For Immediate Release    
Contact: Dominick Pangallo     Click here to return to Press Releases
Phone (617) 722-2575      
Email Dominick@JohnKeenan.org      
January 26, 2005      






 

 

Representative John Keenan votes for new state
legislative rules and committee structure


BOSTON – Representative John Keenan voted this afternoon in favor of House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi’s new rules and a new committee structure for the legislature. The changes were drafted by a special joint committee over the past two weeks.

Under the new rules, bills will move more quickly through the legislative process and members will face fewer hurdles in getting a vote on their proposals. Provisions were added to increase the use of electronic documents, which will both expedite communication within the legislature and help cut down on paper costs. The deadline for filing legislation was moved from the first Wednesday in December before a new legislature to the second Wednesday in January, a move that will be especially helpful for freshmen legislators who want to review and participate in new legislation their first session. A rule allowing the House Steering and Policy Committee to send bills to the Rules Committee was eliminated and the new post of Speaker pro tempore was created in order to assist in the coordination of policy development and the ceremonial functions of the House.

The new committee structure alters some existing committees and creates a number of new committees. Some major changes in the committees include:

  • Creation of new committees on “Economic Development and Emerging Technologies,” “Community Development and Small Businesses,” and “Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development.”
  • Division of the Health Care Committee into new committees on “Health Finance,” “Public Health,” and “Mental Health and Substance Abuse.”
  • Division of the Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee into new committees on “Children and Families,” “Elder Affairs,” and “Veterans and Federal Affairs.”
  • Division of the Education, Arts, and Humanities Committee into new committees on “Elementary and Secondary Education” and “Higher Education”.
  • Restructuring of the Government Regulations Committee and Energy Committee into new committees on “Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure” and “Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy.”
  • Merging the Insurance Committee and the Banks and Banking Committee into a new committee on “Financial Services.”
  • Merging the Criminal Justice Committee and Judiciary Committee into a single committee on “Judiciary.”
  • Renaming the Taxation Committee the “Revenue Committee,” the Public Safety Committee the “Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee,” the Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee the “Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture Committee,” the Commerce and Labor Committee the “Labor and Workforce Development Committee,” and the Housing and Urban Development the “Housing Committee.”

“These changes will make the legislative process more democratic and allow our institution to better reflect the modern issues and concerns facing the commonwealth,” said Keenan, “I am pleased to have joined my colleagues in supporting these improvements.” The House voted overwhelmingly in favor of the proposed changes.

Keenan was especially pleased to note the creation of a new committee dedicated to issues concerning higher education in Massachusetts. “It is very important for the legislature to re-emphasize its commitment to higher education in the commonwealth,” said Keenan, “Given its intrinsic connection to other issues including workforce development and economic growth, it deserves the attention of a separate committee.”

Keenan has expressed an interest in possibly seeking a seat on the Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy Committee, the Judiciary Committee, the Financial Services Committee, the Higher Education Committee, or the Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development Committee.


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