Senate · Democrat
Vanna Howard
Data through FY2026; built October 19, 2026.
Residence
Lowell
First elected
House 2020; Senate 2026 (special)
| Session | Chamber | District | Lines | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 192nd (2021–22) | House | 17th Middlesex | 2011 lines | |
| 193rd (2023–24) | House | 17th Middlesex | 2021 lines | |
| 194th (2025–26) | House | 17th Middlesex | 2021 lines | |
| 194th (2025–26) | Senate | First Middlesex | 2021 lines | moved from the House to the Senate |
Vanna Howard appears in both chambers in the 194th General Court: the seat changed during the session.
Posts and stipends
Vanna Howard was paid $15,239 in leadership and committee stipends in 2026 (2026 to date).
| Session | Posts | First year | Second year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 192nd (2021–22) | No post recorded | $0 | $0 |
| 193rd (2023–24) | No post recorded | $0 | $0 |
| 194th (2025–26) | Chair, Joint Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Management; Vice Chair, Joint Higher Education | $0 | $15,239 (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
First Middlesex on its 2021 lines: 5 cities and towns, 175,513 residents (2020).
Lowell · Dracut · Tyngsborough · Pepperell · Dunstable
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: 62 for all state aid and 47 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.
| Session | District | Dollars | In corrective clauses | Per resident per budget, rank | Without corrective clauses, rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 192nd (2021–22) | 17th Middlesex | $1M | $0 | $11.18 · 28th of 160 | $11.18 · 24th of 160 |
| 193rd (2023–24) | 17th Middlesex | $388,000 | $0 | $4.36 · 139th of 160 | $4.36 · 137th of 160 |
| 194th (2025–26) | 17th Middlesex | $179,000 | $0 | $4.02 · 126th of 160 | $4.02 · 125th of 160 |
| 194th (2025–26) | First Middlesex | $1.1M | $0 | $6.18 · 29th of 40 | $6.18 · 29th of 40 |
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.
| Session | District | Placed in the district | Per resident per budget, rank | Everything placed | Per resident per budget, rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 192nd (2021–22) | 17th Middlesex | $879,000 | $9.81 · 53rd of 160 | $1M | $11.18 · 51st of 160 |
| 193rd (2023–24) | 17th Middlesex | $381,000 | $4.29 · 146th of 160 | $388,000 | $4.36 · 148th of 160 |
| 194th (2025–26) | 17th Middlesex | $304,000 | $6.84 · 96th of 160 | $304,000 | $6.84 · 103rd of 160 |
| 194th (2025–26) | First Middlesex | $1.5M | $8.32 · 23rd of 40 | $1.5M | $8.32 · 28th of 40 |
Budget amendments
Vanna Howard sponsored 57 budget amendments in FY2017–FY2026, asking for $170 million in all.
Amendments sponsored
57
FY2017–FY2026 budgets
Adopted, known outcomes
34%
16 of 47
Chamber rate, same ask sizes
62%
expected at the chamber’s rates
Of the 47 with a known outcome, 16 were adopted (34%). At the chamber’s adoption rate for amendments of the same size, about 29 (62%) would have been.
| Year | Amount | Enacted budget text (excerpt) | Amendment |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | $200,000 | “the operation of the SMART and Eureka programs at the Framingham, Holyoke, Lowell, Lynn, Pittsfield and Worcester chapters of Girls Inc” | H4000 #1180 |
| FY2025 | $100,000 | “the Project Pop Up markets to transform vacant storefronts into a dynamic retail incubator” | H4600 #524 |
| FY2026 | $50,000 | “renovations to Oliveria and Rotary parks and the McInerney playground in the city of Lowell to equitably contribute to the health, well-being and…” | H4000 #631 |
| FY2026 | $50,000 | “the town of Tewksbury for sidewalk improvements on the Whipple road corridor to ensure the accessibility and safety of pedestrians” | H4000 #632 |
| FY2026 | $50,000 | “the Lowell Community Health Center, Inc.’s residency program for primary care doctors in the city of Lowell to be used for housing stipends for…” | H4000 #646 |
Strong matches: 12 enacted items, $715,000 (the member’s share where several amendments claim one clause). A further one weaker text match is 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.
