← All legislators
Official photo of James T. Welch

Former State Senator

James T. Welch

Hampden District · Democrat

  • 2019–2020 State Senator, Hampden · Democrat

An email with their new roll call votes when the Legislature votes, at most once a week.

Election Day · Tuesday, Nov 3

Your Nov 3 ballot: a short quiz for every race in your town, about a minute each.

Find my ballot →

Record at a glance · 2019–2020 · Senate

468 of 471roll calls voted on (99%) · whole Senate 99%
57no votes (12% of votes cast) · whole Senate 13%
24 of 251split votes where Welch was in the minority (10%) · whole Senate 11%
0times voted “present”
How these numbers work
  • Counted from the official House and Senate roll calls. Quorum calls are not counted, nor joint sessions and the vote electing the Senate President.
  • “Roll calls voted on” matches the Missed votes figures below; voting “present” counts as voting.
  • A split vote is one where at least one member voted yes and another voted no (ties not counted). “In the minority” means on the side with fewer votes.
  • “Whole Senate” combines every member’s record for the same session. Percentages are shown only with at least 10 votes to count.
  • Most bills pass or die without a roll call, so these numbers cover only part of a legislator’s work.
  • Party is shown as the Legislature lists it, next to the district. MassVoter never compares, groups or ranks legislators by party.

These numbers describe the record; they are not a grade. A no vote or a minority vote is neither good nor bad. MassVoter never rates legislators.

Missed votes

2019–2020SenateMissed 3 of 471 roll callsRank 31 of 41 senators99%voted

Roll calls this member did not vote on, while serving in the Senate. Ties share a rank. The record does not say why a member did not vote. See every senator →

Most divided votes

For each session, the 10 roll calls where the losing side was largest, with how James T. Welch voted. Most roll calls in the Massachusetts Legislature pass by wide margins, so these are where members split the most.

2019–2020

Jul 16, 2020 · Senate · S.2813Authorizing and accelerating transportation investmentAdd a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: Yes14–25 · Amendment rejectedJul 14, 2020 · Senate · S.2800To reform police standards and shift resources to build a more equitable, fair and just commonwealth that values Black lives and communities of colorAdd a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: Yes16–24 · Amendment rejectedJul 14, 2020 · Senate · S.2800To reform police standards and shift resources to build a more equitable, fair and just commonwealth that values Black lives and communities of colorAdd a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: Yes16–24 · Amendment rejectedJul 13, 2020 · Senate · S.2800To reform police standards and shift resources to build a more equitable, fair and just commonwealth that values Black lives and communities of colorAdd a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: Yes16–24 · Amendment rejectedJun 16, 2020 · Senate · S.2755Relative to voting options in response to COVID-19Add a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: Yes14–25 · Amendment rejectedJun 16, 2020 · Senate · S.2755Relative to voting options in response to COVID-19Add a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: Yes16–23 · Amendment rejectedFeb 27, 2020 · Senate · S.2553Relative to automated enforcementAdd a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: Yes18–19 · Amendment rejectedFeb 27, 2020 · Senate · S.2553Relative to automated enforcementAdd a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: Yes13–24 · Amendment rejectedOct 3, 2019 · Senate · S.2350Relative to educational opportunity for studentsAdd a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: No14–24 · Amendment rejected2019–2020 session · Senate · S.2800To reform police standards and shift resources to build a more equitable, fair and just commonwealth that values Black lives and communities of colorAdd a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: Yes16–23 · Amendment rejected

Votes by topic

Roll calls sorted by subject, from the bill title and the question voted on. A vote can fall under more than one topic; budget amendments mostly fall under Taxes and budgets. Tap a topic to see each vote.

Taxes and budgets 230
Health and human services 46
Water, sewer and environment 31
Schools and education 28
Police, fire and public safety 25
Roads, traffic and transit 21
Appointments and hiring 9
Parks, recreation and libraries 7
Energy and utilities 5
Housing and zoning 1
Licenses and permits 1

