Mass. Senate declares First Middlesex vacancy, sets special election; approves multiple bills and an amendment

The Massachusetts Senate on the floor declared the office of senator for the First Middlesex District vacant after the reported death of Senator Edward J. Kennedy and directed the president of the Senate to issue a precept setting March 3, 2026, as the date for a special election to fill the vacancy. The order, presented by Senator Spilka, cited Article 4, Section 2 of Chapter 1 of the Massachusetts Constitution as authority for the action.

The Senate moved multiple pieces of legislation to further consideration and passage during the session. Several bills were ordered to a third reading or passed to be engrossed with voice votes of “the ayes have it.” Among the actions, the chamber adopted an amendment to a Quincy revenue-bond bill proposed by Senator Keenan and approved an order scheduling consideration and amendment deadlines for a supplemental appropriations bill tied to Ways and Means.

Why it matters: the vacancy triggers a precept and a special election schedule that will determine representation for the First Middlesex District. The other actions advance local-authority and financing bills and set the process and deadlines for consideration of a key supplemental appropriations bill in the coming week.

What the Senate did

Vacancy and special election: Senator Spilka presented an order declaring the Senate seat for the First Middlesex District vacant “by reason of the death of Edward J. Kennedy.” The order directed the president of the Senate to issue a precept setting March 3, 2026, as the date for the election to fill the vacancy and cited Article 4, Section 2 of Chapter 1 of the Massachusetts Constitution as the authority for issuing the precept. The order was adopted by voice vote.

Bills ordered to third reading / passed to be engrossed: The Senate, without recorded roll-call tallies in the transcript, ordered the following measures to a third reading or passed them to be engrossed by voice vote (all recorded on the floor as “the ayes have it”): - An act authorizing the Boston Police Department to waive the maximum age requirement for police officer Antonio Perez (Senate No. 27) — ordered to a third reading. - An act authorizing the town of Palmer to grant additional licenses for the sale of alcoholic beverages (House No. 4842) — ordered to a third reading. - An act relative to a cemetery in the town of Norton (House No. 4348) — ordered to a third reading and later passed to be engrossed. - An act increasing the membership of the select board of the town of Lanesborough (House No. 4056) — ordered to a third reading and passed to be engrossed. - An act providing for the terms of certain bonds to be issued by the Commonwealth (House No. 4413) — ordered to a third reading and passed to be engrossed. - An act relative to the issuance of revenue bonds for the construction and reconstruction of telecommunications facilities by the city of Quincy (House No./Senate draft referenced on the floor) — taken up from the Orders of the Day; an amendment offered by Senator Keenan was adopted and the bill was passed to be engrossed. - House bills authorizing the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) to provide water and/or sewer services to certain parcels in the town of Sharon (House Nos. 1024, 4009) — committee reports were placed in the Orders of the Day, the rules were suspended for immediate consideration, and the measures were ordered to third reading and passed to be engrossed. - A bill removing the town of Hull from the Eastern Regional Commission on the Status of Women (House No. 2313 / Senate No. 1464) — ordered to a third reading and passed to be engrossed.

Appropriations scheduling order: Senator Rogers presented an order directing that House Bill 4615 (making appropriations for fiscal year 2025 to supplement certain existing appropriations and projects) be reported by the committee on Ways and Means with new text (Senate document 2655) and placed in the Orders of the Day for second meeting on October 23, 2025, with a second-meeting schedule that requires electronic filing of amendments to the clerk’s office by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 21, 2025. The order specifies that the bill as amended shall be read a third time and immediately voted on and limits the availability of further amendments at third reading to those recommended by the committee on bills in the third reading. The Senate adopted the order by voice vote.

Amendment adoption: Senator Keenan presented and moved an amendment to the Quincy revenue-bond bill; the amendment was adopted by voice vote on the floor before the bill was passed to be engrossed.

Procedure and votes: Most measures on the transcript were advanced by voice votes; the record shows repeated motions to suspend the rules to take matters up forthwith and repeated floor confirmations that “the ayes have it.” The transcript does not record roll-call tallies or named individual votes for those items.

Context and next steps: The scheduling order for House Bill 4615 sets a tight timeline for amendment filing and signals that the chamber intends expedited consideration of a supplemental appropriations package. The special-election precept will be issued by the president of the Senate per the order; the record lists March 3, 2026, as the election date.

Ending: The Senate also adopted resolutions (congratulatory/ceremonial) and observed a moment of silence in memory of Mary O’Connor Blanchard. The session concluded with the chamber adjourning to meet again Thursday at 11 a.m.