we’re taking a look at how often legislators did not vote along party lines. What votes were taken? Who surprised you? And why does it matter?Formal sessions ended on November 15th, with a total of 99 votes held in the Senate and 70 in the House. Most sessions were voting on...

How to Kill a Bill

Since 2009 the Massachusetts legislature has on average filed 7,500 bills every session. However, the Commonwealth only enacts a small handful of the bills that are introduced each session. Massachusetts passed 0.41% of bills that were introduced in 2021, making it the lowest ratio of bills introduc...

Healey Year in Review

As 2023 comes to an end, so does Governor Maura Healey’s first year in office. In a year when the state legislature had a historically unproductive first half of the legislative cycle, Healey faced an uphill battle in making her first year in office impactful. However, the first term governor was ab...

How to Effectively Work Together with Lawmakers

On Beacon Hill, effective communication between citizens and lawmakers is crucial to ensure that the voices of the people are heard and their concerns are addressed. Advocating for your priorities with lawmakers requires a strategic approach that goes beyond passionate speeches and well-crafted lett...

Mass. is the 4th Largest Bill Volume State Out of States that Follow a Two-Year Legislative Cycle

The Map of the Continental U.S. based on bills filed per session The Massachusetts legislature is nearing an end to the first half of its 2023-2024 session. Each state follows a different session schedule, which affects the bill volume...

What M4A & PACT 3.0 Mean for the Future of Healthcare in Mass.

On November 14th, the Joint Committee on Health Financing will hear two bills on single-payer healthcare. An Act Establishing Medicare for All in Massachusetts (HB1239/SB744) would create a single-payer system that would guarantee health care access to all residents in the Commonwealth. 71% of surve...

Massachusetts Ends Right-to-Shelter Guarantee Due to Overwhelmed Shelter System

Lawyers for Civil Rights has filed a class action lawsuit in response to Governor Maura Healey’s announcement that Massachusetts will no longer be able to guarantee housing under the Commonwealth’s right-to-shelter law. The group filed the suit on behalf of three families that are “on the brink of h...

How to Research a Policy Issue

Now more than ever, it seems difficult to stay updated on the top policy issues affecting our everyday lives. With constant changes in the news surrounding legislative priorities, it can feel overwhelming to find a start in your researching journey. In this week’s blog, we break down some of the way...

Massachusetts Legislature Looks to Lead in Gun Reform Efforts with New Legislation

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A Guide to Growing Your Government Relations Network

In today's complex world, the success of any organization, whether it's a corporation, nonprofit, or advocacy group, depends on its ability to navigate the intricate landscape of government affairs, policies, and legislation. To thrive in this environment, building and maintaining a strong professio...

Governor Healey Signs Executive Order Banning State Agencies from Purchasing Single Use Plastic Bottles

Governor Maura Healey announced that she will sign an executive order banning state agencies from purchasing single-use plastic bottles. She also stated she will direct all agencies to have biodiversity conservation goals for 2030, 2040, and 2050. Healey made the announcement on September 18th at th...

How to Testify at the State House

While congressional hearings often receive the attention of the media for its sound-bites and partisan bickering, state-level hearings provide the opportunity for individuals and organizations to testify on the policies that directly affect their communities or missions. On Beacon Hill, residents in...

Massachusetts Legislature Returns from Recess, Healthcare Top Priority for Hearings in September

With the August recess coming to an end, the Massachusetts legislature returns with a busy schedule in September. With the state’s budget signed into law, the legislature is shifting focus to another important debate: health care. While health care reform in Massachusetts is widely credited as the m...

Hi, We’re InstaTrac!

InstaTrac, the parent company of the MassTrac legislative tracking service, is happy to announce that it is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary of service to Massachusetts legislative professionals. InstaTrac is also the proud provider of MassInsider, VoteTrac, and MuniTrac- services that make i...

Massachusetts Legislature Voting Trends: 2019-2023

The Massachusetts legislature recently passed the fiscal year 2024 state budget, the largest in the Commonwealth’s history. Along with the budget, the legislature has invested time in numerous issues affecting Massachusetts, spanning from education to transportation. Across legislative sessions, pri...

FY2024 Budget Invests in Housing Programs as Gov. Healey Signs State of Emergency

Governor Maura Healey signed the $56 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2024 into law on August 9th. The budget increased spending by 6.2%, with a heavy focus on housing, compared to the FY2023 budget signed by former Governor Charlie Baker.A myriad of housing programs and initiatives saw a large fundin...

