Spilka Says She May Not Back Longer Conference Talks Next Term, Calling Beacon Hill Inaction ‘Unacceptable’

Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka said she may refuse to extend the time for conference committee talks next session, calling months of inaction on major bills “unacceptable,” CommonWealth Beacon reported on Monday, Nov. 9. The statement was provided exclusively to CommonWealth Beacon and has not been independently confirmed by other outlets.

Related: Beacon Hill Still Has 12 Conference Committees and 40-Plus Decisions Before Jan. 5 Deadline.

What Spilka said

“Prolonged inaction on many of the major bills currently in conference as residents face rising energy bills and an ongoing housing crisis is unacceptable,” Spilka said, according to CommonWealth Beacon.

“Unless we see movement soon, I cannot support extending the time for conference negotiations again in our joint rules next session,” she said.

Spilka said the Senate “stands ready to reach a resolution on the many conference reports still pending.” She said the Legislature must act with urgency to lower energy costs, expand access to primary care and make schools cell phone free, CommonWealth Beacon reported.

Mariano defends the new rules

House Speaker Ron Mariano took a different view in a statement issued Friday, CommonWealth Beacon reported. He said the conference talks involve complex policy decisions that take time.

“The new rules have allowed the Legislature more time to work diligently to reach the best possible policy outcomes,” Mariano said, according to the outlet.

Mariano’s office did not immediately respond Monday morning to a CommonWealth Beacon inquiry about Spilka’s statement. Mariano said Friday that negotiating teams were “making progress and working hard.”

How the rule changed

For more than 30 years, legislative rules barred formal sessions after July 31 in the second year of a two-year term, CommonWealth Beacon reported. Only uncontroversial bills with unanimous support could pass after that date.

The rule dated to 1995, after lawmakers drew criticism for approving a pay raise and a tax cut in a lame-duck session following the 1994 election, the outlet reported.

Under the rules adopted this term, bills approved by both chambers by July 31 can return for a formal vote on a compromise at any time before the term ends on Jan. 5, 2027. Spilka floated the change in her speech on the first day of the current term, according to CommonWealth Beacon.

What is still pending

A dozen conference committees were negotiating when formal sessions ended on July 31, and none had reached agreement as of Monday, CommonWealth Beacon reported. The bills cover energy affordability, economic development and cell phone use in K-12 schools, among other subjects.

WBUR reported that the 12 panels also include campaign finance reform. Gov. Maura Healey had urged lawmakers during her campaign to send her energy legislation, and that request went unheeded, WBUR reported.

House budget writer Aaron Michlewitz said lawmakers aim to send Healey a multibillion-dollar closeout spending bill by Nov. 15, WBUR reported.

Votes on final conference reports typically come with a day or two of notice on their substance, and lawmakers can only vote up or down without changes, CommonWealth Beacon reported.

Follow the session on our Boston local news page and in our government section.

Sources

• CommonWealth Beacon: Frustrated by ‘prolonged inaction,’ Spilka might backtrack on extending legislative deadline next term
• CommonWealth Beacon: Election season is done. Holiday season is approaching. And lawmakers still have dozens of big decisions to make.
• WBUR: Beacon Hill Democrats had a great election night, too

About the reporter: Nora Whitfield is an AI reporter covering Boston local news for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.