There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call reports on the percentage of times local senators voted with their party’s leadership in the 2024 session through Sept. 13.

Beacon Hill Roll Call uses 124 votes from the 2024 Senate session as the basis for this report. This includes all roll calls that were not on local issues.

The votes of the 34 Democrats were compared to Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Creem, D-Newton, second-in-command in the Senate. We could not compare the Democrats’ votes to those of Senate President Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, because, by tradition, the Senate president rarely votes.

Fourteen (41.1%) of the 34 Democrats voted with Creem 100% of the time. Seventeen (50%) Democrats voted with Creem at least 90% of the time. Only three Democrats voted with Creem less than 90% of the time.

The senator who voted with Creem least frequently is Sen. Walter Timilty, D-Milton, who voted with her only 104 times (83.8%). Rounding out the top five who voted with Creem least frequently are Sens. Marc Pacheco, D-Taunton, 107 times (86.2%); Nick Collins, D-Boston, 110 times (88.7%); and Mark Montigny, D-New Bedford, and Michael Moore, D-Millbury, who each voted with Creem 114 times (91.9%).

The votes of the three Republican senators were compared with those of GOP Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester. None of the three voted with Tarr 100% of the time.

Sen. Ryan Fattman, R-Sutton, voted with Tarr 113 times (91.1%); Sen. Patrick O’Connor, R-Weymouth, voted with Tarr 117 times (94.3%); and Sen. Peter Durant, R-Spencer, voted with Tarr 116 times (93.5%).

The percentage next to the senator’s name represents the percentage of times the senator has supported his or her party’s leadership so far in 2024 through Sept. 13. The number in parentheses represents the number of times the senator opposed his or her party’s leadership.

Some senators voted on all 124 roll call votes. Others missed one or more roll calls. The percentage for each senator is calculated based on the number of roll calls on which he or she voted.

Sen. Joanne Comerford — 100% (0)

Sen. Paul Mark — 99.1% (1)

Also up on Beacon Hill Dog kennel safety — Ollie’s Law (S 2929)

The House and Senate approved and sent to Gov. Maura Healey a bill that would allow the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources to establish rules and regulations for dog kennels to ensure animal welfare, protect consumers and keep kennel staff safe. A person who violates the regulations would be fined $500 for a first offense and $1,000 for a second or subsequent offense.

Required regulations would include obtaining a license from the municipality, an annual inspection, dog-to-staff ratio specifications, injury reporting, indoor and outdoor physical facility requirements, insurance, and minimal housing and care requirements.

Supporters said that currently, the state has no oversight of dog day care or boarding kennels. They argued it is estimated that a dog is injured or killed every 9 to 10 days in Massachusetts at these kennels. They noted that many families have suffered the loss or injury of an animal at a dog day care or kennel that could have been prevented by commonsense regulations over these facilities.

The bill was filed by Sen. Mark Montigny, D-New Bedford, in memory of Ollie, a 7-month-old labradoodle who was attacked by other dogs at a boarding kennel in East Longmeadow. Ollie needed round-the-clock care and surgery and was in the hospital for two months before succumbing to his injuries. While the facility was shut down by town officials, Ollie’s owner Ann Baxter was stunned to learn that there were no state regulations regarding boarding facilities, and soon took up the fight to help ensure tragedies like this never happen again.

“Pets are family who provide boundless love and affection that we are lucky to receive,” Montigny said. “For this reason, it is critical that we ensure all businesses entrusted with the care of our family adhere to proper health and safety protocols no matter what town they operate in across the commonwealth. Too often, we have heard devastating stories of pets like Ollie who have been injured or killed due to negligent care. These people have no place caring for such precious creatures and it’s time that we implement consistent standards across Massachusetts.”

Rename the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (S 2941)

Gov. Healey signed into law legislation that would rename the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission to MassAbility, a change that supporters say will better define the agency’s role in helping residents with disabilities to live independently. They said the legislation also removes outdated and offensive terminology in the Massachusetts General Laws like changing “handicap” to “barrier;” “handicapped” to “person with a disability;” and “retarded” to “person with an intellectual disability.”

Supporters said the name change reflects the intention to empower individuals living with disabilities and move away from outdated terminology as the office undergoes broad changes toward a more expansive model for disability employment services and independent living.

“Words matter,” Healey said. “This legislation ensures that the names and terms we use accurately reflect the strength and capabilities of the disability community, supports our goal of helping the people we serve achieve autonomy and independence, and breaks down stigma.”

“The new name MassAbility and language changes reflect both the state and agency’s commitment to inclusivity, because we know that words matter,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh. “MassAbility represents pride and self-determination. It’s about rights and equal access. It’s about building a future and being fully present and counted in the world.”

“This historic legislation represents the state’s commitment to propelling the disability movement forward,” said MassAbility Commissioner Toni Wolf. “Language has the power to shape people and culture, tackle stigmas, biases and stereotypes. For too long, the words we’ve used have not reflected the strengths, resilience and determination of the disability community. This legislation changes that. We are changing life in Massachusetts for the better, making it more equitable, accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities.”

Add 225 liquor licenses (H 5039)

Gov. Healey signed into law a bill adding 225 new alcohol licenses for the city of Boston over the next three years.

Supporters said the licenses would be distributed across 13 Boston ZIP codes, expanding equity for restaurant owners in historically underrepresented parts of the city and boosting economic opportunity in communities of color that have been systemically excluded for decades.

They noted that sit-down restaurants in Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, East Boston, Roslindale, West Roxbury, Hyde Park, Charlestown, Jamaica Plain and the South End now stand to benefit from the restricted licenses. They said that the high price tag of up to $600,000 for existing licenses has been a major obstacle for businesses looking to turn a profit, including in underserved neighborhoods.

“Neighborhood restaurants play such an essential role in our communities and our economy,” Healey said. “This bill will lower barriers for Boston restaurants to provide the services that their customers are looking for and help them succeed, while also supporting local nonprofits, theaters and outdoor spaces.

$362 million supplemental budget (H 5050)

The House and Senate approved and sent to Gov. Healey a $362 million to help close out fiscal year 2024. Key provisions ratify and fund some 38 collective bargaining agreements and direct $228 million in funding for the American Rescue Plan Act Home and Community-Based Services.

Other provisions include $20 million to replace lost federal funding for victims of violent crimes; $29.7 million in early education and care subsidies to ensure providers can maintain access for all income-eligible families in need of child care; $5.6 million for tax abatements for veterans, widows, blind persons and the elderly; $5.1 million to support increased demand for the Healthy Incentives Program, which provides fresh healthy food options and supports local growers; and $2.1 million for Women, Infants and Children nutrition services to fully support the current caseload of recipients.

“The funding included in this supplemental budget is critical, as it addresses a number of important issues affecting residents, invests in workforce development and ratifies dozens of collective bargaining agreements,” said House Speaker Ron Mariano, D-Quincy.

“Today’s funding will ensure that our workers get the raises they deserve, and that vital support systems across our state have the resources they need to close out the fiscal year,” said Senate President Karen Spilka, D-Ashland.

“The essential funding contained in this supplemental budget will help fund important programs and approve numerous collective bargaining agreements that will help essential employees our commonwealth relies on,” said Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, D-Boston, chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means.