Commonwealth Report Legislators Method

House · Republican

Joseph D. McKenna

Current member · 18th Worcester

Data through FY2026; built October 19, 2026.

Residence

Sutton

First elected

House 2014

Occupation

Legislator

Seats held, General Courts 189–194 (the FY2017–FY2026 budgets)
SessionChamberDistrictLinesNote
189th (2015–16)House18th Worcester2011 lines
190th (2017–18)House18th Worcester2011 lines
191st (2019–20)House18th Worcester2011 lines
192nd (2021–22)House18th Worcester2011 lines
193rd (2023–24)House18th Worcester2021 lines
194th (2025–26)House18th Worcester2021 lines

Posts and stipends

Joseph D. McKenna was paid $56,331 in leadership and committee stipends from 2024 to 2026 (2026 to date).

Posts and stipends by session (stipends by calendar year)
SessionPostsFirst yearSecond year
189th (2015–16)No post recordednot available$0
190th (2017–18)No post recorded$0$0
191st (2019–20)Ranking minority member, Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development$0$0
192nd (2021–22)Ranking minority member, Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure$0$0
193rd (2023–24)Ranking minority member, House Committee on Human Resources and Employee Engagement; Ranking minority member, Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure; Ranking minority member, Joint Committee on the Judiciary$0$16,453
194th (2025–26)Ranking minority member, Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure$22,431$17,446 (to date)

Posts: the Legislature’s leadership and roster records as compiled for this project; where those name no post, the member’s committee chair, vice-chair and ranking roles from the Legislature’s member profiles. Stipends: additional compensation in the Comptroller’s payroll data (CTHRU dataset 9ttk-7vz6), 2016–2026; 2026 is the year to date. Stipends for 2015 are not available. Base salary is not included.

The district

18th Worcester on its 2021 lines: 5 cities and towns, 46,086 residents (2020).

Webster · Sutton · Douglas · Oxford · Uxbridge

Percentages are each place’s share of the district’s 2020 residents; for a town split between districts, the share of the town inside this one follows.

Population-weighted Fairness Index of the district’s cities and towns: 53 for all state aid and 71 for discretionary money (50 is a fair share).

Local earmarks are counted three ways. District money uses the first, clauses that name a place in the district; the second table adds organizations located in the district (placed in the district) and state facilities located there (everything placed). Three ways to count a local earmark.

District money, first measure: enacted earmarks in clauses naming a place in the district, by session (district money, not the member’s)
SessionDistrictDollarsIn corrective clausesPer resident per budget, rankWithout corrective clauses, rank
189th (2015–16)18th Worcester$172,000$0$4.04 · 48th of 160$4.04 · 47th of 160
190th (2017–18)18th Worcester$378,000$0$4.42 · 68th of 160$4.42 · 66th of 160
191st (2019–20)18th Worcester$199,000$0$2.33 · 119th of 160$2.33 · 119th of 160
192nd (2021–22)18th Worcester$748,000$0$8.75 · 51st of 160$8.75 · 45th of 160
193rd (2023–24)18th Worcester$335,000$0$3.64 · 147th of 160$3.64 · 147th of 160
194th (2025–26)18th Worcester$53,000$0$1.16 · 156th of 160$1.16 · 156th of 160

District money is where enacted earmarks land, by the place a clause names, mapped to districts by 2020 population; it is not attributed to the member and does not include leadership’s base-text money that names no place. Ranks are of district money per resident among the chamber’s districts, 1 = most. “In corrective clauses” is the part carried by a Ways and Means chair’s corrective amendments, which is leadership’s money; the last column gives the per-resident figure and rank without it. Sessions are labeled by the General Court that enacted each budget. Per-resident figures use the district as drawn for each session (2011 lines through the 192nd General Court, 2021 lines from the 193rd), so they will not equal a session’s dollars divided by the resident count above.