MA Legislature Passes $56 Billion 2024 Fiscal Year Budget

The Massachusetts legislature voted to send the 2024 fiscal year budget to Governor Maura Healey’s desk on July 31st, nearly a month after the July 1st deadline. HB4040 passed in the Senate unanimously and in the House 156-2. Republican Representatives Nicholas Boldyga (R-Southwick) and Marc Lombar...

Massachusetts Denies Permit for Radioactive Waste Dumping in Cape Cod Bay

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has denied a permit sought by Holtec to dump more than 1 million gallons of radioactive waste into Cape Cod Bay. On July 24th, the state issued its draft determination against the company stating that their plan to release toxic waste into Cap...

Massachusetts Becomes the Next State to Consider Legalizing Psychedelics

In recent years, the movement to legalize psychedelics across the country has gained significant momentum. At the center of the conversation is psilocybin, the active chemical in certain specimens of mushrooms. Upon ingestion, psilocybin activates serotonin receptors in the brain which affects perce...

Massachusetts Leads the Fight in Consumer Privacy

Massachusetts may become the first state in the nation to establish a total ban on selling and buying location data derived from mobile devices.Introduced by Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Creem (D-Newton), SB148 would make it illegal for service providers to collect and retain location information...

Representative Michael Day Reveals Gun Safety Bill One Year After Supreme Court Decision

On Monday (Jul. 3rd), Representative Michael Day (D - 31st Middlesex) introduced legislation that would reinforce Massachusetts’ position as a national leader in firearm safety. The Judiciary Committee co-chair unveiled the sweeping proposal just over a year after the U.S. Supreme Court delivered th...

Governor Healey’s Trailblazing Trip to Ireland

Governor Healey began her five day long trip to Ireland on Monday 6/26 and was welcomed as a “hero and a trailblazer.” On Tuesday the 27th, she gave her much anticipated speech to the Irish Senate. This speech highlighted the main points of her visit, solidifying Massachusetts-Ireland relations, hon...

What Past Committee Hearing Trends Can Predict for the Rest of 2023 

The committee hearing phase is the most critical aspect of the legislative process. Bills live or die once testimony is made by organizations and individuals at committee hearings. Because Massachusetts is a high bill volume state - only one or two states file more bills in a two-year period th...

Evaluating State Ethics: The Case of Rachael Rollins

“Ethics” has been a political buzzword of late; with the recent departure of U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins and the allegations swarming around Clarence Thomas, a particularly new focus has been put on the judiciary.State and federal ethics in particular are of great concern, given the scope of conse...

Senate Amendments May Bring Budget Battle

Last Friday, the Senate released their 1,051 amendments to the 2024 Fiscal Year budget. These amendments encompassed everything from free tuition, to an online lottery, to transportation improvements. While the House budget had 500 more amendments than the Senate’s version, they were not nearly as c...

Recognizing Older Americans Month in Massachusetts

This May in the Commonwealth, and throughout the country, is Older Americans Month (OAM). Originally established by former President John F Kennedy in 1963, as a way to bring awareness to issues that older Americans face. At that time, roughly one-third of seniors were living in poverty and almost h...

The Top Three Testifiers of April 2023

With debates on legislation picking up these past few weeks, testimony from various individuals and organizations has as well. While we are still relatively early into the 2023-2024 session, we have already seen quite a lot of testimony. This week, we will be taking a look at some of the most recent...

The Budget Process: The House Amendments

Last week the House released their budget amendments over the course of three days. In total, 1,566 amendments were filed by various members of the House, the most seen in the past decade. These amendments were mainly earmarks, meaning they’re funding requests for specific projects and needs for var...

The Pathway to How a Bill Becomes a Law

As the 2023-2024 legislative session in Massachusetts picks up, the sheer volume of bills and number of steps in the legislative process can quickly become overwhelming and quite complicated. Given most bills are beginning the process, a refresher of how exactly a bill becomes a law could be useful...

What Can Key Words Tell us About Key Issues?

One of the most important services InstaTrac offers is our keyword search, lovingly named Sapphire. The keyword search takes words or phrases and provides a variety of results under various categories like bills, legislators, news, committees, etc. This function provides our users with a variety of...

A Look into Committee Bill Referrals: the Ups and Downs

This week in the Massachusetts Legislature, dockets were given bill numbers and referred to the various committees, based on subject matter. The referral of bills to committees is done every session with the intent of sending bills to committees that have jurisdiction over their domain, for public i...

Breaking Down a Decade’s Worth of Budget Bills

Last week on the blog, we discussed Governor Healey’s budget bill for the upcoming 2024 fiscal year. In conjunction with the in-depth examination of that bill, we have done a deep dive into the budgets dating back to fiscal year 2015, all the way to the current 2023 fiscal year. Unfortunately, due t...

