Commonwealth Report Legislators Method

House · Democrat

Michael P. Kushmerek

Current member · 3rd Worcester

Data through FY2026; built October 19, 2026.

Residence

Fitchburg

First elected

House 2020

Prior public offices

Fitchburg City Council President 2016-2020; Fitchburg City Councilor: 2014-2021; Fitchburg Municipal Airport Commission: 2016-2021; Fitchburg Capital Improvement Commission: 2016-2021

Occupation

Higher Education Administration & Development

Seats held, General Courts 189–194 (the FY2017–FY2026 budgets)
SessionChamberDistrictLinesNote
192nd (2021–22)House3rd Worcester2011 lines
193rd (2023–24)House3rd Worcester2021 lines
194th (2025–26)House3rd Worcester2021 lines

Posts and stipends

Michael P. Kushmerek was paid $54,069 in leadership and committee stipends from 2023 to 2026 (2026 to date).

Posts and stipends by session (stipends by calendar year)
SessionPostsFirst yearSecond year
192nd (2021–22)No post recorded$0$0
193rd (2023–24)Vice chair, Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development$7,096$7,096
194th (2025–26)Vice chair, Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy$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

3rd Worcester on its 2021 lines: 2 cities and towns, 44,935 residents (2020).

Fitchburg · Lunenburg

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: 66 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
192nd (2021–22)3rd Worcester$590,000$0$6.56 · 79th of 160$6.56 · 76th of 160
193rd (2023–24)3rd Worcester$2.2M$0$25.02 · 8th of 160$25.02 · 8th of 160
194th (2025–26)3rd Worcester$1.4M$0$31.97 · 8th of 160$31.97 · 8th 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
192nd (2021–22)3rd Worcester$610,000$6.79 · 94th of 160$610,000$6.79 · 96th of 160
193rd (2023–24)3rd Worcester$2.4M$27.03 · 21st of 160$2.4M$27.03 · 22nd of 160
194th (2025–26)3rd Worcester$1.2M$27.52 · 18th of 160$5.3M$118 · 4th of 160

Budget amendments

Michael P. Kushmerek sponsored 33 budget amendments in FY2017–FY2026, asking for $32.9 million in all.

Amendments sponsored

33

FY2017–FY2026 budgets

Adopted, known outcomes

78%

21 of 27

Chamber rate, same ask sizes

62%

expected at the chamber’s rates

Of the 27 with a known outcome, 21 were adopted (78%). At the chamber’s adoption rate for amendments of the same size, about 17 (62%) would have been.

Largest enacted items matched to an amendment Michael P. Kushmerek filed (strong text matches)
YearAmountEnacted budget text (excerpt)Amendment
FY2026$250,000 (shared two ways)“enhance the commonwealth's capacity to support the development of school-based bridge programs for youth who have had prolonged absence due to…”H4000 #778
FY2026$125,000 (shared two ways)“Thrive Scholars to support college to career services”H4000 #727
FY2025$125,000 (shared two ways)“the city of Fitchburg for downtown housing development and site improvement”H4600 #302
FY2024$100,000“the NewVue Communities, Inc., a community development corporation in the city of Fitchburg, for the redevelopment and historic preservation of the…”H3900 #173
FY2026$50,000“the Fitchburg public library for the development and expansion of the children’s program room”H4000 #733

Strong matches: 16 enacted items, $990,000 (the member’s share where several amendments claim one clause). House attribution is inferred throughout, because the House adopts most amendments inside consolidated amendments.

27 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

Michael P. Kushmerek filed 77 bills as lead sponsor in these sessions; two were enacted on their own. In completed sessions, 5% of their lead bills were enacted on their own, against chamber medians of 3% to 4% 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 billSent to studyReported favorably, then diedReported adversely or withdrawnNo actionPending (session open)Enacted rateChamber medianCosponsored
192nd (2021–22)House1001611100%3%226
193rd (2023–24)House30211690207%4%191
194th (2025–26)House370013000240%*1%148

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

Michael P. Kushmerek cast 35 yes-or-no votes on the 35 accountability roll calls in this file (nine yes, 26 no).

