Senate · Democrat
Walter F. Timilty
Data through FY2026; built October 19, 2026.
Residence
Milton
First elected
House 1998; Senate 2016
Prior public offices
Milton Town Meeting Member (1997-1998)
Occupation
Legislator
Left office
did not seek reelection in 2024 (not a candidate in the 2024 primary or general election for this seat); term ended January 1, 2025
| Session | Chamber | District | Lines | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 189th (2015–16) | House | 7th Norfolk | 2011 lines | |
| 190th (2017–18) | Senate | Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth | 2011 lines | moved from the House to the Senate |
| 191st (2019–20) | Senate | Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth | 2011 lines | |
| 192nd (2021–22) | Senate | Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth | 2011 lines | |
| 193rd (2023–24) | Senate | Norfolk, Plymouth and Bristol | 2021 lines |
Posts and stipends
Walter F. Timilty was paid $174,790 in leadership and committee stipends from 2017 to 2024.
| Session | Posts | First year | Second year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 189th (2015–16) | No post recorded | not available | $0 |
| 190th (2017–18) | Chair, Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight; Vice chair, Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| 191st (2019–20) | Chair, Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs; Vice chair, Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture | $21,881 | $21,881 |
| 192nd (2021–22) | Chair, Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security; Vice chair, Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development | $22,951 | $22,951 |
| 193rd (2023–24) | Chair, Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security | $27,564 | $27,564 |
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
Norfolk, Plymouth and Bristol on its 2021 lines: 7 cities and towns, 169,378 residents (2020).
Braintree · Stoughton · Bridgewater · Milton · Easton · Randolph · West Bridgewater
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: 38 for all state aid and 37 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 189th (2015–16) | 7th Norfolk | $334,000 | $0 | $7.76 · 14th of 160 | $7.76 · 13th of 160 |
| 190th (2017–18) | Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth | $1.3M | $0 | $3.89 · 23rd of 40 | $3.89 · 23rd of 40 |
| 191st (2019–20) | Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth | $2.1M | $0 | $6.16 · 7th of 40 | $6.16 · 6th of 40 |
| 192nd (2021–22) | Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth | $3.3M | $33,000 | $9.60 · 12th of 40 | $9.51 · 10th of 40 |
| 193rd (2023–24) | Norfolk, Plymouth and Bristol | $4.6M | $0 | $13.51 · 7th of 40 | $13.51 · 7th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 189th (2015–16) | 7th Norfolk | $834,000 | $19.37 · 3rd of 160 | $834,000 | $19.37 · 3rd of 160 |
| 190th (2017–18) | Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth | $1.8M | $5.21 · 17th of 40 | $2.1M | $6.09 · 15th of 40 |
| 191st (2019–20) | Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth | $3M | $8.80 · 10th of 40 | $3.2M | $9.46 · 10th of 40 |
| 192nd (2021–22) | Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth | $3.6M | $10.55 · 13th of 40 | $4M | $11.58 · 12th of 40 |
| 193rd (2023–24) | Norfolk, Plymouth and Bristol | $4.9M | $14.40 · 13th of 40 | $5M | $14.69 · 15th of 40 |
Budget amendments
Walter F. Timilty sponsored 398 budget amendments in FY2017–FY2026, asking for $170 million in all.
Amendments sponsored
398
FY2017–FY2026 budgets
Adopted, known outcomes
28%
107 of 389
Chamber rate, same ask sizes
52%
expected at the chamber’s rates
Of the 389 with a known outcome, 107 were adopted (28%). At the chamber’s adoption rate for amendments of the same size, about 203 (52%) would have been.
| Year | Amount | Enacted budget text (excerpt) | Amendment |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $1.2M | “municipalities hosting department of correction facilities” | S4 #950 |
| FY2024 | $1M | “the Blue Hills Trailside Museum in the town of Milton” | S3 #61 |
| FY2023 | $1M | “the Blue Hills Trailside Museum in the town of Milton” | S4 #13 |
| FY2025 | $500,000 | “the Blue Hills Trailside Museum in the town of Milton” | S4 #46 |
| FY2020 | $500,000 | “the Blue Hills trailside museum” | S3 #908 |
Strong matches: 65 enacted items, $8.2 million (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.