Breaking Down Governor Healey’s Budget Bill 

This Wednesday, March 1, Governor Healey unveiled her $55.5 billion state budget for the 2024 fiscal year. The budget is consistently the largest, and often most contentious, piece of legislation that is passed in the legislature every session. Establishing a budget takes months of planning and rese...

2023-2024 Legislative Cycle’s Committee Changes

Last week, House leadership and committee assignments were released, unveiling some major changes amongst government leadership positions. Committees are essential to the success of the legislative process as they allow members to gain insight from stakeholders on relevant issues. Along with studyin...

The Silliest Bills This Session: From Official Rocks to Rock Songs

Most of us are familiar with the usual bills introduced to the legislature - serious political actions revolving around economic issues, public health, and safety. Though these constitute the majority of the bills introduced, there are a handful of bills each session that are a bit more lighthearted...

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The MassTrac Advantage

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A Look at the Legislation Combating Racism

This February, the nation celebrates Black History Month. While it is important to honor all of the work that has been done to create a more equitable society, it is also necessary to highlight the work that still needs to be done. Within the Commonwealth, there have been great strides made in racia...

The Massachusetts Government Reacts to Climbing Rental Prices

As of November 2022, Boston became the second most expensive city for renters, behind only New York City. The price in Boston increased by 6% from the previous year (2022) to reach a median of $3,060 per month for a one-bedroom apartment. This increase made headlines as Boston finally surpassed San...

A Post-Roe Legislature Sees Opportunity for New Reproductive Healthcare Laws

The beginning of this year’s legislative cycle marks the first time in 50 years that the Massachusetts’ legislature has operated without Roe v. Wade. Even though the Supreme Court recently overturned this decision, abortion is currently legal and strongly protected in Massachusetts. However, this ye...

New Legislative Session Brings Potential New Changes to Gun Laws in Massachusetts

Gun control legislation has always been a hot button issue, and the start of the 2023-2024 legislative session proves no different. Massachusetts, a state with relatively strict gun laws, has begun to see the biggest push for gun control by state legislatures in years, likely impacted by the Democra...

The Finish Line: Four Bills Signed at the Deadline

The last days of the 2021-2022 legislative session saw dozens of bills pushed to former Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s desk in hopes of last minute signing. As these were the last days of Governor Baker’s administration, it was necessary that these either be signed or pocket vetoed. There we...

End of Session: Legislation Shifts to Law

As the end of the 192nd legislative session approaches this Sunday, hundreds of bills are being finalized by the legislature, many of which will soon become law. In our blog post last week, we touched on two bills relating to expenditure - the FY23 budget and the economic growth and relief bill. These are among a number of active bills in the legislature that will bring new advancements across the Commonwealth when codified. Many of these important bills have been debated on or enacted with litt...

57 Billion Dollars in 5 Days: The Frenzy of July

Over the past five days, the Massachusetts legislature has made significant progress on two major expenditure bills, the FY23 budget and economic growth and relief bill. This legislation, if enacted, will provide over 57 billion dollars of critical support to the Commonwealth over the next fiscal year. With the legislature preparing to take vacation at the end of the month, this has only increased the sense of urgency to get these bills passed. This week, the final version of the 2023 budget, HB...

Big Bills Haven't Budged

The end of the 192nd formal session in Massachusetts is quickly approaching, yet many bills still have not been passed. As the legislators take a vacation in August, this has led to a surge of activity this month, with both chambers already taking up a number of bills in formal sessions. However 1,000 bills remain in the joint committee stage alone, and as such, it is unlikely that many of these will be brought before each body prior to the 31st. There are a number of “big bills” that InstaTrac...

Continued Use of Conference Committees

There are many aspects of Massachusetts state government that allow the legislative process to work both efficiently and effectively. While most steps of the legislative process are known to the public, a bill does not become law simply. For the most divisive and complex legislation, a conference committee will be used to iron out legislative differences between chambers. As such, the conference committee stage of the legislative process is crucial, as it requires collaboration across parties an...

Incumbents: In or Out? Governor’s Council Races 2022

As a part of our ongoing series of blog posts over the past month, we have highlighted a number of candidates running for various positions in Massachusetts. While Bay Staters will have a number of important decisions to make on Election Day, there is one office that due to high incumbency rates often receives far less media attention than others. In spite of a smaller media spotlight, Governor’s Council positions are some of the most important on the ballot. The decisions of the Governor’s Coun...

