Reported by us | New Bedford

Legislator Watch: how South Coast lawmakers voted the week of Oct. 19

The House took five roll calls, all on Oct. 21, and nine of the 10 South Coast representatives voted for the House version of the $2.35 billion budget. The state Senate and Congress took no recorded votes.

By the SC360 Town Hall Desk | Published Oct. 24, 2026 | Last verified Oct. 24, 2026, 9:38 p.m. ET

NEW BEDFORD The Massachusetts House took five roll call votes this week, all on Wednesday, Oct. 21, as it passed a $2.35 billion supplemental budget for fiscal 2026, the state budget year that ended June 30. Nine of the 10 state representatives whose districts take in South Coast towns voted for the House version of the bill, which passed 152 to 0. The other, Rep. Christopher Markey (D-9th Bristol), is recorded as not voting on all five roll calls.

The state Senate met Monday and Thursday without a roll call; its most recent was July 31. In Washington, the U.S. House has not held a roll call since Sept. 16 and next meets Monday, Oct. 26, and the U.S. Senate's most recent roll call was Sept. 30. That leaves no recorded votes this week for the South Coast's three state senators, Mark Montigny (D-2nd Bristol and Plymouth), Michael Rodrigues (D-1st Bristol and Plymouth) and Kelly Dooner (R-3rd Bristol and Plymouth), or for its members of Congress, U.S. Reps. William Keating (D-9th District) and Jake Auchincloss (D-4th District) and U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.).

The five House votes

Roll call No. 271, on the gas tax holiday, failed 30 to 122. Amendment 160 would have required gas stations to cut pump prices by the amount of the state excise on gasoline and diesel for 60 days, with stations credited for the difference, and would have made failing to pass the savings on an unfair or deceptive trade practice. In fiscal 2027 it would have moved money from the Education and Transportation Fund to the Commonwealth Transportation Fund, equal to the excise on fuel sold during the 60 days. Rep. Todd Smola (R-1st Hampden) filed it, and the three South Coast Republicans in the House, Reps. John Gaskey (R-2nd Plymouth), Steven Howitt (R-4th Bristol) and Justin Thurber (R-5th Bristol), were among its cosponsors. Gaskey, Howitt, Thurber and Reps. Alan Silvia (D-7th Bristol) and Steven Ouellette (D-8th Bristol) voted yes, while Reps. Antonio Cabral (D-13th Bristol), Carole Fiola (D-6th Bristol), Christopher Hendricks (D-11th Bristol) and Mark Sylvia (D-10th Bristol) voted no and Christopher Markey did not vote.

In floor debate, Smola said "temporary relief is still relief to the people of Massachusetts" and put the savings at about $120 million for drivers over the two months. "We should not tell our constituents that because we cannot control everything, we should do nothing about the things that we can control," he said. Rep. Adrian Madaro (D-1st Suffolk) said the amendment "fails to guarantee that oil companies and gas station chains simply won't pocket the difference," and Rep. James Arciero (D-2nd Middlesex) said a two-month suspension "would save the average driver about $25" while costing the state about $120 million in fuel tax revenue.

The House also rejected Amendment 182 without a roll call, so no individual votes were recorded. Filed by Rep. Paul Frost (R-7th Worcester) with Thurber among its cosponsors, it would have let taxpayers deduct up to $1,600 in home heating oil and propane costs when oil tops $3 a gallon, or for natural gas customers the amount their 2026 energy costs rose over 2025, across tax years 2026 to 2028.

Roll call No. 272, on the offshore wind transfer, failed 25 to 127. Amendment 183 would have struck Section 116 of the budget, which moves up to $35 million in each of fiscal 2026 and 2027 from the state's General Fund into the Massachusetts Offshore Wind Industry Investment Trust Fund. Rep. Kenneth Sweezey (R-6th Plymouth) filed it, with Thurber among its cosponsors. Gaskey, Howitt and Thurber voted yes, while Cabral, Fiola, Hendricks, Ouellette, Silvia and Sylvia voted no and Christopher Markey did not vote.

