A new biennial session begins in Massachusetts

The new year and the new session means a flurry of legislative activity blew in during the month of January.  We saw 14 new legislators take the oath of office, and one member made the jump from the House to the Senate.

Over 5,800 pieces of legislation were filed by the January 20th deadline and co-sponsors had until Friday, the 3rd of February to decide which bills they wanted to endorse.

Firms like ours are now scouring volumes of policy proposals to see which ones may have an impact on the folks we represent, and media outlets are picking out some of the more interesting bills to highlight in their coverage.

Photo credit: Newsday - Tom Brady after the Patriots' 5th(!) SuperBowl win
This photo has nothing to do with our blog topic, but we couldn't resist.

The House and the Senate recently agreed on the rules of their respective chambers and the Joint Rules which govern how they will work collectively to make laws this session.

Leadership is now making decisions about committee assignments and chairmanships, which will be important as organizations and individuals map out their advocacy strategies.  Once committees are populated, legislative hearings will begin.