Open Seat Elections 2022: MA House of Representatives

In our previous post, we highlighted the five elections for fall 2022 in the Massachusetts state senate in which an incumbent is not running for their current position. These “open seat” elections often present the most unpredictable results, especially when considering that certain legislative districts have been redrawn for the 2022 election. While each of the five senate elections could be impacted by these changes, this will have a much larger effect for the open seat elections in the House....

Open Seat Elections 2022: MA Senate

The fall of 2022 will have a number of important elections taking place in the Commonwealth. This includes a number of elections for federal, state, and local positions, all of which will greatly impact the future for Massachusetts. While we have previously highlighted data on the many current legislators running for non-legislative state positions, their candidacy in these races has left a vacant seat for their present roles. There are a number of open seat elections in each branch of the legis...

Less Love for Legislators - MA Democratic Party Convention 2022

This past weekend on June 3-4, the Massachusetts Democratic Party held a convention in Worcester in order to help establish the party’s endorsements for the 2022 state election. In each election, approximately 4,000 votes were cast by delegates, and the results were interesting, to say the least. While there are a number of trends worth noting from the results, one of the most notable is that no current legislators received a majority percentage of delegate votes. In our analysis of each race, w...

The Power of Veto

Across most levels of government in the U.S., the executive branch holds significant powers that do not exist in other branches. This rings true in Massachusetts, where the governor has a number of privileges, one of the most known being the power of veto. Though many may already be aware that a veto is an executive’s power to reject a bill and send it back to the legislature, very few citizens understand the different types and frequency of vetoes in Massachusetts. In looking at Governor Baker’...

House v. Senate: The Better Budget Proposal:

Over the past month and a half in Massachusetts, the primary focus for the state legislature has been to draft and pass a proposal for the FY23 budget. This year’s budget process has invoked intense debate in both the House and Senate, with deliberations likely concluding in the Senate today. While each proposed FY23 budget allocates practically the same allotment of around $49.6 B, the budgets themselves differ in a number of ways. Looking at our data from this year as well as the past decade,...

Senate Budget Breakdown - A Decade of Change:

Last Friday at 1:00 PM, the Massachusetts State Senate released 1,178 amendments to their proposed fiscal year 2023 budget, SB4. The budget, which appropriates $49.7B total, funds many initiatives also included in the recent House budget (HB4700), including early education, mental health services, and more. However, SB4 differs in some ways to that of the House’s proposal, as well as in comparison to Senate budgets from previous years. Our detailed look into the past decade of Senate budget prop...

Alito Opinion Aftermath: Abortion Rights Won’t Change in Massachusetts

This past week, much of the nation was shocked when a leaked Supreme Court majority opinion from Justice Samuel Alito showed intent to reverse the decision from Roe v. Wade in 1973. As many know, the Roe v. Wade decision helped make first and second trimester abortions legal across the U.S., but in the wake of its undoing, the legality of abortion will be left up to the states. In Massachusetts, abortion is already a codified state right, thanks to the ROE Act passed in 2020. This and other ongo...

An Overview: The Work and Family Mobility Act

Starting at 11:00 AM today, the Massachusetts State Senate will be debating an important bill for thousands in the Commonwealth, the Work and Family Mobility Act, SB2851. The bill, previously passed in the House (as HB4470) will allow for undocumented immigrants living in Massachusetts with a Real ID (valid or expired) to apply for a driver’s license in Massachusetts. While the license would still differ from a typical driver’s license and primarily provide certain protections for undocumented i...

House Budget Breakdown - A Decade in Review

From fiscal year 2014 to fiscal year 2023, there have been many differences between each budget in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. This is in part due to administrative and legislative changes, but also because of the changing needs of the Commonwealth over the past ten years. As debate concluded yesterday evening in the House on the amendments included in the 2023 appropriations act, our data from the last ten years reveals some interesting trends worth noting. 

Bring on the Budget Amendments

Last week from 1:00 PM on April 13th to 5:00 PM on April 15th, the Massachusetts House of Representatives released 1,521 amendments to their FY23 (fiscal year 2023) proposed budget (HB4700). In comparison to the House budget for FY22, the proposal in HB4700 had 355 more amendments, marking a 30% increase in the number of filed amendments between 2022 and 2023. This increase in proposed amendments is not atypical of the House of Representatives, but analyzing the budget reveals some interesting t...

MassTrac: The best way to find and follow amendments

When we think of budgets, we know they’re supposed to be limited to appropriations. But in Massachusetts, we also know that’s not always the case. Budget season has arrived in the Commonwealth - and with it, thousands of amendments will be coming down the pipeline. MassTrac makes it easy to dig through earmarks, outside section changes, and even General and Session Law changes proposed through the budget process.

