Last week, both the Massachusetts House and Senate did not conduct any roll call votes, marking a brief pause in their legislative activities. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call released the roll call attendance records for local representatives, covering the 2025 session up until December 12. The House has conducted a total of 116 roll calls during this session.
The attendance record is calculated by tabulating the number of roll calls on which each representative voted, then expressing that number as a percentage of the total roll calls held. It is important to note that representatives may miss multiple votes on days they are absent, resulting in higher missed counts even if they attended only a few sessions.
Among the 159 representatives, 88 (55.3%) maintained a perfect attendance record, voting on every roll call. Conversely, 71 (44.7%) missed one or more votes during the session. The representatives with the highest number of missed roll calls were John Lawn (D-Watertown) and Marcus Vaughn (R-Wrentham), each missing 22 roll calls, yielding an attendance record of 81%.
Several representatives rounded out the list of those with significant absences. Nicholas Boldyga (R-Southwick) missed 20 roll calls, resulting in an 82.7% attendance rate. Other notable absences included Christopher Flanagan (D-Dennis), Judith Garcia (D-Chelsea), Richard Haggerty (D-Woburn), Mary Keefe (D-Worcester), Chynah Tyler (D-Roxbury), and Thomas Walsh (D-Peabody), all missing 19 roll calls and achieving an 83.6% attendance rate.
Among the representatives who missed 18 roll calls were Marjorie Decker (D-Cambridge) and John Gaskey (R-Carver), both with an 84.4% attendance record. Patrick Kearney (D-Scituate) missed 16 roll calls, achieving an 86.2% attendance rate, while Tram Nguyen (D-Andover) and Joseph McKenna (R-Sutton) missed 15 roll calls each, maintaining an 87% attendance record.
The attendance figures for Lisa Field (D-Taunton) are noteworthy as well. She missed 15 roll calls with a 72.2% attendance record, having only participated in 54 roll calls since winning a special election to fill a vacant House seat.
Beacon Hill Roll Call reached out to the 15 representatives with the most missed votes to inquire about their absences. Eight representatives did not respond to repeated requests for explanations, including Lawn, Vaughn, Flanagan, Keefe, Tyler, Walsh, Kearney, and Nguyen.
Nicholas Boldyga indicated in a previous response that his absences were due to health issues in his family and responsibilities as a parent. He expressed frustration with the House rules that complicate remote voting, stating, “Unlike the Senate that allows for fully remote participation on all levels, House rules make it difficult to even vote remotely.”
Judith Garcia cited illness and official business as reasons for her absences, noting, “It’s important for readers to know that multiple roll calls in a single day do not equal multiple absences.” In contrast, Richard Haggerty explained that his missed votes were due to family commitments, while Marjorie Decker stated her absences were due to family emergencies.
Responses varied among the representatives. Joseph McKenna mentioned a long-scheduled family trip coinciding with a significant voting day, while Lisa Field noted her commitment to a trip to Rome during a formal session.
The complete attendance records for representatives through December 12 reveal the following statistics based on the 116 roll calls conducted:
– Rep. James Arciero: 100% (0 missed)
– Rep. Simon Cataldo: 100% (0 missed)
– Rep. Rodney Elliott: 100% (0 missed)
– Rep. Kimberly Ferguson: 87.9% (14 missed)
– Rep. Colleen Garry: 97.4% (3 missed)
– Rep. Kenneth Gordon: 96.5% (4 missed)
– Rep. Natalie Higgins: 100% (0 missed)
– Rep. Tara Hong: 99.1% (1 missed)
– Rep. Vanna Howard: 100% (0 missed)
– Rep. Meghan Kilcoyne: 100% (0 missed)
– Rep. Michael Kushmerek: 96.5% (4 missed)
– Rep. Marc Lombardo: 93.9% (7 missed)
– Rep. Tram Nguyen: 87.0% (15 missed)
– Rep. David Robertson: 100% (0 missed)
– Rep. Margaret Scarsdale: 94.8% (6 missed)
– Rep. Dan Sena: 100% (0 missed)
– Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik: 100% (0 missed)
As legislative discussions continue, the attendance records provide a glimpse into the engagement levels of Massachusetts representatives.
Additionally, the House recently gave initial approval to several bills, including one that would eliminate the requirement for death certificates to list social security numbers to prevent fraud. Another bill aims to allow the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) riders to pay for parking without the need for a mobile phone, addressing concerns from those without access to such technology.
As lawmakers navigate various legislative measures, the implications of attendance and participation remain critical to the functioning of the Massachusetts legislature.