5 outcomes are inferred by matching amendment text to the House’s consolidated amendments, because the House records most amendments only as “Consolidated A–G.” For 10 amendments the sponsor is the first mover named in the amendment text, because the Legislature’s record listed none. 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
Walter F. Timilty filed 224 bills as lead sponsor in these sessions; 17 were enacted on their own. In completed sessions, 8% of their lead bills were enacted on their own, against chamber medians of 1% to 6% 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 | Enacted | Folded into an enacted bill | Vetoed | Sent to study | Reported favorably, then died | Reported adversely or withdrawn | No action | Enacted rate | Chamber median | Cosponsored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 189th (2015–16) | House | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 4% | 6% | 209 |
| 190th (2017–18) | Senate | 32 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 12% | 3% | 176 |
| 191st (2019–20) | Senate | 45 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 4% | 3% | 210 |
| 192nd (2021–22) | Senate | 67 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 22 | 21 | 6 | 6 | 12% | 2% | 515 |
| 193rd (2023–24) | Senate | 54 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 20 | 0 | 5 | 4% | 1% | 156 |
Enacted bills as lead sponsor
- H4014 (189th): An Act authorizing the town administrator of the town of Milton to appoint the police chief · Chapter 378 of the Acts of 2016
- S2251 (190th): An Act establishing a sick leave bank for Linda Thernize-Williams, an employee of the Department of Transitional Assistance · Chapter 51 of the Acts of 2018
- S2369 (190th): An Act relative to an easement plan for the Milton Inline Inspection Project · Chapter 212 of the Acts of 2018
- S24 (190th): An Act authorizing the town of Milton to establish a special purpose stabilization fund · Chapter 43 of the Acts of 2017
- S2410 (190th): An Act honoring and recognizing the heroism of Rosa Parks · Chapter 423 of the Acts of 2018
- S2209 (191st): An Act establishing a sick leave bank for James Lovett, an employee of the Department of Conservation and Recreation · Chapter 17 of the Acts of 2019
- S2290 (191st): An Act providing for recall elections in the town of East Bridgewater · Chapter 361 of the Acts of 2020
- S1364 (192nd): An Act authorizing certain investments by the Treasurer of the town of Milton · Chapter 60 of the Acts of 2021
- S2126 (192nd): An Act relative to the observance of School Custodian Day · Chapter 326 of the Acts of 2022
- S2526 (192nd): An Act relative to raising the income threshold for senior real property tax deferments in the town of Milton · Chapter 71 of the Acts of 2022
- S2732 (192nd): An Act authorizing the town of Stoughton to transfer certain park property in exchange for acquisition and dedication of other land to park purposes · Chapter 75 of the Acts of 2022
- S2792 (192nd): An Act establishing a sick leave bank for Shana Hicks, an employee of the Department of Public Health · Chapter 51 of the Acts of 2022
- S3127 (192nd): An Act relative to the town administrator in the town of Milton · Chapter 337 of the Acts of 2022
- S3131 (192nd): An Act authorizing the select board of Easton to lease a certain parcel of land · Chapter 278 of the Acts of 2022
- S493 (192nd): An Act validating the actions taken at the 2020 Biennial State Election held in the city known as the town of Randolph · Chapter 37 of the Acts of 2021
Show all 17
- S2515 (193rd): An Act authorizing the town of Easton to establish a means tested senior citizen property tax exemption · Chapter 102 of the Acts of 2024
- S2840 (193rd): An Act authorizing the town of Milton to use certain land acquired for conservation purposes for school purposes · Chapter 147 of the Acts of 2024
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
Walter F. Timilty cast 48 yes-or-no votes on the 50 accountability roll calls in this file (27 yes, 21 no, two for a named candidate).