The same district on the other two measures, by session (enacted; includes any corrective-clause money)
SessionDistrictPlaced in the districtPer resident per budget, rankEverything placedPer resident per budget, rank
189th (2015–16)18th Worcester$172,000$4.04 · 70th of 160$172,000$4.04 · 72nd of 160
190th (2017–18)18th Worcester$378,000$4.42 · 79th of 160$378,000$4.42 · 83rd of 160
191st (2019–20)18th Worcester$199,000$2.33 · 135th of 160$199,000$2.33 · 137th of 160
192nd (2021–22)18th Worcester$748,000$8.75 · 75th of 160$748,000$8.75 · 77th of 160
193rd (2023–24)18th Worcester$335,000$3.64 · 151st of 160$335,000$3.64 · 153rd of 160
194th (2025–26)18th Worcester$53,000$1.16 · 157th of 160$53,000$1.16 · 158th of 160

Budget amendments

Joseph D. McKenna sponsored 74 budget amendments in FY2017–FY2026, asking for $17.7 million in all.

Amendments sponsored

74

FY2017–FY2026 budgets

Adopted, known outcomes

36%

20 of 56

Chamber rate, same ask sizes

57%

expected at the chamber’s rates

Of the 56 with a known outcome, 20 were adopted (36%). At the chamber’s adoption rate for amendments of the same size, about 32 (57%) would have been.

Largest enacted items matched to an amendment Joseph D. McKenna filed (strong text matches)
YearAmountEnacted budget text (excerpt)Amendment
FY2023$25,000“designing and building a new municipal department of public works barn in Douglas”H4700 #226
FY2022$25,000“the Douglas adult social center in the town of Douglas for improvements to its facility”H4000 #19
FY2022$25,000“the Sutton senior center in the town of Sutton for improvements to its facility”H4000 #20
FY2018$25,000 (shared two ways)“the design and construction of a drinking water main-line in the town of Webster”H3600 #851
FY2017$25,000“the maintenance of lake Singletary in Sutton and Millbury”H4200 #1160

Strong matches: 11 enacted items, $235,000 (the member’s share where several amendments claim one clause). A further two weaker text matches are not listed; attribution is inferred from amendment text and is less certain there. House attribution is inferred throughout, because the House adopts most amendments inside consolidated amendments.

50 outcomes are inferred by matching amendment text to the House’s consolidated amendments, because the House records most amendments only as “Consolidated A–G.” Ask size is the larger of the earmark dollars and the line-item change an amendment requests; bands: no dollar amount, under $50,000, $50,000–$250,000, $250,000–$1 million, $1–5 million, $5 million or more. Leadership’s unattributed base-text and corrective-amendment money is never assigned to a member. The comparison describes outcomes; it is not a measure of merit.

Bills sponsored

Joseph D. McKenna filed 149 bills as lead sponsor in these sessions; five were enacted on their own. In completed sessions, 4% of their lead bills were enacted on their own, against chamber medians of 3% to 7% for the same sessions.

Most bills die in every legislature, and many policies pass inside other bills; the chamber median for the same session is the fair comparison.

Bills filed as lead sponsor, by session and outcome
SessionChamberLead billsEnactedFolded into an enacted billLaid before the Governor (pending)Sent to studyReported favorably, then diedReported adversely or withdrawnNo actionPending (session open)Enacted rateChamber medianCosponsored
189th (2015–16)House11010710200%6%128
190th (2017–18)House2020011502010%7%219
191st (2019–20)House271001572204%4%282
192nd (2021–22)House301102330203%3%183
193rd (2023–24)House321102351103%4%210
194th (2025–26)House290012000080%*1%174

Enacted bills as lead sponsor

Outcomes are the furthest point each bill reached in the record. “Folded into an enacted bill” means the history names the enacted bill that absorbed it. “Passed both branches; no chapter recorded” means the bill was enacted by both branches and laid before the Governor, with no chapter or veto in the history; in the 194th General Court such bills are shown as laid before the Governor (pending). The 194th General Court is in session until January 2027, so its open bills are pending, not dead, and its rates (*) are not comparable with completed sessions. Chairs and leaders control the calendar, which raises their rates. Source: malegislature.gov bill histories.

