There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call reports on the percentage of times senators voted with their party’s leadership in the 2023 session through Aug. 25.

Beacon Hill Roll Call uses 61 votes from the 2023 Senate session as the basis for this report. This includes all roll calls that were not quorum calls or votes on local issues.

The votes of 34 Democrats were compared to Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Creem, D-Newton, second-in-command in the Senate. Beacon Hill Roll Call could not compare the Democrats’ votes to those of Senate President Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, because, by tradition, the Senate president rarely votes.

The senator who voted with Creem the smallest percentage of times is Sen. Walter Timilty, D-Milton, who voted with her 52 times (85.2%). Rounding out the top four who voted with Creem the least frequently are Sens. John Keenan, D-Quincy, who voted with her 55 times (91.6%); and Barry Finegold, D-Andover, and Becca Rausch, D-Needham, who each voted with her 57 times (93.4%).

Beacon Hill Roll Call contacted these four senators and asked them to comment on the percentage of times, lower than the other senators, each one voted with the leadership. Only one responded.

“I always respect and value the views and contributions of all my colleagues,” said Sen. Keenan. “I also recognize the difference in our perspectives and the politics of the districts we represent, and these sometimes lead to differences in voting records. What has always guided me in voting is doing what I believe is right and what best benefits my constituents and all the residents of the commonwealth.”

Sens. Timilty, Finegold and Rausch were contacted three times but did not respond.

The vast majority of Democrats voted with Creem at least 90% of the time, including 19 (55.8%) who voted with Creem 100% of the time and nine (26.4%) who voted with Creem all but once.

The votes of the two Republican senators were compared with those of GOP Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester. Sen. Patrick O’Connor, R-Weymouth, voted with Tarr 61 times (100%) while Sen. Ryan Fattman, R-Sutton, voted with Tarr 60 times (98.3%).

The percentage next to the senator’s name represents the percentage of times the senator supported his or her party’s leadership so far in 2023. The number in parentheses represents the number of times the senator opposed his or her party’s leadership.

Some senators voted on all 61 roll call votes. Others missed one or more roll calls. The percentage for each senator is calculated based on the number of roll calls on which he or she voted.

Sen. Joanne Comerford — 100% (0)

Sen. Paul Mark — 100% (0)

Also on Beacon Hill Dueling versions of tax reduction bill stuck in committee (H 377 and S 2406)

A six-member House-Senate conference committee, appointed on June 20, is still negotiating a compromise version of different versions of competing tax relief packages that were approved by each branch. The Senate’s package would cost the state about $590 million annually, while the House’s version would cost close to $1.1 billion.

In the meantime, there are dozens of tax relief bills pending before the Revenue Committee. Here are some of them:

Charitable deduction (S 1801): Would allow the state’s charitable deduction to be claimed only by taxpayers who do not itemize their federal returns — a group that supporters say generally consists of low-income and moderate-income people. They say the bill makes the charitable tax deduction more progressive.

“This bill strikes the right balance between encouraging charitable contributions and ensuring that our tax code is fair,” said sponsor Sen. Jamie Eldridge, D-Marlborough.

Deduct college tuition costs (S 1884): Would allow students or their parents, on their state tax returns, to deduct up to 50% of their tuition payments to public colleges in Massachusetts.

“An individual choosing to pursue higher education is a student making an investment not only in their own future, but also in the future of the commonwealth,” said sponsor Sen. Mike Moore, D-Millbury. “I believe we ought to encourage and celebrate that. At a time when higher education is becoming increasingly unaffordable, creating a tax deduction for students pursuing a degree at one of Massachusetts’ world-class colleges or universities seems like a no-brainer. Increasing access to education makes all of us more competitive, more productive and more successful. Let’s do what we can to make higher ed possible for every student who wants it.”

Allow income tax deduction for school and municipal fees (H 2868): Would provide a tax deduction for the school fees that parents must often pay for their public school children, as well as for trash pick-up and disposal.

Supporters say most public schools levy a variety of fees on their students including fees to park vehicles in school lots, to enroll in full-day kindergarten, to ride the school bus, to participate in after-school sports, and to join clubs and other extracurricular activities.

“I filed this bill because many families in my district and in MetroWest pay over $1,000 per year in school fees,” said sponsor Rep. David Linsky, D-Natick. “All these services were formerly funded through the local property tax, though that is no longer the case. [The bill] will benefit the middle class and help to uplift the purpose of well-rounded public schools.”

Conservation land tax credit (H 2839): Makes changes to the state’s current conservation land tax credit law that provides an incentive for individuals to donate land in Massachusetts to a public or private conservation agency. The law provides an up to $75,000 refundable state tax credit equal to 50% of the fair market value of the donated property. The land being donated must have significant conservation value, which includes forests, farmland, and land used for wildlife protection and projects essential to water quality protection.

The bill would increase the annual statewide maximum conservation land tax credit cap allowed from $2 million to $5 million over a three-year period. The $5 million cap will remain in effect until Dec. 31, 2034, at which time the cap will revert back to $2 million.

“For every $1 in tax credits paid out under this program, the state has leveraged $4.16 of private land donated value, which is a tremendous return,” said sponsor Rep. Brad Jones, R-North Reading. “Since the CLTC was launched, it has protected over 15,000 acres of land with an appraised value of over $89 million, with many more projects already lined up seeking a tax credit. Increasing the annual cap will help clear up the waiting list and allow more landowners to take advantage of the tax credit while also ensuring that more of the state’s natural resources are protected.”