Chairman’s Biography

Brian S. Dempsey, 44, House Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, was born and raised in Haverhill, Massachusetts, where he and his wife, Julie, are raising their three children, Ryan, Tyler and Brittany.

Brian is a 1984 graduate of Haverhill High School and received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.  In 1991, he was elected to the House of Representatives.  During his time in the Legislature he has served as House Chairman of the Joint Committee on Public Service, Chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology, House Chairman of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, and House Chairman of the Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies. He was appointed Chairman of the House Committee on Ways & Means in January 2011.

As Chairman of the Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, Brian co-authored an Act Relative to Economic Development Reorganization and an Act Establishing Expanded Gaming in the Commonwealth. While Chairman of the Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, he also co-authored the Green Communities Act, that was signed into law on July 2, 2008.   The Green Communities Act places a comprehensive focus on major energy efficiency and renewable energy throughout the Commonwealth.  In 2003 as Chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology, Brian co-authored the state’s $100 million Economic Stimulus package which helped strengthen the Massachusetts economy and create new jobs for the residents of the Commonwealth.