Karen Spilka: Most Influential Bostonians of 2025
A big slate of bills became law in the last session, and observers say that in the final analysis, Spilka got more of what she wanted than either House Speaker Ron Mariano or Governor Healey. (Spilka also made headlines by killing Mayor Michelle Wu’s property tax proposal in December.) Community-college affordability, economic development, the Everett soccer stadium, universal school meals, wage equity, clean energy investment, and Boston liquor-license reform were among the bills passed by the Spilka-led Senate and ultimately signed into law.
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Mass. Senate promotes bill to bolster protections for those seeking abortions and transgender care
“This bill makes it very clear that the Massachusetts Senate will not back down when it comes to protecting our residents and defending our values,” Senate President Karen Spilka wrote in a statement announcing the bill. “Our residents — indeed all Americans — deserve the right to make their own health care decisions in consultation with their providers, and this bill protects the entire ecosystem that allows those decisions to take place.”
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Top Massachusetts Democrat says Beacon Hill pols will reject ‘anti-LGBTQ’ policies
“Let me be clear, not a single bill that attacks the hard-won rights of this community will ever make it through my door or the doors of the Massachusetts Senate,” Spilka said. “Massachusetts is not budging, will never budge. We will be here for you. We are not retreating. We are not compromising. Simply put, we are not going back.”
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Busts of Abigail Adams, Elizabeth Freeman planned to diversify State House art
Spilka on Thursday unveiled the latest iteration of her “HERstory” art installation, recognizing women with reputations as trailblazers and disrupters, from colonial spiritual leader Anne Hutchinson to astronaut and Needham native Suni Williams.
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Mass. lawmakers move — again — to extend pandemic-era rule allowing public boards to meet remotely
“I have heard loud and clear from my colleagues, and the communities we represent, that hybrid meetings have increased access, engagement, and transparency in local government,” the Ashland Democrat said in a statement.
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Spilka rallies the resistance
WE WILL ‘ALWAYS’ RESIST — Senate President Karen Spilka wasn’t going to let President Donald Trump’s return to the White House rain on her Galentine’s Day soirée.
So, to kick off the event last night, “Senate President Karen Spilka” (played by drag queen TaDonna) opened with a “Drag Queen Story Hour,” reminding the sea of red-and-pink-clad women leaders from politics, business and philanthropy, that Massachusetts, “the birthplace of equal marriage and anti-discrimination legislation,” would “not change who we are,” as Gov. Maura Healey recently pledged.
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Spilka talks economy with Jon Keller
Senate President Karen Spilka sits with WBZ’s Jon Keller for a discussion about the economy, the state’s budget, and the state Auditor.
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‘Whiplash’: Mass. Senate President weighs in on Trump’s funding freeze chaos
“I think if this keeps up, we’ll be all walking around with neck braces from whiplash,” Spilka, D-Middlesex/Norfolk, quipped during a wide-ranging interview Thursday with MassLive in her office at the State House.
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Frame by Frame: Framingham's Regional Justice Center
Karen Spilka speaks with Access Framingham about the latest step towards a new Regional Justice Center in Framingham.
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On the Record: SP Spilka on the Senate's Efforts on Crumbling Concrete, Federal Immigration Reform
Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka says the federal government needs to take action on immigration.
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On the Record: SP Spilka Discusses Last Session, Transparency, and Her Agenda
Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka speaks about the accomplishments of last session, her plans to make the Legislature more transparent, and her agenda for the new session.
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Framingham is one step closer to getting a regional justice center. Here's what happened.
The plan has been a key project for state Senate President Karen Spilka, D-Ashland. It calls for the closing of the existing Framingham courthouse at 600 Concord St, with those operations moving to a new regional justice center to be constructed at the former Danforth Museum site at 123 Union Ave.
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Spilka takes aim at the transparency narrative
Spilka wants to move up the deadline for joint committees to determine the fate of the bevy of bills that end up before them from the second year of the session to the first, a move that could help avoid the last-minute crunch to push bills through with limited debate at sparsely attended sessions…
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With New Term Dawning, Spilka Eyes K-12 Funding Reform, Primary Care Overhaul
Senate President Karen Spilka won another term leading the chamber with no speedbumps Wednesday and quickly set her sights on a combination of new and old priorities.
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Senate President Spilka's 2025 Inaugural Address
Senate President Spilka outlines her priorities and initiatives at the outset of the 194th General Court.
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Senate President Spilka's Remarks Celebrating the Launch of Free Community College in Massachusetts
Senate President Spilka delivers remarks celebrating the launch of free community college, alongside Governor Healey and state leaders.
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In Massachusetts, a Push for Free Community College for All
Democrat Karen Spilka, the president of the Massachusetts State Senate, is spearheading the effort. In an interview with Inside Higher Ed, she said she believes MassEducate will encourage students who didn’t previously see college as a pathway to enroll. The program might even help reverse the trend of Massachusetts’s young people leaving the state, she added.
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On the Record: Mass. Senate President discusses a 21st century transportation system
Karen Spilka says no options should be ruled out, including tolls for the Cape Cod bridges and congestion pricing in Greater Boston.
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