Sen. Mark Montigny (D — New Bedford) opened the 194th session of the Massachusetts General Court on Jan. 1, presiding as the Dean of the Senate.

As the Dean of the Senate, Montigny, who is the Senate’s longest continuously serving member, will call the Senate to order and preside until a president is elected by ballot or roll call vote, according to the chamber’s formal legislative rules. Dean of the Senate is an informal position within the Senate that is used to refer to the senator who has been serving the longest continuously. 

In addition to welcoming new colleagues and introducing Gov. Maura Healey for the formal swearing-in ceremony, Montigny used the opportunity to urge the legislature to action and to resist efforts by those seeking to exert improper influence over substantial policy work and law, according to a press release from his office.

With a deep history of advancing significant policy work that shaped law in Massachusetts and nationwide, Montigny has championed the first-in-the-nation universal health coverage program for children, authored the first anti-human trafficking law in Massachusetts and outlawed using handheld cell phones while driving a motor vehicle, the press release said.

The 194th General Court is now convened and will serve until early January 2027.