The Massachusetts State Senate elected Senator Karen E. Spilka president of the 194th General Court following nominations and a roll-call vote that gave Spilka 34 votes to Bruce E. Tarr's five.

Spilka used her inaugural remarks to outline a broad agenda for the session, centering on education from early childhood through college, health-care market oversight and prescription drug cost relief, housing and transportation improvements, workforce and career-and-technical education investments, and measures to make Senate activity more transparent to the public.

The election followed nominating speeches from colleagues on both sides of the chamber. Senator Sal N. Domenico nominated Spilka, citing her experience as a former chair of Ways and Means and leadership on landmark education and health legislation. Senator Peter J. Durant nominated Senator Bruce E. Tarr. After a roll call the clerk announced 34 votes for Spilka and five for Tarr; the chair declared Spilka elected president.

In remarks after her election, Spilka thanked colleagues and guests and reviewed what she called recent legislative accomplishments, including full funding of the Student Opportunity Act and passage of expanded early-education-and-care investments. She said the Senate would continue to expand educational opportunities, citing the Mass Educate initiative and free community college policies already in place for many residents, and pressed for additional work on career-and-technical education capacity.

Spilka outlined concrete proposals and numbers raised in her remarks: maintaining commitments to the Student Opportunity Act; sustaining a recent one-time investment of $1,500,000,000 in the early education and care sector; and urging the Senate to commit more than $100,000,000 from a one-time fair share infrastructure fund to expand career-and-technical education capacity. She also said a prescription drug bill had been sent to the governor's desk and described recently passed market oversight provisions aimed at limiting the disruptive effects of private-equity ownership in health care.

On housing and transportation, Spilka asked the Senate housing committee to go into communities and report back within 100 days with findings on local housing obstacles. She reiterated support for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and regional transit authorities and proposed continuing low-income MBTA fares and other measures to improve affordability and access.

Spilka pledged to increase transparency in the Senate's work, proposing that votes and testimony from joint committees be made public, that summaries of bills reported from Ways and Means be posted online, and that the first meeting of conference committees be open to the public when practicable. She also said the Senate would pursue a statewide listening tour to engage residents directly on priorities.

The session included other formal actions: the clerk and Senate counsel were sworn in; temporary joint rules and temporary Senate rules from the prior session were adopted; and a committee was appointed to notify the governor and lieutenant governor of the Senate's organization. Governor Maura T. Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll attended the proceedings and both were recognized from the rostrum before the oath of office was administered to members.

Spilka closed by urging members to focus on constituent needs. "Let's roll up our sleeves. Let's get to work, and let's fight like hell for the people of this great Commonwealth," she said.

Votes at a glance

- Election of Senate president: Karen E. Spilka elected president by roll call, tally 34 yes (Spilka) — 5 yes (Tarr). Outcome: approved.
- Clerk of the Senate: Michael D. Hurley appointed and sworn. Outcome: approved.
- Appointment of Senate counsel: James DiTullio appointed and sworn. Outcome: approved.
- Adoption of temporary joint rules and temporary Senate rules: adopted. Outcome: approved.

The Senate recessed for brief intervals and set its next convening time before adjourning for the day.