Members filed 44 proposals to amend the internal House rules and another 14 amendments to the Joint rules governing the House and Senate, with 20 of
the amendments subject to a recorded roll call vote. The 6,000th roll call vote cast by Representative Jones – part of an unbroken string of votes dating back to March of 1994 – was in support of a proposal by Representative Paul Frost (R-Auburn) requiring all tax increases to be subject to a two-thirds roll call vote and prohibiting any tax increases from being considered less than 30 days before the deadline for filing nomination papers for the next biennial state election. The amendment failed on a vote of 34-121.
“I am truly honored and humbled to continue to have the opportunity to serve the citizens of the 20th Middlesex District,” said Representative Jones. “The residents of North Reading, Reading, Lynnfield and Middleton have placed their trust in me as their elected representative, and I can think of no better way to uphold that trust than to ensure that their voices are heard on each and every roll call vote that is taken in the House.”
Among the other votes cast by Representative Jones this week were one in support of allowing two members to request a roll call vote on legislation pending before a committee and another requiring all committee votes to be posted online within 48 hours. Representative Jones and the House Republican Caucus have long championed similar measures to promote more openness and transparency in the Legislature.
Representative Jones’ long-running streak of not missing a roll call, which dates back to when he was first sworn in to office, currently stands at 6,015 votes cast.