Recorded votes on accountability measures

Joseph D. McKenna cast 81 yes-or-no votes on the 81 accountability roll calls in this file (66 yes, 15 no).

Roll calls on rules, audits, public records, term limits and pay
DateMeasureVoteChamber result
January 25, 2017Recommit the 2017 pay-raise bill (H.58) to Ways and MeansYesYeas 35, nays 125
January 25, 2017Amd 3 (Lyons): legislators' raise not effective until next General CourtYesYeas 40, nays 120
January 25, 2017Amd 5 (Lyons): cap the increases at 4%YesYeas 36, nays 124
January 25, 2017Engrossment of the pay-raise bill (stipend increases)NoYeas 116, nays 44
January 26, 2017Enactment of the pay-raise billNoYeas 116, nays 43
February 2, 2017Override of Gov. Baker's veto of the pay-raise billNoYeas 116, nays 43
February 2, 2017Amendment 1.0 (Geoff Diehl): Text of the proposed House amendment (Representative Diehl) to the House Bill relative to Rank and File (House, No. 2017)YesYeas 34, nays 124
February 2, 2017Sustain the Chair's ruling (point of order, Mr. Mark) against Diehl amd 2, Speaker term limitsNoYeas 123, nays 33
February 2, 2017Amendment 3.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): 24 Hour Time Frame for Bills to Be Acted OnYesYeas 35, nays 124
February 2, 2017Amendment 4.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Access to InformationYesYeas 35, nays 124
February 2, 2017Amendment 9.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Emergency Scheduling of HearingsYesYeas 38, nays 121
February 2, 2017Amendment 10.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Equal Representation on Ethics CommitteeYesYeas 35, nays 124
February 2, 2017Amendment 15.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): InoculatorsYesYeas 37, nays 122
February 2, 2017Amendment 16.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Local Aid ResolutionYesYeas 38, nays 121
February 2, 2017Amendment 27.0 (James J. Lyons, Jr.): Defining and Limiting Informal SessionYesYeas 34, nays 124
February 2, 2017Amendment 20.0 (Shaunna L. O'Connell): Public access to House financial accounts auditsYesYeas 34, nays 125
February 2, 2017Amendment 21.0 (Shaunna L. O'Connell): Public access to committee votesYesYeas 41, nays 118
February 2, 2017Amendment 5.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Local Aid ResolutionYesYeas 37, nays 122
February 2, 2017Amendment 11.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Committee Roll Calls on WebsiteYesYeas 38, nays 121
February 2, 2017Amendment 13.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Reports of Conference Filing DeadlineYesYeas 37, nays 122
February 2, 2017Amendment 14.0 (Shaunna L. O'Connell): Public access to committee votesYesYeas 38, nays 121
January 30, 2019Amendment 1.0 (Jonathan Hecht): Time to review billsYesYeas 55, nays 103
January 30, 2019Amendment 2.0 (Jonathan Hecht): Time to review amendmentsYesYeas 47, nays 111
January 30, 2019Amendment 3.0 (Jonathan Hecht): Committee materials and votesYesYeas 49, nays 109
January 30, 2019Collective bargaining for House employees (curb on leadership control of staff); not a disclosure/power-of-leadership rule in the narrow sense (contested meaning)NoYeas 9, nays 149
January 30, 2019Amendment 11.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Access to InformationYesYeas 40, nays 118
January 30, 2019Amendment 12.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Emergency Scheduling of HearingsYesYeas 35, nays 123
January 30, 2019Amendment 14.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Committee Polls – 2 HoursYesYeas 44, nays 114
January 30, 2019Amendment 16.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): House AuditsYesYeas 35, nays 123
January 30, 2019Amendment 17.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): HWM Reports on BillsYesYeas 33, nays 125
January 30, 2019Amendment 19.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Local Aid ResolutionYesYeas 32, nays 126
January 30, 2019Amendment 20.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Review of Consolidated AmendmentsYesYeas 32, nays 125
January 30, 2019Amendment 22.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Committee Votes on WebsiteYesYeas 44, nays 113
January 30, 2019Fingerprint remote voting from committee rooms (contested meaning)YesYeas 32, nays 125
January 30, 2019Amendment 25.0 (Marc T. Lombardo): Matters considered in an informal sessionYesYeas 32, nays 125
January 30, 2019Amendment 31.0 (John H. Rogers): Relative to Rule 18CYesYeas 43, nays 113
January 30, 2019Amendment 32.0 (Patrick Joseph Kearney): relative to Rule 100 ( c ) 3NoYeas 5, nays 152
January 30, 2019Amendment 33.0 (Patrick Joseph Kearney): relative to Rule 20A and Rule 33ANoYeas 5, nays 152
January 30, 2019Equitable office space (leadership allocates offices) (contested meaning)NoYeas 11, nays 146
January 30, 2019Amendment 38.0 (Denise Provost): To assure adequate time to prepare and file amendmentsYesYeas 44, nays 113
