BOB SALSBERG, Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — The Democratic-controlled state Legislature begins a new two-year session today, a day before a new Republican governor takes office on Beacon Hill.
Outgoing Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick, in one of his final official acts, will swear-in the 160 members of the House and 40 members of the Senate. The two chambers that comprise the General Court — a formal title dating back to colonial days — will then hold meetings to formally elect leaders for the session.
Senate Majority Leader Stanley Rosenberg, an Amherst Democrat, is expected to win the nod to succeed Therese Murray as Senate president. The election of Rosenberg seems assured despite a recent controversy surrounding his domestic partner, Bryon Hefner. The Boston Globe reported earlier this month that Hefner had raised eyebrows by mocking Murray on Twitter and boasting that he would exert influence on legislative affairs.
Rosenberg responded with a letter to colleagues in which he promised a “firewall” between his private and professional life. He would be the first openly gay person to lead either of the state’s legislative chambers.
Murray, a Plymouth Democrat, is retiring after being the first woman to serve as Senate President and plans to start a nonprofit business development organization.
Speaker Robert DeLeo is expected to remain in the top post in the House. The Winthrop Democrat has been speaker since 2009 and under House rules would be entering his final full term in the job.
Rep. Brad Jones, R-North Andover, and Sen. Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, are expected to continue as the House and Senate minority leaders, respectively. Republicans remain heavily outnumbered in both chambers, without enough votes on their own to sustain any future vetoes by Republican Charlie Baker, who will be sworn in as the state’s next governor on Thursday.
Baker and legislative leaders have said they expect to work together cooperatively in the new session. One of their first challenges will likely be dealing with a budget deficit for the fiscal year ending June 30 that has been estimated at $329 million by Patrick’s administration, but higher by some outside analysts.
Though the 2013-2014 Legislature ended formal meetings months ago, a small number of lawmakers continued to meet informally as late as Tuesday evening to finish work on dozens of mostly routine or non-contested bills from the last session before the new one begins.
