Wednesday will bring a new General Court on Beacon Hill, but lawmakers must work around the same old public health crisis.
Massachusetts House and Senate leadership are modifying the traditional plans for inaugural ceremonies to kick off the new legislative session — which normally would have come with packed chambers, lengthy festivities, and lots of handshakes, hugs and back-slapping.
When the House gavels into the 2021-2022 biennium, the chamber will be rather spare, according to plans from Speaker Ronald Mariano's office. The 17 new representatives will be prioritized for an in-person ceremony, or as the speaker put it last week, their "day in the sun," to be sworn in by Gov. Charlie Baker in the historic House Chamber.
Otherwise, guidelines remain the same, "strongly urging" returning members to participate virtually unless their presence is necessary to run the session.
One necessary lawmaker would seem to be Rep. Kevin Honan of Boston, who becomes the House dean on Wednesday and takes on the duty of convening the House before they make formal choice of a speaker.
After Baker swears in the incoming class of representatives, he will swear in each of the four House divisions in separate virtual ceremonies. Reps can participate either by video or telephone, according to the speaker's office.
On Wednesday, all but the new members are being sworn in by phone. While I'll miss being at the State House in person, I'm also oddly grateful for another day when I do not have to wear heels.... or even remember where I put them 9 months ago.
— Lindsay Sabadosa (@SabadosaMA) January 5, 2021
The Senate will get some fresh air Wednesday, convening at 11 a.m. in the wilds of Ashburton Park. A quorum of senators-elect — 21 — will be physically present in the park on Bowdoin Street, according to President Karen Spilka's office, for a socially-distanced swearing-in ceremony with Gov. Baker.
The remainder of the Senate's opening session will be primarily virtual, captained from the chamber by a skeleton crew, the spokesman said.
Senators will need their hats. The forecast is around 35 degrees and mostly cloudy.