Sweezey told the House he had heard concerns from the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association about the safety of the fishing fleet and the North Atlantic right whale, and he questioned more state money for the industry. "How long are we going to pretend that this technology can stand on its own?" he said. Rep. Mark Cusack (D-5th Norfolk) called the trust fund "a critical tool to promote and support" the state's offshore wind industry and said it pays for port work and workforce training.

Roll call No. 273 adopted consolidated amendment A, 132 to 19. Offered by Rep. Aaron Michlewitz (D-3rd Suffolk) and others, the package put a set of law changes to a single vote, including these:

• Offshore wind: a new state fund for early offshore wind project work, including permitting, fisheries and environmental studies, transmission planning and port and supply chain readiness, with at least $10 million transferred into it.
• Charter schools: Horace Mann charter schools could reserve up to 20% of seats for applicants who live in a geographic area the school sets.
• MassHealth drugs: the state could not put a blanket coverage exclusion or payment limit on drugs bought through the federal 340B discount program until a related federal approval takes effect and a state report on the effects is filed.
• Tourism grants: state grants to regional tourism councils for fiscal 2026 and 2027 must go out by Dec. 1.
• Courthouse name: the Dorchester division of the Boston Municipal Court becomes the Judge Leslie E. Harris Courthouse.

Cabral, Fiola, Hendricks, Ouellette, Silvia and Sylvia voted yes on the package, while Gaskey, Howitt and Thurber voted no and Christopher Markey did not vote.

Roll call No. 274 adopted consolidated amendment B, 143 to 8. Also offered by Michlewitz and others, this package carries a $4 million fiscal note. It adds $1 million to the state's Fair Housing Fund and $1 million for a community schools program run by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and it raises line item 7002-0025 in a budget law passed earlier in 2026 from $3 million to $5 million. It also pushes back the deadlines to spend money set aside in earlier budgets, most of them to 2027. Cabral, Fiola, Gaskey, Hendricks, Ouellette, Silvia, Sylvia and Thurber voted yes, while Howitt voted no and Christopher Markey did not vote.

Several South Coast members' own amendments got no separate vote and were listed under consolidated amendment B: three from Fiola, for the Fall River Museum of Arts and Culture, a Freetown economic development study and city signage in Fall River, one from Ouellette for a Westport Fire emergency management vehicle, one from Sylvia for real-time odor monitoring in Fairhaven and one from Howitt for heating, ventilation and air conditioning work in Seekonk.

Roll call No. 275 passed the amended budget, now numbered H.5700, to be engrossed, 152 to 0. Cabral, Fiola, Gaskey, Hendricks, Howitt, Ouellette, Silvia, Sylvia and Thurber voted yes, and Christopher Markey did not vote. Opening debate on the bill, Michlewitz said "the majority of the items that are contained here are deficiencies that we need to pay off," including about $1.8 billion for MassHealth.

Who represents the South Coast in the House

Several South Coast communities are split among House districts, so a resident's representative depends on the precinct. The South Coast towns in each district:

• Antonio Cabral (D-13th Bristol): part of New Bedford.
• Carole Fiola (D-6th Bristol): parts of Fall River and Freetown.
• John Gaskey (R-2nd Plymouth): Wareham.
• Christopher Hendricks (D-11th Bristol): part of New Bedford.
• Steven Howitt (R-4th Bristol): Rehoboth and part of Swansea.
• Christopher Markey (D-9th Bristol): Dartmouth and part of New Bedford.
• Steven Ouellette (D-8th Bristol): Westport and parts of Acushnet, Fall River, Freetown and New Bedford.
• Alan Silvia (D-7th Bristol): part of Fall River.
• Mark Sylvia (D-10th Bristol): Fairhaven, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester and parts of Acushnet and New Bedford.
• Justin Thurber (R-5th Bristol): Dighton, Somerset and part of Swansea.

