Boston — Sen. Adam G. Hinds, D-Pittsfield, has announced that he was appointed Wednesday to serve as a member of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means by acting Senate President Harriette L. Chandler, D-Worcester.
“I am honored to join this important Committee,” said Hinds. “It provides an opportunity to give western Massachusetts a louder voice when the Senate is making key policy and spending decisions.”
Membership on the committee is considered a prominent assignment for legislators. The panel is charged with reviewing all matters relating to the finances of the Commonwealth. Each year the committee is tasked with drafting the Senate budget, and it is often the last stop for all bills and proposals to be reviewed before they are debated on the Senate floor.
Hinds joins fellow western Massachusetts Sens. James T. Welch, D-West Springfield, and Donald F. Humason Jr., R-Westfield, on the committee, which is led by Chair Karen Spilka, D-Ashland.
Hinds serves as the chairman of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development and the vice-chairman of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies. He is a member of the Joint Committee on Higher Education; the Joint Committee on Housing; the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery; the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government; the Special Senate Committee on Citizen Engagement; and the Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs. He is also the Senate co-chair of the Rural Caucus and a member of the Regional Schools, Regional Transit Authority, Gateway Cities, and Trails caucuses.
