Robert A. DeLeo

Massachusetts House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo(D-Winthrop) has represented the 19th Suffolk District, including the Town of the Winthrop and a portion of the City of Revere, in House since 1991. He assumed the Speakership in 2009.

This year, Speaker DeLeo led the Legislature in passing a consensus-driven gun safety law that closes existing loopholes, creates a sustainable framework to stop gun trafficking and establishes best practices for school safety. The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence has noted that the legislation is among the strongest in the nation, including an important set of provisions existing in no other state. Under his leadership, the Legislature also passed updated domestic violence legislation which creates new criminal offenses and elevated penalties, boosts prevention efforts and seeks to empower victims.

Since becoming Speaker, DeLeo has spearheaded two economic development packages which focus on improving the Massachusetts economy through comprehensive strategies. He has been lauded for his effective and creative approach to job creation which leverages the strengths of diverse sectors to bolster the Commonwealth’s economy in its entirety and address regional inequalities. A February 2014 Boston Globe article praised Speaker DeLeo as “one of the biggest champions of our innovation economy” and described him as “knowledgeable and fluent in getting things done, what the innovation economy needs.”

Previously, Speaker DeLeo brought nationally-heralded legislation that cut health care costs for cities and towns in Massachusetts. The same session, he initiated far-reaching judiciary reorganization legislation in concert with the chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court.

Speaker DeLeo’s priorities continue to include job creation, strong fiscal management and improving the safety of Massachusetts’ residents and communities.