What comes next

The House bill, H.5700, goes to the Senate. Both chambers next meet Monday, Oct. 26, and any roll calls that week, with each South Coast member's vote, will appear in the next Legislator Watch.

Related: House rejects 60-day gas tax holiday, 30 to 122; Fall River delegation splits and House passes state budget New Bedford lawmakers say will keep Engine 9 running.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.

Notes

Every vote comes from the Massachusetts House's Yea and Nay sheets, Nos. 271 to 275, printed Oct. 21, 2026. Floor statements and quotes come from the official video and captions of the Oct. 21 House session. The amendment titles, sponsors and what each would do come from the full amendment texts and the H.5699 bill text; the vote results and the voice rejection of Amendment 182 come from the H.5699 and H.5700 bill histories; the members' own amendments and their status come from the House amendment list; the $2.35 billion figure is the Ways and Means report's Total Appropriation of $2,347,185,299. Session days come from the Legislature's session calendar; the Senate's latest roll call, No. 238, is dated July 31 by the S.3237 bill history. The federal lines come from the Clerk of the House (roll 314, Sept. 16, and the next session notice) and the Senate's vote list and the Congressional Record (No. 256, Sept. 30, and a pro forma Senate session Oct. 19). Districts and parties come from each member's official page on malegislature.gov, the Clerk of the House and senate.gov. We read them on Oct. 23, 2026. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar. SC360 has asked each of the 10 representatives for comment and will add replies in their own words.

Corrections

No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.

Sources (40)