44 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
Vanna Howard filed 38 bills as lead sponsor in these sessions; zero were enacted on their own. In completed sessions, 0% 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.
| Session | Chamber | Lead bills | Sent to study | Reported favorably, then died | No action | Pending (session open) | Enacted rate | Chamber median | Cosponsored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 192nd (2021–22) | House | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 3% | 493 |
| 193rd (2023–24) | House | 17 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0% | 4% | 925 |
| 194th (2025–26) | Senate | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0%* | 1% | 9 |
| 194th (2025–26) | House | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0%* | 1% | 564 |
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
Vanna Howard cast 38 yes-or-no votes on the 38 accountability roll calls in this file (11 yes, 27 no).
| Date | Measure | Vote | Chamber result |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 24, 2021 | Amendment 8.0 (Erika Uyterhoeven): Public Committee Votes and Testimony | No | Yeas 36, nays 122 |
| February 24, 2021 | Amendment 3.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Electronic Poll | No | Yeas 38, nays 121 |
| February 24, 2021 | Amendment 6.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Procurement Amendment | No | Yeas 34, nays 125 |
| February 24, 2021 | Amendment 11.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Conference Committee Report | No | Yeas 35, nays 123 |
| February 24, 2021 | Joint rules (H68), rules package: on adoption of the Order (contested meaning) | Yes | Yeas 128, nays 31 |
| July 7, 2021 | Remote voting for members on military duty; adopted 160-0 (contested meaning) | Yes | Yeas 160, nays 0 |
| July 7, 2021 | Amendment 2.0 (Tami L. Gouveia): Speaker Term Limits | No | Yeas 35, nays 125 |
| July 7, 2021 | Amendment 6.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Emergency Scheduling of Hearings | No | Yeas 30, nays 129 |
| July 7, 2021 | Amendment 9.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Committee Polls - 2 Hours | No | Yeas 35, nays 124 |
| July 7, 2021 | Amendment 11.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Access to Information | No | Yeas 33, nays 126 |
| July 7, 2021 | Amendment 13.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Review of Consolidated Amendments | No | Yeas 32, nays 127 |
| July 7, 2021 | Amendment 12.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Committee Votes on Website | No | Yeas 38, nays 121 |
| July 7, 2021 | Amendment 16.0 (Erika Uyterhoeven): Public Committee Votes | No | Yeas 41, nays 117 |
| July 7, 2021 | Amendment 3.0 (Christopher M. Markey): Review Period for Released Bills | No | Yeas 39, nays 119 |
| July 7, 2021 | House rules (H3930), rules package: on adoption of the order (contested meaning) | Yes | Yeas 129, nays 29 |
| February 1, 2023 | Amendment 7.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Time to review technical/ perfecting amendments | No | Yeas 23, nays 130 |
| February 1, 2023 | Amendment 12.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Review of Consolidated Amendments | No | Yeas 23, nays 130 |
| February 1, 2023 | House rules (H2023), rules package: on adoption of the order (contested meaning) | Yes | Yeas 153, nays 0 |
| February 1, 2023 | Amendment 3.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Local Aid Resolution | No | Yeas 23, nays 130 |
| February 1, 2023 | Amendment 9.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Hearing Schedule | No | Yeas 24, nays 129 |
| February 1, 2023 | Joint rules (H2025), rules package: on adoption of the order (contested meaning) | Yes | Yeas 153, nays 0 |
| February 25, 2025 | Amendment 2.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Roll Calls | No | Yeas 23, nays 128 |
| February 25, 2025 | Amendment 3.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Formal Session Notification | No | Yeas 23, nays 128 |
| February 25, 2025 | Amendment 4.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): General Court Audits | No | Yeas 23, nays 128 |