January 30, 2019Amendment 41.0 (Russell E. Holmes): Equal Pay Amendment IINoYeas 5, nays 152
January 30, 2019House rules (H2019), rules package: on adoption of the order (contested meaning)NoYeas 125, nays 32
January 30, 2019Conference-committee appointment deadline; adopted 157-0 (contested meaning)YesYeas 157, nays 0
January 30, 2019Amendment 11.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Committee Roll Calls on WebsiteYesYeas 47, nays 110
January 30, 2019Amendment 12.0 (Marc T. Lombardo): Informal SessionYesYeas 36, nays 121
January 30, 2019Joint rules (H2021), rules package: on adoption of the order (contested meaning)YesYeas 157, nays 0
February 24, 2021Amendment 8.0 (Erika Uyterhoeven): Public Committee Votes and TestimonyYesYeas 36, nays 122
February 24, 2021Amendment 3.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Electronic PollYesYeas 38, nays 121
February 24, 2021Amendment 6.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Procurement AmendmentYesYeas 34, nays 125
February 24, 2021Amendment 11.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Conference Committee ReportYesYeas 35, nays 123
February 24, 2021Joint rules (H68), rules package: on adoption of the Order (contested meaning)NoYeas 128, nays 31
July 7, 2021Remote voting for members on military duty; adopted 160-0 (contested meaning)YesYeas 160, nays 0
July 7, 2021Amendment 2.0 (Tami L. Gouveia): Speaker Term LimitsYesYeas 35, nays 125
July 7, 2021Amendment 6.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Emergency Scheduling of HearingsYesYeas 30, nays 129
July 7, 2021Amendment 9.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Committee Polls - 2 HoursYesYeas 35, nays 124
July 7, 2021Amendment 11.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Access to InformationYesYeas 33, nays 126
July 7, 2021Amendment 13.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Review of Consolidated AmendmentsYesYeas 32, nays 127
July 7, 2021Amendment 12.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Committee Votes on WebsiteYesYeas 38, nays 121
July 7, 2021Amendment 16.0 (Erika Uyterhoeven): Public Committee VotesYesYeas 41, nays 117
July 7, 2021Amendment 3.0 (Christopher M. Markey): Review Period for Released BillsYesYeas 39, nays 119
July 7, 2021House rules (H3930), rules package: on adoption of the order (contested meaning)NoYeas 129, nays 29
February 1, 2023Amendment 7.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Time to review technical/ perfecting amendmentsYesYeas 23, nays 130
February 1, 2023Amendment 12.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Review of Consolidated AmendmentsYesYeas 23, nays 130
February 1, 2023House rules (H2023), rules package: on adoption of the order (contested meaning)YesYeas 153, nays 0
February 1, 2023Amendment 3.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Local Aid ResolutionYesYeas 23, nays 130
February 1, 2023Amendment 9.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Hearing ScheduleYesYeas 24, nays 129
February 1, 2023Joint rules (H2025), rules package: on adoption of the order (contested meaning)YesYeas 153, nays 0
February 25, 2025Amendment 2.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Roll CallsYesYeas 23, nays 128
February 25, 2025Amendment 3.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Formal Session NotificationYesYeas 23, nays 128
February 25, 2025Amendment 4.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): General Court AuditsYesYeas 23, nays 128
February 25, 2025Amendment 5.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Opinion of the JusticesYesYeas 23, nays 128
February 25, 2025Amendment 6.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Committee PollsYesYeas 23, nays 128
February 25, 2025Amendment 7.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Committee Poll NotificationYesYeas 23, nays 128
February 25, 2025Joint rules (H2026), rules package: on adoption of the order (contested meaning)NoYeas 128, nays 23
February 25, 2025Amendment 18.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Time to Review LegislationYesYeas 23, nays 128
February 25, 2025Amendment 17.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Audit by State AuditorYesYeas 24, nays 127
February 25, 2025Amendment 2.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Committee PollsYesYeas 23, nays 128
February 25, 2025Amendment 3.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Committee Poll NotificationsYesYeas 23, nays 128
February 25, 2025House rules (H2024), rules package: on adoption of the order (contested meaning)NoYeas 128, nays 23
June 26, 2025Joint rules (conference report) (S2545), rules package: on acceptance (contested meaning)YesYeas 147, nays 2
June 3, 2026Engross H.5469 (public records law applied to the Legislature). Reform advocates split (contested meaning)NoYeas 125, nays 28