1. Massachusetts House: Yea and Nay No. 271 (H. 5699, on adoption of amendment #160)Printed 10/21/2026 05:18 PM: 30 yeas, 122 nays, 5 N/V. South Coast: Silvia, Ouellette, Gaskey, Howitt, Thurber Y; Cabral, Fiola, Hendricks, Sylvia N; Markey X (not voting). Read Oct. 23, 2026.
2. Massachusetts House: Yea and Nay No. 272 (H. 5699, on adoption of amendment #183)Printed 10/21/2026 05:38 PM: 25 yeas, 127 nays, 5 N/V. South Coast: Gaskey, Howitt, Thurber Y; Cabral, Fiola, Hendricks, Ouellette, Silvia, Sylvia N; Markey X. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
3. Massachusetts House: Yea and Nay No. 273 (H. 5699, on adoption of consolidated amendment A)Printed 10/21/2026 05:43 PM: 132 yeas, 19 nays, 6 N/V. South Coast: Cabral, Fiola, Hendricks, Ouellette, Silvia, Sylvia Y; Gaskey, Howitt, Thurber N; Markey X. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
4. Massachusetts House: Yea and Nay No. 274 (H. 5699, amended, on adoption of consolidated amendment B)Printed 10/21/2026 07:04 PM: 143 yeas, 8 nays, 6 N/V. South Coast: Cabral, Fiola, Gaskey, Hendricks, Ouellette, Silvia, Sylvia, Thurber Y; Howitt N; Markey X. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
5. Massachusetts House: Yea and Nay No. 275 (H. 5699, as amended, on passing to be engrossed)Printed 10/21/2026 07:13 PM: 152 yeas, 0 nays, 5 N/V. South Coast: all Y except Markey X. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
6. Massachusetts Legislature: H.5699 bill history10/21/2026: Amendment 160 rejected 30 to 122 (No. 271); Amendment 182 rejected (no yea and nay); Amendment 183 rejected 25 to 127 (No. 272); consolidated A adopted 132 to 19 (No. 273); consolidated B adopted 143 to 8 (No. 274); published as amended, see H5700. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
7. Massachusetts Legislature: H.5700 bill history10/21/2026: passed to be engrossed, 152 yeas to 0 nays (No. 275). Read Oct. 23, 2026.
8. H.5699, An Act making appropriations for the fiscal year 2026 to provide for supplementing certain existing appropriations and for certain other activities and projectsWays and Means report of Oct. 20, 2026: Total Appropriation $2,347,185,299.00; the sums are for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026. Section 116: in each of fiscal 2026 and 2027, a transfer from the General Fund to the Massachusetts Offshore Wind Industry Investment Trust Fund of not more than $35,000,000. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
9. H.5699 Amendment 160, Gas Tax Holiday (full text)Filed by Smola of Warren and others, including Gaskey of Carver, Howitt of Seekonk and Thurber of Somerset; 60-day price reduction by the state gasoline and diesel excise with a credit to sellers; violations are an unfair or deceptive practice under chapter 93A; fiscal 2027 transfer from the Education and Transportation Fund to the Commonwealth Transportation Fund. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
10. H.5699 Amendment 182, Home Heating Tax Deduction Relief (full text)Frost of Auburn; cosponsors include Justin Thurber; deduction for heating oil and propane costs when oil exceeds $3.00 a gallon, up to $1,600, tax years 2026 to 2028, with a natural gas provision. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
11. H.5699 Amendment 183, Elimination of the Offshore Wind Trust Fund Transfer (full text)Sweezey of Duxbury moves to strike section 116; cosponsors Xiarhos and Justin Thurber. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
12. H.5699 Consolidated Amendment A (full text)Michlewitz of Boston and others: Offshore Wind Pre-Development and Project Acceleration Fund with a transfer of not less than $10,000,000; Horace Mann charter school seat reservation of up to 20 per cent by geographic preference area; 340B MassHealth limit; regional tourism council grants by Dec. 1, 2026; Judge Leslie E. Harris Courthouse. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
13. H.5699 Consolidated Amendment B (full text)Fiscal note $4,000,000; Michlewitz of Boston and others: $1,000,000 to the Fair Housing Fund; $1,000,000 for a community schools program at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; Section 84B raises item 7002-0025 of chapter 137 of the acts of 2026 from $3,000,000 to $5,000,000; extensions of earlier spending items, most to 2027. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
14. Massachusetts Legislature: session calendar, 194th General CourtCompleted sessions: Senate 10/19 and 10/22; House 10/19, 10/21 and 10/22. Next: Senate and House 10/26. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
15. Massachusetts Senate: roll call list, 194th General Court238 roll calls, the highest No. 238. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
16. Massachusetts Legislature: S.3237 bill historyDates Senate Roll Call #238: "7/31/2026, Senate, Enacted, see Roll Call #238 (Yeas 39 to Nays 0)." Read Oct. 23, 2026.
17. Office of the Clerk, U.S. House: roll call 314, 2026Action date 16-Sep-2026; no roll 315 or later is posted. The Clerk votes page (https://clerk.house.gov/Votes) reads "House Not In Session, Next Session: October 26th, 2026 at 12:30 PM." Read Oct. 23, 2026.
