BOSTON, Mass. (WWLP) - With the new year comes a new legislative session, and new and returning senators and representatives were sworn into the 194th General Court. Each legislative session lasts two years, and this session has 3 new senators and 19 new representatives. While the swearing-in was celebratory, House and Senate leadership alike are bracing for a challenging term under new federal leadership. The governor laid out her expectations for the new and returning lawmakers. "Public service is a high calling and it is essential to the preservation and the strengthening of our democracy. It's important that people of good character are willing to step forward and represent their communities," said Governor Maura Healey. The House unanimously re-elected Ron Mariano as Speaker of the House. In his inaugural speech, he expressed concern about public perception of the legislature and promised unspecified "rule reform" in the coming months. "It's our responsibility to ensure that voters feel that they have an efficient, transparent legislature that is responsive to their concerns," said Mariano. Karen Spilka was re-elected as Senate President and said she's ready to hit the ground running. In her inaugural speech, the Senate President promised more transparency for voters and proposed a rule change that would allow senators to continue to work on controversial bills after the end of the formal session in July 2026. This session's minority leaders will be the same as last session's, as Brad Jones was re-elected in the House and Bruce Tarr was re-elected in the Senate. Local News Headlines How to best tackle your 2025 fitness goals New Registers of Deeds sworn in Following through with New Year’s Resolutions 194th General Court begins WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.