Votes marked “contested meaning” are rules-package and public-records passage votes; reform advocates were on both sides of them. Descriptions are the project’s plain summaries of each question, or the question as recorded for rules-package roll calls; the official record is on malegislature.gov. Votes are facts; no score is computed.

Campaign money in

Joseph D. McKenna’s committee reported $75,000 in contributions of $250 or more in years the member served, 2015–2026.

By year (years in the Legislature)
YearContributions
2015$5,250
2016$9,481
2017$6,750
2018$4,000
2019$2,000
2020$4,750
2021$5,100
2022$4,000
2023$2,500
2024$2,250
2025$13,000
2026$17,000
By kind of contributor
KindTotalShare
Individuals$60,00080%
Political committees and PACs$14,00018%
Unions and associations$1,0001%
Individuals’ money by the employer they reported
Employer reportedShare
A named employer56%
Self-employed22%
Retired14%
Homemaker or at home2%
Not reported or withheld5%

Not counted as contributions: $11,000 in other receipts of $250 or more in the same years (candidate loans and the candidate’s own money, transfers, refunds, bank interest and aggregated small receipts).

Largest employers and organizations
Employer or organizationKindTotalContributions
MA & NORTHERN NE LABORERS' DISTRICT COUNCIL POL ACTION COMMcommittee or PAC$5,50011
MAPFRE INSURANCEindividuals, by employer$4,0004
ATLAS DISTRIBUTINGindividuals, by employer$3,50011
ALLCARE MEDICAL SUPPLYindividuals, by employer$2,5003
MASSACHUSETTS DENTAL SOCIETY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEEcommittee or PAC$2,0004
ACCORD HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENTindividuals, by employer$2,0002
B AND L POOLSindividuals, by employer$2,0002
WEBSTER REPUBLICAN TOWN COMMITTEEcommittee or PAC$1,9811
IVANHOE TOOL AND DIEindividuals, by employer$1,7504
SUTTON REPTCcommittee or PAC$1,6002

Source: Office of Campaign and Political Finance, itemized receipts of $250 or more since 2015; OCPF filer record: McKenna Committee (CPF 15809). Individuals are grouped by the employer they reported; no individual contributor is named, and an employer field that is a person’s name is withheld. Massachusetts bars business contributions to candidates. Employer shows affiliation, not instruction.

Sources

Every figure traces to a public record.

Facts only: posts, stipends, sponsored amendments, enacted items, roll-call votes and district money. No score or grade is computed. Associations shown here are not evidence of cause. Method.