Roll calls on rules, audits, public records, term limits and pay
DateMeasureVoteChamber result
February 24, 2021Amendment 8.0 (Erika Uyterhoeven): Public Committee Votes and TestimonyNoYeas 36, nays 122
February 24, 2021Amendment 3.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Electronic PollNoYeas 38, nays 121
February 24, 2021Amendment 6.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Procurement AmendmentNoYeas 34, nays 125
February 24, 2021Amendment 11.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Conference Committee ReportNoYeas 35, nays 123
February 24, 2021Joint rules (H68), rules package: on adoption of the Order (contested meaning)YesYeas 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 LimitsNoYeas 35, nays 125
July 7, 2021Amendment 6.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Emergency Scheduling of HearingsNoYeas 30, nays 129
July 7, 2021Amendment 9.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Committee Polls - 2 HoursNoYeas 35, nays 124
July 7, 2021Amendment 11.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Access to InformationNoYeas 33, nays 126
July 7, 2021Amendment 13.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Review of Consolidated AmendmentsNoYeas 32, nays 127
July 7, 2021Amendment 12.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Committee Votes on WebsiteNoYeas 38, nays 121
July 7, 2021Amendment 16.0 (Erika Uyterhoeven): Public Committee VotesNoYeas 41, nays 117
July 7, 2021Amendment 3.0 (Christopher M. Markey): Review Period for Released BillsNoYeas 39, nays 119
July 7, 2021House rules (H3930), rules package: on adoption of the order (contested meaning)YesYeas 129, nays 29
February 1, 2023Amendment 7.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Time to review technical/ perfecting amendmentsNoYeas 23, nays 130
February 1, 2023Amendment 12.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Review of Consolidated AmendmentsNoYeas 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 ResolutionNoYeas 23, nays 130
February 1, 2023Amendment 9.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Hearing ScheduleNoYeas 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 CallsNoYeas 23, nays 128
February 25, 2025Amendment 3.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Formal Session NotificationNoYeas 23, nays 128
February 25, 2025Amendment 4.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): General Court AuditsNoYeas 23, nays 128
February 25, 2025Amendment 5.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Opinion of the JusticesNoYeas 23, nays 128
February 25, 2025Amendment 6.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Committee PollsNoYeas 23, nays 128
February 25, 2025Amendment 7.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Committee Poll NotificationNoYeas 23, nays 128
February 25, 2025Joint rules (H2026), rules package: on adoption of the order (contested meaning)YesYeas 128, nays 23
February 25, 2025Amendment 18.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Time to Review LegislationNoYeas 23, nays 128
February 25, 2025Amendment 17.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Audit by State AuditorNoYeas 24, nays 127
February 25, 2025Amendment 2.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Committee PollsNoYeas 23, nays 128
February 25, 2025Amendment 3.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Committee Poll NotificationsNoYeas 23, nays 128
February 25, 2025House rules (H2024), rules package: on adoption of the order (contested meaning)YesYeas 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)YesYeas 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

Michael P. Kushmerek’s committee reported $101,000 in contributions of $250 or more in years the member served, 2021–2026.

By year (years in the Legislature)
YearContributions
2021$9,650
2022$36,000
2023$11,000
2024$16,000
2025$18,000
2026$9,900
By kind of contributor
KindTotalShare
Individuals$48,00048%
Political committees and PACs$44,00044%
Unions and associations$8,8509%
Individuals’ money by the employer they reported
Employer reportedShare
A named employer57%
Self-employed24%
Retired7%
Not employed7%
Not reported or withheld5%

Not counted as contributions: $2,263 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).

The same committee also reported $27,000 in years the member was not in the Legislature (2017, 2019, 2020), for example while running for another office. Those receipts are not in the totals above.

Largest employers and organizations
Employer or organizationKindTotalContributions
MA DEMOCRATIC STATE COMMITTEEcommittee or PAC$12,0006
RESUPPLYindividuals, by employer$5,0005
MODERNAindividuals, by employer$4,5006
MA & NORTHERN NE LABORERS' DISTRICT COUNCIL POL ACTION COMMcommittee or PAC$3,0006
NORTH ATLANTIC STATES REGIONAL COUNCIL OF CARPENTERS PACcommittee or PAC$3,0006
RETIRED PUBLIC EMPLOYEES PACcommittee or PAC$2,8006
MASSACHUSETTS BRICK LAYERS PEOPLE'S COMMITTEEcommittee or PAC$2,5005
PROFESSIONAL FIRE FIGHTERS OF MA POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEEcommittee or PAC$2,5005
DARIOS GROUPindividuals, by employer$2,2506
MA CORRECTION OFFICERS FEDERATED UNION PAC M C O F U PACcommittee or PAC$2,2006

Source: Office of Campaign and Political Finance, itemized receipts of $250 or more since 2015; OCPF filer record: Kushmerek Committee (CPF 16838). 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.