Therese Murray is an American state legislator who has served as President of the Massachusetts Senate

President of the Massachusetts Senate

The President of the Massachusetts Senate is the presiding officer. In the United States Congress, the Vice President of the United States is the ex officio President of the United States Senate. In Massachusetts, however, the President of the Senate is elected from and by the Senators...

 since March 2007. Murray, a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

, is the first woman to lead a house of the Massachusetts General Court

Massachusetts General Court

The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...

. She has represented the Plymouth

Plymouth County, Massachusetts

Plymouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of 2010, the population was 494,919. Its county seats are Plymouth and Brockton...

 and Barnstable

Barnstable County, Massachusetts

Barnstable County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, consisting of Cape Cod and associated islands. As of the 2010 census, the population was 216,902...

 district in the Massachusetts Senate

Massachusetts Senate

The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...

 since 1993.

Early career

Murray attended Northeastern University in Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 and El Camino College

El Camino College

El Camino College is a two-year public community college located partially in the unincorporated area of Alondra Park and partially in the City of Torrance in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is commonly referred to as "Elco" or "ECC"...

 in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. She has a management certification from the University of Massachusetts Boston

University of Massachusetts Boston

The University of Massachusetts Boston, also known as UMass Boston, is an urban public research university and the second largest campus in the five-campus University of Massachusetts system. The university is located on on Harbor Point in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States...

. She was first elected to the Massachusetts Senate in 1992. She chaired the Joint Committee on Human Services and Elder Affairs (1993–1999), the Joint Committee on Insurance (2000–2003), and the Senate Ways and Means Committee (2003–2007).

Some of Murray’s major accomplishments throughout her career include Welfare Reform in 1995; a DSS overhaul in 1997; the consolidation of child care services in 1998; Mental Health Parity legislation in 2000; the Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund in 2001; proposing Smart Growth affordable housing in 2004; Chapter 70 education funding reform in 2006; and a health care cost control bill in 2008 to improve cost reporting and transparency, and promote electronic medical records and uniform billing. Throughout her career, Murray has been a driving force behind children’s issues and health care reform efforts, and helped pass landmark legislation including Children’s Mental Health and the Health Care Reform Act of 2006.

Senate presidency

Murray became Senate President in 2007. She co-authored and passed legislation in 2009 to restructure the state transportation system; oversaw a comprehensive string of reforms, including improvements in the state pension system, and our ethics, lobbying and campaign finance laws; and in 2010 passed an economic development bill and small business legislation to streamline state agencies, reduce operating costs and create new opportunities for investment and growth.

In 2011, Murray has continued to lead the Senate’s reform agenda, overseeing legislation to reorganize the Trial Court and Probation Department and establish a transparent hiring process, and authoring fundamental changes in how state government operates with legislation that updates antiquated state finance laws and implements performance measurement requirements for all agencies and programs. Murray is also looking ahead to additional health care reforms that will change the current payment model to provide better care and bring down costs.

Campaign Contributors

In 2008 Murray was the top Massachusetts state legislative official recipient of lobbyist donations. According to campaign finance reports, casino lobbying interests were among the largest special interest group donating to Murray in 2009.

External links

• Biography of Therese Murray at Massachusetts General Court