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Bill Docket Bill Title
S.28 SD202 By Ms. Candaras, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 28) of Gale D. Candaras, Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr., Cory Atkins, Jennifer E. Benson and other members of the General Court for legislation to improve quality in early education and care by family child care providers. Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities.
S.105 SD192 By Ms. Jehlen, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 105) of Patricia D. Jehlen, Christine E. Canavan, Gale D. Candaras, Sal N. DiDomenico and other members of the General Court to reduce unwanted communication from creditors to protect the peace and privacy of residents. Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure.
H.112 HD805 By Ms. Peake of Provincetown, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 112) of Sarah K. Peake and others relative to the use of credit cards at gasoline stations. Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure.
S.150 SD339 By Mr. Brewer, petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 150) of Stephen M. Brewer, Barry R. Finegold, Thomas P. Conroy, Patricia D. Jehlen and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to an independent analysis of expanding gaming in the Commonwealth [Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies].
S.175 SD8 By Mr. Baddour, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 175) of Steven A. Baddour, Benjamin B. Downing, Sal N. DiDomenico, Michael J. Rodrigues and others for legislation to require instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automatic external defribrillators for high school graduation. Education.
S.180 SD350 By Mr. Brewer, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 180) of Stephen M. Brewer, Bruce E. Tarr, Garrett J. Bradley, Patricia D. Jehlen and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to out of state price authorization for chapter 766 students. Education.
H.341 HD966 By Mr. Pignatelli of Lenox, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 341) of William Smitty Pignatelli and others relative to Medicaid payments to critical access hospitals. Health Care Financing.
S.350 SD522 By Mr. Eldridge, petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 350) of James B. Eldridge, Frank I. Smizik, Kenneth J. Donnelly and other members of the General Court for legislation to protect the natural and historic resources of the Commonwealth [Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture].
S.352 SD525 By Mr. Eldridge, petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 352) of Wolf, Story, Harrington and other members of the General Court for legislation to require producer responsibility for collection reuse and recycling of discarded electronic products [Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture].
S.409 SD389 By Ms. Chandler, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 409) of Harriette L. Chandler, Stephen M. Brewer, Bruce E. Tarr, John W. Scibak and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to financial services contracts for dental benefits corporations. Financial Services.
S.461 SD754 For legislation to further regulate insurance underwriting and motor vehicle liability ratings
S.476 SD1437 By Mr. Tolman, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 476) of Steven A. Tolman, Benjamin B. Downing, Michael J. Rodrigues, Jennifer L. Flanagan and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to auto body labor rates. Financial Services.
S.501 SD1207 By Mr. Eldridge, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 501) of James B. Eldridge, Jason M. Lewis, Kay Khan, Kenneth J. Donnelly and other members of the General Court for legislation to establish Medicare for all in Massachusetts. Health Care Financing.
H.502 HD658 By Messrs. Sciortino of Medford and Rushing of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 502) of Carl M. Sciortino, Jr. and others relative to gender based discrimination and hate crimes. The Judiciary.
S.541 SD1840 By Mr. Moore, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 541) of Richard T. Moore, Geraldo Alicea, Benjamin B. Downing and James B. Eldridge for legislation relative to strengthening the DoN Program. Health Care Financing.
S.548 SD1165 By Mr. Rodrigues, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 548) of Michael J. Rodrigues, Karen E. Spilka, Benjamin B. Downing, Michael O. Moore and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to manufacturer rebates and discount programs. Health Care Financing.
S.570 SD121 By Mr. Knapik, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 570) of Michael R. Knapik, Gale D. Candaras, Benjamin B. Downing, Peter V. Kocot and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees. Higher Education.
S.614 SD917 By Mr. Pacheco, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 614) of Marc R. Pacheco, Katherine M. Clark, Frederick E. Berry, John W. Scibak and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to manufactured housing communities. Housing.
S.629 SD36 By Mr. Baddour, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 629) of Steven A. Baddour, Stephen M. Brewer, Benjamin B. Downing, James E. Timilty and other members of the General Court for legislation to combat economic crimes. The Judiciary.
S.720 SD909 By Ms. Creem, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 720) of Cynthia S. Creem and Benjamin B. Downing for legislation relative to the profits from crime. The Judiciary.
S.772 SD1488 By Mr. Eldridge, a petition (accompanied by resolution, Senate, No. 772) of James B. Eldridge, Daniel A. Wolf, Stanley C. Rosenberg, Katherine M. Clark and other members of the General Court memoralizing the Congress of the United States to restore free speech. The Judiciary.
H.870 HD521 By Mr. Kulik of Worthington, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 870) of Stephen Kulik and others for legislation to restrict callers from using certain automatic dialing devices for sending information to subscribers of telephone services. Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy.
S.898 SD1160 By Mr. Timilty, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 898) of James E. Timilty, Benjamin B. Downing, Stephen R. Canessa, Shaunna O'Connell and other members of the General Court for legislation to promote public safety through the equitable allocation of funding for prosecutors and public defenders in the Commonwealth. The Judiciary.
S.914 SD351 By Mr. Brewer, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 914) of Stephen M. Brewer, Kimberly N. Ferguson, Ellen Story, Denise Andrews and other members of the General Court for legislation to protect call/volunteer firefighters from dismissal. Labor and Workforce Development.