| Date | Measure | Vote | Chamber result |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 26, 2017 | Senate engrossment of the pay-raise bill | No | Yeas 31, nays 9 |
| February 2, 2017 | Amendment 2.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Matters considered in an informal session | Yes | Yeas 38, nays 0 |
| February 2, 2017 | Amendment 3.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Time to consider matters in an informal | Yes | Yeas 39, nays 0 |
| February 2, 2017 | Amendment 7.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Provided with text of bills prior to poll | Yes | Yeas 39, nays 0 |
| February 2, 2017 | Special orders by majority instead of two-thirds (contested meaning) | No | Yeas 6, nays 33 |
| February 2, 2017 | Amendment 11.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Unanimous consent | No | Yeas 6, nays 33 |
| February 2, 2017 | Amendment 13.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Timely Local Aid Notification | No | Yeas 7, nays 32 |
| February 2, 2017 | Senate override of the veto of the pay-raise bill | No | Yeas 31, nays 9 |
| January 31, 2019 | Amendment 1.1 (Bruce E. Tarr): Posting of Committee Roll Call Votes | Yes | Yeas 39, nays 0 |
| January 31, 2019 | Amendment 1.0 (Walter F. Timilty): Improving Access to Records | Yes | Yeas 39, nays 0 |
| January 31, 2019 | Amendment 2.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Informal Session | Yes | Yeas 39, nays 0 |
| January 31, 2019 | Amendment 3.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Conference Committee Report | No | Yeas 8, nays 31 |
| January 31, 2019 | Amendment 11.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Audit of accounts | Yes | Yeas 39, nays 0 |
| not available | Joint rules (S9), rules package: question on acceptance of the report (contested meaning) | Yes | Yeas 39, nays 0 |
| January 31, 2019 | Amendment 1.0 (Diana DiZoglio): Non disclosure agreements | Yes | Yeas 39, nays 0 |
| January 31, 2019 | Amendment 7.1 (Rebecca L. Rausch): anti-harassment and assault | Yes | Yeas 39, nays 0 |
| January 31, 2019 | Amendment 5.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Numbers of bills considered at a hearing | Yes | Yeas 8, nays 31 |
| January 31, 2019 | Amendment 17.0 (Ryan C. Fattman): Matters considered in an informal session | No | Yeas 6, nays 33 |
| January 31, 2019 | Amendment 25.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Unanimous consent | No | Yeas 6, nays 33 |
| not available | Senate rules (S8), rules package: question on acceptance of the report (contested meaning) | Yes | Yeas 39, nays 0 |
| not available | Senate President election (contested meaning) | Voted for Karen E. Spilka | not available |
| February 11, 2021 | Amendment 3.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Members receiving SWM GAA recommendation | No | Yeas 4, nays 35 |
| February 11, 2021 | Amendment 6.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Unanimous consent to go past midnight | Yes | Yeas 6, nays 34 |
| February 11, 2021 | Amendment 7.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Going past 10 pm | Yes | Yeas 6, nays 34 |
| February 11, 2021 | Amendment 8.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Successive formal sessions | Yes | Yeas 6, nays 34 |
| February 11, 2021 | Amendment 15.0 (Diana DiZoglio): Anti-harassment and bystander intervention training | Yes | Yeas 10, nays 29 |
| February 11, 2021 | Amendment 20.0 (Diana DiZoglio): Amendments to other appropriations bills | No | Yeas 5, nays 34 |
| February 11, 2021 | Accessibility; adopted 39-0 (contested meaning) | Yes | Yeas 39, nays 0 |
| February 11, 2021 | Supplier diversity; adopted 39-0 (contested meaning) | Yes | Yeas 39, nays 0 |
| February 11, 2021 | Amendment 42.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Consideration of further and redrafted amendments | No | Yeas 7, nays 32 |
| February 11, 2021 | Amendment 44.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Hearings | No | Yeas 6, nays 33 |
| February 11, 2021 | Amendment 49.0 (Ryan C. Fattman): Adoption amendment - Rule 24 | Yes | Yeas 5, nays 34 |
| February 11, 2021 | Minority Leader appointments to committees (partisan allocation) (contested meaning) | No | Yeas 4, nays 35 |
| February 11, 2021 | Amendment 24.0 (Diana DiZoglio): Notice of legislative matters | Yes | Yeas 5, nays 34 |