| February 25, 2025 | Amendment 5.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Opinion of the Justices | No | Yeas 23, nays 128 |
| February 25, 2025 | Amendment 6.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Committee Polls | No | Yeas 23, nays 128 |
| February 25, 2025 | Amendment 7.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Committee Poll Notification | No | Yeas 23, nays 128 |
| February 25, 2025 | Joint rules (H2026), rules package: on adoption of the order (contested meaning) | Yes | Yeas 128, nays 23 |
| February 25, 2025 | Amendment 18.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Time to Review Legislation | No | Yeas 23, nays 128 |
| February 25, 2025 | Amendment 17.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Audit by State Auditor | No | Yeas 24, nays 127 |
| February 25, 2025 | Amendment 2.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Committee Polls | No | Yeas 23, nays 128 |
| February 25, 2025 | Amendment 3.0 (Bradley H. Jones, Jr.): Committee Poll Notifications | No | Yeas 23, nays 128 |
| February 25, 2025 | House rules (H2024), rules package: on adoption of the order (contested meaning) | Yes | Yeas 128, nays 23 |
| June 26, 2025 | Joint rules (conference report) (S2545), rules package: on acceptance (contested meaning) | Yes | Yeas 147, nays 2 |
| May 28, 2026 | S.3104 resolutions limiting the Senate's response to the Auditor to the SJC-defined 4 requests; no votes 5 Republicans + Montigny; contested (contested meaning) | Yes | Yeas 33, nays 6 |
| July 30, 2026 | Press shield amendment to S.3200; adopted 40-0; not about the Legislature's records (contested meaning) | Yes | Yeas 40, nays 0 |
| July 30, 2026 | Amd 18 (Tarr): apply the public records law to the General Court more fully | No | Yeas 6, nays 33 |
| July 30, 2026 | Senate passage of H.5469 34-6; no votes 5 Republicans + Montigny (too weak); contested (contested meaning) | Yes | Yeas 34, nays 6 |
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
Vanna Howard’s committee reported $109,000 in contributions of $250 or more in years the member served, 2021–2026.
| Year | Contributions |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $2,000 |
| 2022 | $17,000 |
| 2023 | $7,800 |
| 2024 | $11,000 |
| 2025 | $34,000 |
| 2026 | $37,000 |
| Kind | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Individuals | $102,000 | 94% |
| Political committees and PACs | $6,250 | 6% |
| Unions and associations | $500 | under 1% |
| Employer reported | Share |
|---|---|
| A named employer | 38% |
| Self-employed | 23% |
| Retired | 6% |
| Not employed | 22% |
| Not reported or withheld | 11% |
Not counted as contributions: $6,987 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 $20,000 in years the member was not in the Legislature (2020), for example while running for another office. Those receipts are not in the totals above.
| Employer or organization | Kind | Total | Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIRBNB | individuals, by employer | $2,500 | 7 |
| WISH PROJECT | individuals, by employer | $2,500 | 6 |
| MA & NORTHERN NE LABORERS' DISTRICT COUNCIL POL ACTION COMM | committee or PAC | $2,000 | 4 |
| TMI MANAGEMENT | individuals, by employer | $1,750 | 4 |
| MASSACHUSETTS DENTAL SOCIETY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE | committee or PAC | $1,500 | 3 |
| UMASS LOWELL | individuals, by employer | $1,500 | 6 |
| TEMO 360 | individuals, by employer | $1,500 | 4 |
| SETRA SYSTEMS | individuals, by employer | $1,400 | 2 |
| TRINITY EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE | individuals, by employer | $1,350 | 5 |
| LOWELL PUBLIC SCHOOLS | individuals, by employer | $1,000 | 4 |
Source: Office of Campaign and Political Finance, itemized receipts of $250 or more since 2015; OCPF filer record: Howard Committee (CPF 17499). 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.
- Massachusetts Legislature, members, districts and roll calls
- Budget amendments and enacted budgets, FY2017–FY2026
- CTHRU payroll, Office of the Comptroller (stipends)
- Office of Campaign and Political Finance
- District lines: Acts of 2011 and 2021; Census 2020 block populations
- Official profile (prior offices, occupation)
- Election statistics (first elected, residence)
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.