How James T. Welch voted

479 recorded votes

Mar 28, 2019 · Senate · H.3638Supplemental budget for fiscal year 2019Final approval before the bill goes to the GovernorVoted: Yes33–5 · PassedMar 28, 2019 · Senate · H.3594To lift the cap on kidsApprove the bill in this chamber (it still needs the other chamber and a final vote)Voted: Yes37–1 · PassedMar 28, 2019 · Senate · S.2186To lift the cap on kidsAdd a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: No6–31 · Amendment rejectedMar 28, 2019 · Senate · H.140Relative to abusive practices to change sexual orientation and gender identity in minorsApprove the bill in this chamber (it still needs the other chamber and a final vote)Co-sponsor Voted: Yes34–0 · PassedMar 28, 2019 · Senate · S.2187Relative to abusive practices to change sexual orientation and gender identity in minorsAdd a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: No6–32 · Amendment rejected
Mar 28, 2019 · Senate · S.2189Relative to the constitutionality of pending legislationQuestion on adoption of the OrderVoted: No6–32 · Did not passJan 31, 2019 · Senate · S.8Proposed Senate Rules recommended by the temporary committee on Rules to be adopted as the permanent rules of the Senate for 2019-2020Add a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: No6–33 · Amendment rejectedJan 31, 2019 · Senate · S.8Proposed Senate Rules recommended by the temporary committee on Rules to be adopted as the permanent rules of the Senate for 2019-2020Add a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: No6–33 · Amendment rejectedJan 31, 2019 · Senate · S.8Proposed Senate Rules recommended by the temporary committee on Rules to be adopted as the permanent rules of the Senate for 2019-2020Add a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: No8–31 · Amendment rejectedJan 31, 2019 · Senate · S.8Proposed Senate Rules recommended by the temporary committee on Rules to be adopted as the permanent rules of the Senate for 2019-2020Add a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: Yes39–0 · Amendment adoptedJan 31, 2019 · Senate · S.8Proposed Senate Rules recommended by the temporary committee on Rules to be adopted as the permanent rules of the Senate for 2019-2020Add a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: Yes39–0 · Amendment adoptedJan 31, 2019 · Senate · S.9Proposed Joint Rules recommended by the temporary committee on Rules to be adopted as the Joint Rules governing the 2019-2020 legislative sessionAdd a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: Yes39–0 · Amendment adoptedJan 31, 2019 · Senate · S.9Proposed Joint Rules recommended by the temporary committee on Rules to be adopted as the Joint Rules governing the 2019-2020 legislative sessionAdd a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: No8–31 · Amendment rejectedJan 31, 2019 · Senate · S.9Proposed Joint Rules recommended by the temporary committee on Rules to be adopted as the Joint Rules governing the 2019-2020 legislative sessionAdd a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: Yes39–0 · Amendment adoptedJan 31, 2019 · Senate · S.9Proposed Joint Rules recommended by the temporary committee on Rules to be adopted as the Joint Rules governing the 2019-2020 legislative sessionAdd a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: Yes39–0 · Amendment adoptedJan 31, 2019 · Senate · S.9Proposed Joint Rules recommended by the temporary committee on Rules to be adopted as the Joint Rules governing the 2019-2020 legislative sessionAdd a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: Yes39–0 · Amendment adopted2019–2020 session · Senate · S.2974Relative to Article 97 of the Amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth to be preserved for municipal park and open space purposes located at…Final approval before the bill goes to the GovernorVoted: Yes39–0 · Passed2019–2020 session · SenateVote without a bill numberSet aside the chamber's usual rules to take this up nowVoted: Yes33–7 · Passed2019–2020 session · SenateVote without a bill number-- Time of meetingVoted: Yes33–7 · Passed2019–2020 session · SenateVote without a bill numberSet aside the chamber's usual rules to take this up nowVoted: Yes29–10 · Passed2019–2020 session · Senate · H.4887Enabling partnerships for growthApprove the bill in this chamber (it still needs the other chamber and a final vote)Voted: Yes40–0 · Passed2019–2020 session · Senate · S.2800To reform police standards and shift resources to build a more equitable, fair and just commonwealth that values Black lives and communities of colorQuestion on sustaining the ruling of the ChairVoted: No36–4 · Passed2019–2020 session · Senate · S.2800To reform police standards and shift resources to build a more equitable, fair and just commonwealth that values Black lives and communities of colorAdd a proposed change (amendment) to the billVoted: Yes16–23 · Amendment rejected2019–2020 session · Senate · S.2800To reform police standards and shift resources to build a more equitable, fair and just commonwealth that values Black lives and communities of colorSet aside the chamber's usual rules to take this up nowVoted: Yes34–6 · Passed2019–2020 session · Senate · S.2800To reform police standards and shift resources to build a more equitable, fair and just commonwealth that values Black lives and communities of colorSet aside the chamber's usual rules to take this up nowVoted: Yes36–4 · Passed
How to read these votesOnly recorded votes are listed, a vote on an amendment isn't a vote on the whole bill, and we never score legislators. What's included and what isn't.About the vote tracker →

Source: official profile on malegislature.gov. Only roll call votes are listed; bills passed on a voice vote have no individual record. MassVoter never grades or scores legislators. How to read this

Get an email when new quizzes open

MassVoter.com · nonpartisan match quiz · About · How the Legislature voted · Local Votes · Privacy · Support MassVoter

Report an error on this page

See something wrong? A wrong vote, name, date or number? Tell us and we’ll check it against the source and fix it. Fixes are listed on our corrections page.