| February 11, 2021 | Amendment 1.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): New items on the calendar | Yes | Yeas 5, nays 34 |
| February 11, 2021 | Amendment 1.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Filing of conference committee report | Yes | Yeas 6, nays 33 |
| February 11, 2021 | Amendment 14.0 (James B. Eldridge): Lengthening public notice period for legislative hearings | Yes | Yeas 39, nays 0 |
| not available | Senate President election (contested meaning) | Voted for Karen E. Spilka | not available |
| February 9, 2023 | Amendment 1.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Successive Legislative Days | No | Yeas 4, nays 34 |
| February 9, 2023 | Amendment 2.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Time of recess for consideration of new matters | No | Yeas 5, nays 33 |
| February 9, 2023 | Amendment 5.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Going past 10 pm | Yes | Yeas 4, nays 34 |
| February 9, 2023 | Amendment 6.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Unanimous consent to go past midnight | Yes | Yeas 4, nays 34 |
| February 9, 2023 | Amendment 10.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Manner of how member voted | No | Yeas 5, nays 33 |
| February 9, 2023 | Amd 23 (Rodrigues) strikes Rule 11B, the 8-year term limit on the Senate President; adopted 32-6 | No | Yeas 32, nays 6 |
| February 9, 2023 | Strike remote-participation rules 57C/57D (contested meaning) | No | Yeas 3, nays 35 |
| February 9, 2023 | Remote voting conditions (contested meaning) | No | Yeas 4, nays 34 |
| February 9, 2023 | Senate rules (S17), rules package: question on acceptance of the report (contested meaning) | Yes | Yeas 37, nays 1 |
| February 9, 2023 | Amendment 1.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Filing of Conference Committee Report | No | Yeas 4, nays 35 |
| February 9, 2023 | Amendment 12.0 (Bruce E. Tarr): Adding a Minority Report | No | Yeas 3, nays 36 |
| not available | Joint rules (S18), rules package: question on acceptance of the report (contested meaning) | Yes | Yeas 39, nays 0 |
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
Walter F. Timilty’s committee reported $534,000 in contributions of $250 or more in years the member served, 2015–2024.
| Year | Contributions |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $15,000 |
| 2016 | $182,000 |
| 2017 | $29,000 |
| 2018 | $30,000 |
| 2019 | $27,000 |
| 2020 | $36,000 |
| 2021 | $21,000 |
| 2022 | $65,000 |
| 2023 | $33,000 |
| 2024 | $96,000 |
| Kind | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Individuals | $414,000 | 78% |
| Political committees and PACs | $99,000 | 18% |
| Unions and associations | $21,000 | 4% |
| Employer reported | Share |
|---|---|
| A named employer | 47% |
| Self-employed | 35% |
| Retired | 7% |
| Not employed | 4% |
| Homemaker or at home | 3% |
| Not reported or withheld | 4% |
Not counted as contributions: $78,000 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).
The same committee also reported $41,000 in years the member was not in the Legislature (2025, 2026), for example while running for another office. Those receipts are not in the totals above.
| Employer or organization | Kind | Total | Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|
| MA & NORTHERN NE LABORERS' DISTRICT COUNCIL POL ACTION COMM | committee or PAC | $5,000 | 10 |
| MA CORRECTION OFFICERS FEDERATED UNION PAC M C O F U PAC | committee or PAC | $4,200 | 9 |
| ELEVATOR CONSTRUCTORS LOCAL 4 PEOPLE'S CTTEE | committee or PAC | $4,000 | 8 |
| CITY REALTY GROUP | individuals, by employer | $4,000 | 4 |
| RETIRED PUBLIC EMPLOYEES PAC | committee or PAC | $3,800 | 8 |
| INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF ELECTRICAL WORKERS LOCAL 103 POL ACTION COMM | committee or PAC | $3,500 | 8 |
| BOSTON POLICE PATROLMENS ASSOC POL ACTION COMM | committee or PAC | $3,500 | 7 |
| MA ASSOC OF REALTORS POL ACTION COMM - MA RPAC | committee or PAC | $3,400 | 9 |
| ATS EQUIPMENT | individuals, by employer | $3,250 | 7 |
| MASSACHUSETTS BRICK LAYERS PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE | committee or PAC | $3,000 | 6 |
Source: Office of Campaign and Political Finance, itemized receipts of $250 or more since 2015; OCPF filer record: Timilty Committee (CPF 13294). 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)
- Leaving office (election statistics)
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.