Representing the MetroWest communities of the 2nd Middlesex & Norfolk district—comprised of Ashland, Framingham, Franklin, Holliston, Hopkinton, Medway and Natick—Senate President Spilka is dedicated to the advancement of progressive social causes and a pragmatic fiscal policy of balancing investments in education, infrastructure, and economic opportunity with saving for the future. She has championed issues such as mental health, juvenile justice and services for the elderly and disabled communities. During her career, Senate President Spilka has been a social worker, small business owner and attorney, and she went on to become one of the first legislators in the nation to vote in favor of marriage equality and transgender protections.
Senate President Spilka believes that when all people in the Commonwealth have access to the opportunities to participate in Massachusetts’ economy—as well as the tools to succeed—we all benefit.
Throughout her public career, Senate President Spilka has advocated for equal access to quality education, the fundamental building block of individual and shared success. She has championed legislation and funding to promote self-sufficiency for people of varying abilities, programs that help children and families overcome trauma and build resilience, initiatives that enable older residents and veterans to receive job retraining, and bills that ensure that working women can provide for themselves and their families through equal pay for equal work. To help fulfill those goals and ensure a thriving economy, Senate President Spilka has led statewide and regional efforts to make it easier to start, run and keep businesses in Massachusetts.
These initiatives don’t just matter to the people they help. More people fulfilling their economic potential means they are more independent and less involved in the child welfare or criminal justice systems, or living alone, isolated and vulnerable to health problems, mental illness or substance abuse. This work helps us build community and promotes our ability to create healthy and thriving neighborhoods.
Transportation. Infrastructure. Economic Development. Housing. Each region of the Commonwealth has unique assets and unique needs, and no one knows these better how to meet those needs and capitalize on those assets than the residents and local representatives of those regions. Senate President Spilka understands this, as has long been a vocal supporter or regional equity and empowerment.
Senate President Spilka’s first major initiative when coming to the Senate was to change the law to allow for the creation of a Regional Transit Authority—public bus service—in her district. Despite the fact that many people live and work in MetroWest, access to public transportation was limited. Senate President Spilka fought for both the law change and the critical funding needed to create the first RTA in MetroWest and the larger 495 region. As a result, more people were able to get to work, seniors and young people had more mobility, and major companies such as Bose, TJX and EMC/Dell were able to grow and thrive.
Senate President Spilka believes in listening to the regions to understand what they need to become stronger economic drivers, and better places to live and work. She knows that we only succeed as a Commonwealth if each region succeeds.
Senate President Spilka has always believed that everyone in Massachusetts—and in the United States—should have the right to love and marry whomever they choose, and to BE who they are. She was an early and ardent supporter of equal marriage and transgender protections.
While there are civil rights issues that easily catch the headlines, Senate President Spilka is aware that there are less visible struggles that can severely impact the ability of individuals and families to reach their full potential. She knows that access to justice should not be limited because of a person’s income level, race, background, gender or sexual orientation, or level of ability. She has fought fiercely for diversion of youth from the criminal justice system to break the school to prison pipeline, has argued for safe and adequate housing for all, and believes that the right to counsel and a fair trial is fundamental for all residents.
An Act to Create and Maintain Jobs in the Commonwealth
An Act to Accelerate Entrepreneurship and Innovation by Partnering World-Class Entrepreneurs with State Agencies
An Act Providing for the Evaluation of the Economic Impact of Transportation Projects
An Act to Promote Global Trade and Economic Development through Dual Language and Bi-literacy
An Act to Reform State Economic Substance Rules
An Act Extending Single Sales Factor Apportionment to All Retail and Wholesale Corporations
The Electronic Privacy Act (An Act Updating Privacy Protections for Personal Electronic Information)
An Act to Establish a Foreclosure Mediation Program
An Act to Protect the Commonwealth’s Residents from Identity Theft
An Act to Protect Children from Bisphenol-A
An Act Establishing a Cell Phone Users’ Bill of Rights
An Act Protecting Engineers, Architects, Environmental Professionals, Landscape Architects, Planners, Surveyors, Licensed Site Professionals, and Contractors who Render Voluntary Services at the Scene of a Disaster or Catastrophe
An Act Prohibiting Tolls on the Massachusetts Turnpike
An Act Freezing the Tolls on the Massachusetts Turnpike and the Metropolitan Highway System
An Act to Grant Authority to the Secretary of the Executive Office of Transportation and Public Works to Charge and Collect Tolls at the Borders of the Commonwealth
An Act Promoting Fairness and Equity in Transportation Planning
An Act Providing for Public Input into Public Transit Decisions
Heather’s Bill (An Act Relative to the Release of a Body by the Medical Examiner to a Person Charged with an Offense which Resulted in the Death of the Deceased)
An Act to Permit the Setting of Both Cash Bail and Pretrial Conditions in Domestic Violence Matters
An Act Relative to Domestic Violence by Repeat Offenders
An Act to Enhance Safety and Security in Courthouses
An Act Relative to Special Education Reimbursements
An Act Providing for the Reimbursement of Expenditures Related to Special Elections to Fill Vacancies in the State’s Congressional Delegation
An Act Concerning Gateway Municipalities
An Act to Assist Public Water Suppliers and to Safeguard Adequate Water Supplies
An Act Providing for Disposition of Surplus State Real Property Based on Smart Growth Land Use Policies
An Act to Promote Reusable Energy Use in the Commonwealth
An Act Relative to Reusable Beverage Containers
An Act to Expand Juvenile Jurisdiction, Increase Public Safety, and Protect Children from Harm
An Act Establishing Age-Appropriate Accountability for Children
An Act Revising the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children
An Act Relative to Children who are the Subject of an Abuse and Neglect Investigation
An Act to Keep Siblings Together
An Act Rescinding an Order Terminating Parental Rights
An Act to Prevent Shackling and Promote Safe Pregnancies for Female Inmates
An Act Relative to the Civil Commitment for Alcoholism or Substance Abuse at Certain Facilities
An Act to Provide Greater Protection in Registry of Motor Vehicle Hearings
An Act Relative to Spousal Waiver for Home and Community-Based Services for Physically Disabled Adults Age 60 and Under
An Act to Make Habilitative Services Available to the Children of the Commonwealth
An Act to Promote Higher Education Among Employees of Human Services Provider Organizations
An Act Further Regulating Employee Benefits
An Act Relative to the Retirement Benefits of Certain Widows and Surviving Spouses
An Act Relative to Women’s Health and Cancer Recovery
An Act to Address the Lack of Sex-Specific Data in Massachusetts
An Act to Address Inequities in MassHealth Readmission Penalties
An Act to Reduce the Risks Associated with Allergic Reactions
An Act Relative to Protecting Puppies and Kittens
An Act Ensuring the Safety of People with Pets in Disasters
An Act Strengthening Working Families by Increasing Tax Exemptions and Dependent Care Tax Credits
An Act to Allow Single Family Homeowners to Deduct their Municipal Water, Sewer, and Trash Fees from their State Income Tax
An Act to Create Property Tax Credits for Individuals with Disabilities