After serving as House Chair of the prestigious Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy the last four years State Representative Jeffrey N. Roy (D-Franklin) has been promoted to Floor Division Chair of the 2nd Division. In addition, he was appointed to serve as a member on both the House Committee on Operations, Facilities and Security, and the House Committee on Post Audit and Oversight.
The entire body of the House of Representatives, consisting of 158 total members, is divided into four separate divisions. To create a continuous flow of debate, Leader Roy will be responsible for reviewing the House's schedule and then providing advance notice to the members of his division about the important matters the House will be working on. He also will be the primary liaison between the representatives in his division and the House Speaker.
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| State Representative Roy Promoted to House Leadership Position (Photo courtest Rep Roy) |
"I am appreciative to Speaker Mariano for his continuing trust in me and look forward to expanding my contributions as a Division Chair to the House of Representatives on a wide variety of challenging public policy issues facing the Commonwealth," said State Representative Jeffrey N. Roy (D-Franklin). "I am very proud of my tenure as Chair of the House Energy and Telecommunications Committee, where my colleagues and I enacted three major climate and energy laws over the past two legislative sessions. I look forward to working closely with the Speaker and his leadership team in this upcoming legislative session."
"Rep. Roy has been instrumental in so much of the work that we have done over the past few years to bolster clean energy production in Massachusetts, consistently demonstrating his ability to tackle difficult issues," said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy). "I look forward to working with Jeff in his new advisory role as a member of my leadership team."
During his time as House Chair of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (TUE), Leader Roy distinguished himself as a leader in the energy and climate space. For the past two legislative sessions, he forged collaborative relationships with stakeholders and played a major role in the development and passage of game-changing climate legislation for the Commonwealth.
Upon first being appointed to the TUE Committee in 2021, Leader Roy dove headfirst into the world of energy policy, including writing a report, "The State of Offshore Wind in Massachusetts," in order to be as impactful as possible. He was first tasked with getting the 2021 "Roadmap" bill across the finish line - this historic piece of legislation created a strategic pathway to guide Massachusetts' energy transition by setting statewide and sector-specific emissions limits and sublimits, paving the way for long-term investment and development in clean energy and clean heat.
In his second legislative session as House Chair of TUE, Leader Roy was the House lead of the 2022 climate law, An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind. This legislation further cemented Massachusetts as a climate leader by incentivizing the development of key clean energy industries and technologies - most notably offshore wind. It also set ambitious electric vehicle (EV) adoption targets and created a trust fund to support EV incentive programs.
And in the most recent legislative session, Leader Roy played a major role in shepherding through An Act promoting a clean energy grid, advancing equity, and protecting ratepayers. This law made landmark clean energy reforms, including streamlining the siting and permitting process for clean energy infrastructure projects and enshrining environmental justice principles into the Commonwealth's energy transition. It also set up large battery storage procurements to support increased renewable energy generation, supported the strategic buildout of EV charging infrastructure, and authorized the Department of Public Utilities to establish criteria for a moderate-income discount rate to provide relief to eligible ratepayers.
Rep Roy was also the lead author of the genocide education act in 2021, an act to prevent abuse and exploitation which include included teen sexting provisions in 2024 and act relative to step therapy and patient safety in 2022, an act relative to sexual violence on high education campuses in 2021, and an act to support improved financial stability and higher education in 2019.
