Amy Mah Sangiolo (11th Middlesex District) and Greg Schwartz (12th Middlesex District) were among nineteen new House legislators taking the oath of office at the State House on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. Governor Maura Healey administered the oath, after thanking members for their commitment to serve the Commonwealth. “It’s not easy to put yourself out there to run,” she said, adding “It’s not easy to do the work once you are elected.”
“Public service is a high calling …and it is essential to the preservation and furtherance of our democracy,” Healy told the House, observing that American democracy had its roots in Massachusetts, with trail blazers like Paul Revere and Samuel Adams. Highlighting the fact that 2025 is the nation’s 250th birthday, she told the members that they will be writing the next chapter of the Commonwealth’s history and that they are “standing on the shoulders of those who came before.”
At the same time, the Governor termed the last session’s accomplishments “historic.” Included in her list of successes, Governor Healey noted that the Legislature cut taxes for the first time; built more housing; provided transformative economic development and health care; made important investments in expanding college and career opportunities; advanced clean energy; strengthened equal treatment under the law; expanded economic opportunity for everyone; and passed the HERO Act for service members and veterans. She promised that in the new term, expectations would advance policies to help residents and businesses.
Following the Governor’s speech and administering of the oath, the body elected Ron Mariano of Quincy for his third term as House Speaker. In his speech to the members, the Speaker emphasized “the House’s commitment to combating the most pressing challenges facing Massachusetts,” and the Legislature accomplishments. Responding to negative media coverage, he said, “contrary to what you may have read in the paper, the Legislature did, in fact, deliver on that commitment.”
Among the achievements, he noted: capping drug prices, oversight of pharmacy benefits managers, and in the aftermath of the Steward Health Care failure, and legislation to regulate financial dealings of hospitals. But, he concluded, “The reality …is that doing good work isn’t enough if our constituents don’t feel as though they can easily follow the process.” To that end, he promised that in the upcoming session, the House would consider rules and calendar reforms. He also warned of concerns about the Trump Administration and the need to “step up…..in the face of federal mismanagement and decreased federal support.”
For Newton’s two new representatives, the inauguration process was a heady, emotional experience. Both attended the orientation session for incoming members in Amherst, where they connected with their colleagues in the freshman class and met the House leadership. Both Rep. Sangiolo and Rep. Schwartz had served on the Newton City Council, not an unfamiliar path for many of their colleagues who served on municipal boards and councils.
Rep. Sangiolo, who is is now in former Rep. Kay Khan’s seat, reported that she ”teared up” several times because the deeply traditional program was so moving. In addition to her twenty years on the Newton City Council, she explained that in her job at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office, “working with people around the Commonwealth” was good preparation for working in the Legislature. Given the concerns about federal funding, Rep. Sangiolo anticipates a closer working relationship between local and state governments. She is planning to establish regular meetings with Newton’s City Council.
In a transforming political climate, Rep. Sangiolo is concerned that funding that is earmarked but not allocated “will be turned off.” She worries about deportations and ways to meet looming challenges. She noted that her new colleagues have been “welcoming …very generous …offering help and wanting people to succeed.” Among her areas of focus she includes: working on climate, housing, elder affairs, and arts and culture.
In assessing the last legislative session, Rep. Sangiolo said “a lot of work got done.” Looking ahead at Speaker Mariano’s suggestion that the 194th Legislature might consider rules reform, she responded that she “looks forward to what will be presented.”
Rep. Greg Schwartz occupies his predecessor’s House much-coveted seat in the Chamber. Ruth Balser sat on the aisle along which the Governor and other dignitaries formally enter and depart, and Dr. Schwartz found her name tag still in her desk drawer. Calling the inauguration the “granddaddy of all traditions,” Dr. Schwartz was moved by the Chamber’s history, by seeing his name on the official board, and by having his name called in the vote for House Speaker.
Facing the impact of the incoming Trump Administration, Rep. Schwartz worries about “the assault on rights we hold dear.” He shares Rep. Sangiolo’s concerns about tearing families and communities apart with mass deportations, which he sees “as a repeat of history.” “It’s a scary time,” he said, “but it’s important to stand up.” In addition, Rep. Schwartz foresees the elimination of National Institutes of Health funding, which is critical to medical research and particularly relevant in Massachusetts. Moreover, he noted that advances in clean energy might be adversely impacted by Administration policies.
While praising the accomplishments of the last session, especially in its focus on Steward Health Care and pharmaceutical cost-control measures, Dr. Schwartz said he liked what he heard about plans to change the calendar. “No one in the Chamber is happy with the way the Legislature is portrayed,” he said. He understands that it is important to work with legislative deadlines, but he thinks it might be better to change the calendar, so that deadlines “don’t get in the way.” Nonetheless, the incoming representative said the “Legislature and the public should be proud of the legislation” passed in the last session.
State Senator Cynthia Creem, also sworn in for another term on New Year’s Day, told Fig City News she looks forward to working with Newton’s two new representatives. She shares their local City Council experience. Sen. Creem has been Senate Majority Leader since 2018 and joined her colleagues — the Governor, Senate President, and House Speaker — in highlighting the accomplishments in the last session. “The Legislature did what it set out to do,” she said.
In the new session, Senator Creem said she will file three pieces of legislation:
- Data Privacy and Location Shield Act to protect people by banning the sale of location data in Massachusetts
- Aligning Transportation Plans with Emissions Reduction mandates to require that Massachusetts transportation investment aligns with the state’s emission reduction mandates and new goals for reductions in vehicle miles traveled
- Regulating Pharmacy Benefit Managers to prevent PBMs from steering patients to pharmacies with which they are affiliated and require that PBMs guarantee that patients have access to networks of pharmacies near their homes