18. U.S. Senate: roll call votes, 119th Congress, 2nd sessionMost recent vote No. 256, 30-Sep; none dated in October. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
19. Congressional Record, Daily Digest, Senate, Sept. 30, 2026"Record Votes: Four record votes were taken today. (Total--256)," the last a confirmation "(Vote No. EX. 256)." Read Oct. 23, 2026.
20. Congressional Record, Daily Digest, Senate, Oct. 19, 2026"The Senate met at 9:00:01 a.m. in pro forma session" and adjourned until Thursday, Oct. 22; program for Thursday: "Senate will meet in a pro forma session." Read Oct. 23, 2026.
21. Massachusetts House: Formal House Session, Oct. 21, 2026 (official video, 01:47:08, with captions)Captions file https://prodarchivevideo.blob.core.windows.net/video/2026/Sessions/House/October/212026_10_21_Formal_Session.vtt. Floor statements: Michlewitz opening the budget debate (00:20 to 00:26); Smola for Amendment 160 (00:38 to 00:44); Madaro (00:44 to 00:47) and Arciero (00:47 to 00:51) against; Sweezey for Amendment 183 (01:01 to 01:07); Cusack against (01:07 to 01:09). Consolidated A and B had no debate. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
22. Massachusetts House: H.5699 amendment list (197 amendments)Status "Consolidated B" for No. 73 (Ouellette, Westport Fire replacement of the EMA vehicle), No. 104 (Howitt, Seekonk HVAC PAC), Nos. 155 to 157 (Fiola, Fall River Museum of Arts and Culture, Freetown Economic Development Study, City of Fall River Signage PAC) and No. 159 (Sylvia, Town of Fairhaven real-time odor monitoring). Read Oct. 23, 2026.
23. Massachusetts House: member listDistrict and party for each representative named: Cabral 13th Bristol, Fiola 6th Bristol, Gaskey 2nd Plymouth, Hendricks 11th Bristol, Howitt 4th Bristol, Markey 9th Bristol, Ouellette 8th Bristol, Silvia 7th Bristol, Sylvia 10th Bristol, Thurber 5th Bristol, Smola 1st Hampden, Sweezey 6th Plymouth, Frost 7th Worcester, Michlewitz 3rd Suffolk, Madaro 1st Suffolk, Arciero 2nd Middlesex, Cusack 5th Norfolk. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
24. Rep. Antonio F. D. Cabral, 13th Bristol: district descriptionWards and precincts of New Bedford only. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
25. Rep. Carole A. Fiola, 6th Bristol: district descriptionParts of Fall River and Precinct 1 of Freetown. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
26. Rep. John R. Gaskey, 2nd Plymouth: district descriptionCarver, part of Middleborough and the town of Wareham. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
27. Rep. Christopher Hendricks, 11th Bristol: district descriptionWards and precincts of New Bedford only. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
28. Rep. Steven S. Howitt, 4th Bristol: district descriptionPart of Norton, Rehoboth, Seekonk and Precincts 4 and 5 of Swansea. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
29. Rep. Christopher M. Markey, 9th Bristol: district descriptionDartmouth and Ward 1 Precincts D, E and F of New Bedford. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
30. Rep. Steven J. Ouellette, 8th Bristol: district descriptionParts of Acushnet, Fall River, Freetown and New Bedford, and the town of Westport. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
31. Rep. Alan Silvia, 7th Bristol: district descriptionWards and precincts of Fall River only. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
32. Rep. Mark D. Sylvia, 10th Bristol: district descriptionPart of Acushnet, Fairhaven, part of New Bedford, Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
33. Rep. Justin Thurber, 5th Bristol: district descriptionDighton, Somerset, Precincts 1 to 3 of Swansea and part of Taunton. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
34. Sen. Mark C. Montigny, Second Bristol and Plymouth: profile and districtDemocrat. New Bedford, Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven and Mattapoisett. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
35. Sen. Michael J. Rodrigues, First Bristol and Plymouth: profile and districtDemocrat. Fall River, Freetown, Somerset, Swansea, Westport, Lakeville and Rochester. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
36. Sen. Kelly A. Dooner, Third Bristol and Plymouth: profile and districtRepublican. Taunton, Berkley, Dighton, Raynham, Rehoboth, Seekonk, Carver, Marion, Middleborough and Wareham. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
37. Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 57, section 1: congressional districtsAs inserted by Chapter 93 of the Acts of 2021. The Fourth District includes Fall River, Dighton, Freetown, Rehoboth, Somerset and Swansea; the Ninth District includes New Bedford, Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Westport, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester and Wareham. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
38. Office of the Clerk, U.S. House: William R. Keating"Massachusetts (MA), 9th, Democrat." Read Oct. 23, 2026.
39. Office of the Clerk, U.S. House: Jake Auchincloss"Massachusetts (MA), 4th, Democrat." Read Oct. 23, 2026.
40. U.S. Senate: senators listMarkey, Edward J., Massachusetts, Democratic; Warren, Elizabeth, Massachusetts, Democratic. Read Oct. 23, 2026.

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