Deadline Data: Joint Committee on Health Care Financing

Each legislative session in Massachusetts includes a deadline for joint committees to report their bills out to the House and Senate floor. For most joint committees, this date was February 2nd of this year. However, one committee differs from the rest: the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing (HCF). Their deadline was last week on March 30th. Our data reveals some interesting trends from this session’s HCF deadline, and how the committee greatly differs from others in the Massachusetts leg...

Gas Tax Amendment Fuels Senate Debate

By now you have undoubtedly noticed the rising price of gasoline here in the Commonwealth, and in fact, across the US. To help people with this unexpected cost, several states, including Georgia, Maryland and most recently Connecticut instituted a gas tax holiday period. During the month of March, debate over instituting a gas tax holiday period took center stage in Massachusetts, leading to passionate remarks, especially in the Senate.

The Battle for Lt. Governor

Learn more about the three Democratic candidates actively vying for the open lieutenant governor position in this year’s 2022 Massachusetts general election: Senator Adam Hinds, Senator Eric Lesser, and Representative Tami Gouveia.

Massachusetts Committee Transcripts Made Easy: How T2T (Talk-to-Text) Works

Discover how to get accurate, searchable Massachusetts committee transcripts, including committee hearing and floor session transcripts — instantly generated with T2T talk-to-text technology from MassTrac. Learn how searchable transcript text helps you find keywords and moments fast.

Top Testifiers in Massachusetts 2021-22

In the 2021-22 Massachusetts legislative session, there were over 3,000 people who testified at joint committee hearings. Our analysis found that 494 of these individuals were “frequent” testifiers, meaning that they testified in more than one hearing. This group included various state officials, interest groups, and concerned citizens, all of whom are highlighted in our data.

2nd Suffolk Senate District Matchup

With election season shaping up, it’s a great time to look at one of the hottest races in the General Court. With the departure of Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, who is vying for the Governor’s office, there are two active and ambitious representatives looking to move up to the higher chamber.

“Officially” Massachusetts

Ahhh. Massachusetts. So many stereotypes, so little time. While outsiders may associate Massachusetts with its iconic accent or inclement weather, in reality, there are so many other things that make us special. And of course, we want to share them. Click to view this session’s proposed “official” symbols of the Commonwealth.

Joint Committee Chaos

The Joint Rule 10 deadline for this legislative session was set for February 2, 2022, by when (in theory) all legislation must be acted for further consideration on the House and Senate floors. The committee process in the Massachusetts legislature is notoriously elusive, but our data (as of February 11) reveals some interesting patterns.

Tumultuous, Terrible Tuesdays

A review of the committee hearing calendar this session showed that nearly half of all committee hearings (44.3%) occur on Tuesdays of each week. Sometimes there are as many as 6 hearings occurring simultaneously! Hence, the nickname “Terrible Tuesdays”.

Who’s (not) running in 2022?

Another day, another announcement that a legislator is leaving their post. This year, the sheer number of legislators moving on is impressive. Click for a current list of who is leaving and where they plan on going (as of 2/3/2022):

What do you call a bill that isn’t a bill…

The General Court calls it an outside section. While technically outside sections are only supposed to relate to appropriations, here in Massachusetts, they are often used to bypass the legislative process.

2021 - What DID they do?

Of the 7,817 bills filed to date, only 115 have become law during the first year of the 2021-2022 General Court session. That’s a mere 1.4 percent! What were those laws about? Two words: local government. Here's a quick look at 2021 session laws by category.

Beacon Hill 2021: The Year in Review

From the end of the pre-filing deadline to the start of winter recess, there is plenty of data to inform your efforts when the second half of the 192nd General Court begins in January. Check out our infographic to learn more!

The Case of the Missing Roll Call Votes

As we near the end of the first year of the 2021-2022 two-year legislative session, we wanted to take a few minutes to review activity by the Mass Legislature. When it comes to roll call votes, the Statehouse is way behind.

Mass Legislators By The Numbers

Curious about just how much has… or hasn’t… happened so far this session? Check out these numbers…

Mass is Last

According to studies by national legislative services Quorum and FiscalNote, Massachusetts leads the nation in the number of bills filed, yet we come in last in terms of the percentage enacted.

InstaTrac’s Michael Segal and Roger Stone </a>

I’ve known Roger Stone, whose prison sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump, for 47 years, but only learned of it last year. Here’s how we “met.”

What happened in 2019? (Not much)

Of the 153 session laws passed during the 2019 sessions, most of them were… You guessed it… Sick Leave Banks! Followed closely by bills affecting municipal governments and local employees.