S.997 SD1428 By Mr. Tolman, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 997) of Steven A. Tolman and Benjamin B. Downing for legislation to provide for the study of access to methadone medicated assistance among Masshealth clients. Mental Health and Substance Abuse.
H.1004 HD1264 By Ms. Jennifer E. Benson of Lunenburg, petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 01004) of Gailanne Cariddi and others for legislation to regulate solar specialty contractors . Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure.
S.1019 SD574 By Mr. Eldridge, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1019) of James B. Eldridge, Stephen Kulik, Paul J. Donato, Marc R. Pacheco and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to comprehensive land use reform and partnership. Municipalities and Regional Government.
S.1069 SD263 By Mr. Brewer, petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1069) of Stephen M. Brewer, Anthony W. Petruccelli, Jeffrey Sánchez, James Arciero and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to surgical technology [Joint Committee on Public Health].
S.1187 SD296 By Mr. Brewer, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1187) of Stephen M. Brewer, Michael R. Knapik, Anne M. Gobi, James B. Eldridge and other members of the General Court for legislation to include call/volunteer firefighters on the fire service commission. Public Safety and Homeland Security.
S.1188 SD297 By Mr. Brewer, petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1188) of Stephen M. Brewer, Michael R. Knapik, Benjamin D. Downing, Ellen Story and other members of the General Court for legislation to include call/volunteer firefighters on the massachusetts fire training council [Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security].
S.1206 SD742 By Mr. DiDomenico, petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1206) of Sal N. DiDomenico, Frederick E. Berry, Sean Garballey, Michael J. Rodrigues and other members of the General Court for legislation to promote the public health through workplace safety for social workers [Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security].
S.1427 SD831 By Mr. DiDomenico, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1427) of Sal N. DiDomenico, Linda Dorcena Forry, Denise Andrews, Harriette L. Chandler and other members of the General Court for legislation to create the community development partnership program. Revenue.
H.1497 HD1189 By Mr. Kulik of Worthington, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1497) of Stephen Kulik and others for legislation to regulate the license, transfer, use, or sale of prescriber-identifiable data only for commercial purposes by pharmacies. Public Health.
S.1523 SD1283 By Ms. Spilka, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1523) of Karen E. Spilka, Michael J. Rodrigues and Benjamin B. Downing for legislation to strengthen tax administration and promote taxpayer fairness . Revenue.
S.1575 SD1182 By Mr. Eldridge, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1575) of Jason M. Lewis, William N. Brownsberger, Sal N. DiDomenico, Jennifer E. Benson and other members of the General Court for legislation to enhance access to electronic public records. State Administration and Regulatory Oversight.
S.1576 SD1183 By Mr. Eldridge, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1576) of Patricia D. Jehlen, Jason M. Lewis, William N. Brownsberger, Sal N. DiDomenico and other members of the General Court for legislation to improve access to public records. State Administration and Regulatory Oversight.
S.1725 SD294 By Mr. Brewer, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1725) of Stephen M. Brewer, Michael J. Rodrigues, Stephen Kulik, Benjamin B. Downing and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to permist for overweight vehicles. Transportation.
S.1841 SD82 By Ms. Creem, petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1841) of Wolf, Welch, Walz and other members of the General Court for legislation to sustain community preservation [Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses].
H.1923 HD2606 By Mrs. Haddad of Somerset, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1923) of Patricia A. Haddad and others relative to pricing for certain private school programs. Education.
H.1995 HD2523 By Ms. Gobi of Spencer, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1995) of Anne M. Gobi and others relative to the distribution of raw milk. Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.
S.2124 SD2160 By Mr. Moore, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12 and Senate Rule 20) (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 2124) of Richard T. Moore, Kenneth J. Donnelly, John Hart, Jr., Michael O. Moore and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to reduction of property tax liability for veterans. Revenue.
S.2198 SD2186 By Mr. Moore, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 2198) of Richard T. Moore, Benjamin B. Downing, Jennifer L. Flanagan, Stephen L. DiNatale and other members of the General Court for legislation to promote American manufacturing. State Administration and Regulatory Oversight.
H.3359 HD1587 By Mr. deMacedo of Plymouth, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3359) of Viriato Manuel deMacedo and others relative to determining caseloads and funding for prosecutors and public defenders. The Judiciary.
H.3448 HD3752 By Mr. Pignatelli of Lenox, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3448) of William "Smitty" Pignatelli and Benjamin Downing (by vote of the town) relative to group insurance in the town of Great Barrington. Municipalities and Regional Government. [Local Approval Received.]
H.3450 HD3751 By [SPONSOR PREFIX] [SPONSOR NAME] of [SPONSOR CITY], a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3450) of [PETITIONERS LIST] (by vote of the town) that the positions of fire chief and deputy fire chief in the town of Great Barrington be exempt from provisions of the civil service law. Public Service. [Local Approval Received.]
H.3741 HD4074 (with the approval of the mayor and city council) relative to validating the acts and proceedings of the preliminary mayoral election in the city of North Adams
H.3748 HD4049 For legislation to authorize the board of commissioners of the Franklin County Regional Housing and Redevelopment Authority to offer a limited early retirement incentive program for employees of said authority
H.3858 HD4133 By Mr. Straus of Mattapoisett, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of William M. Straus and others for legislation to prohibit commercial solicitation to mobile electronic devices. Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure.
H.3890 HD4144 By Mr. Lewis of Winchester, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Jason M. Lewis and others for legislation to authorize municipalities to create stabilization funds for special education costs. Municipalities and Regional Government.

Benjamin B. Downing (D- Pittsfield) was first elected to the Massachusetts Senate on November 7, 2006 and was re-elected in 2008, 2010 and 2012. Senator Downing represents the 52 communities of the Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin & Hampden District, proudly serving the largest Senate district in the Commonwealth.

Senator Downing serves as the Senate chairman of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, which is tasked with reviewing all matters concerning renewable and non-renewable energy sources. He is also the chairman of the Senate Committee on Bills in Third Reading, which reviews all bills on the Senate calendar to ensure they are constitutional and free from drafting errors before they are considered for engrossment.

The Senator also serves as vice-chairman of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development. In past legislative sessions he served as chair of the Public Service Committee (2007), the Senate Ethics and Rules Committee (2007-2008), the Revenue (2009-2010) and Higher Education (2010) Committees and the Senate Committee on Steering & Policy (2012). He is an active member of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, and serves on several other Senate and joint committees. Senator Downing is also a member of several legislative caucuses; he serves as co-chairman of the Gateway Cities Caucus, vice chairman of the Regional Transit Authorities (RTA) Caucus, and is an active participant of the Regional Schools Caucus.

A Pittsfield native, Senator Downing received his B.A. in Political Science from Providence College in 2003. In May 2008 he received a M.A. from Tufts University’s Department of Urban and Environment Policy & Planning. Before returning to Pittsfield, Senator Downing lived in Washington, D.C. working for former U.S. Representative William Delahunt (D- Quincy) and U.S. Representative Richard E. Neal (D- Springfield), before joining the staff of U.S. Representative John W. Olver (D- Amherst). For nearly two years he served as senior advisor to Congressman Olver.

Senator Downing’s family has a long history of public service. He is the oldest of four children (Maggie, Nate and Nick) raised by the late Berkshire District Attorney Gerard and Pamela Downing. He is married to Micaelah B. Morrill.

Personal Information

Profession: Legislator/Public Service
Religion: Roman Catholic

Career Highlights

  • Elected 2006; Re-elected 2008, 2010 and 2012
  • Chair, Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy 2011-2012 and 2013-2014;Chair, Senate Committee on Bills in Third Reading 2013-2014;
  • Chair, Senate Committee on Steering & Policy 2012;Acting Chair, Joint Committee on Higher Education 2010;Chair, Joint Committee on Revenue 2009-2010
  • Chair, Senate Committee on Ethics and Rules 2007-2008;Chair, Joint Committee on Public Service 2007

Education & Public Service

  • Pittsfield Catholic Schools
  • Providence College, BA - Political Science 2003
  • Tufts University, MA - Public Policy 2008
  • “Honorary Chairman, College Democrats of Massachusetts”
  • Co-Chair, Massachusetts Democratic Party's Committee on Youth Services
  • Co-Chair of the Leadership Council to End Chronic Homelessness in Berkshire County
  • Advisory Council of the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
  • Pittsfield Democratic Committee
Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden -- Consisting of the cities and towns in the county of Berkshire; the towns of Chesterfield, Cummington, Goshen, Huntington, Middlefield, Plainfield, Westhampton, Williamsburg and Worthington in the county of Hampshire; and the towns of Ashfield, Buckland, Charlemont, Conway, Hawley, Heath, Monroe, Rowe and Shelburne in the county of Franklin; and the towns of Blandford and Chester in the county of Hampden.