Concerned about negative public perception of the Legislature, House Speaker Ron Mariano pledged Wednesday at the start of the new session that his chamber will consider a “number of rules reforms” in February.

He also warned his colleagues the state lacks the funding to replace every federal program that may be cut under the incoming Trump presidency.

Mariano’s remarks to kick off the 194th General Court come days after lawmakers blazed through a mountain of bills to cap off the just-ended two-year session, a burst of activity that was accompanied by limited debate at sessions that most lawmakers did not attend.

In a speech on the opening day of the 2025-2026 session, the Quincy Democrat criticized news coverage of Beacon Hill productivity and rattled off lawmakers’ accomplishments, without acknowledging the fact that the Legislature enacted about 20% of the two-year term’s legislation just on Monday into early Tuesday morning, including two major health care reform bills.

“[T]he House will consider a number of rules reforms next month when we have our rules debate, from potential changes to the legislative calendar, to reforms aimed at bolstering public confidence in the legislative process,” Mariano, a Quincy Democrat, said Wednesday afternoon on the House floor. “I’m confident that together, we can make changes that will have a positive impact on the Legislature as an institution for years to come.”

Mariano, 78, cruised to reelection as speaker without facing any challenger for the top job. He was first elected speaker on Dec. 30, 2020.

At a Democratic caucus earlier on Wednesday, he was nominated back to that post by Reps. Tackey Chan of Quincy, Ted Philips of Sharon and Meghan Kilcoyne of Clinton.

The first caucus of the term was open to the press, unlike similar meetings held Wednesday by Senate Democrats and Republicans in both chambers. House Democrats voted at its conclusion to retreat behind closed doors for future caucuses.

Representatives appointed Timothy Carroll of Hull as clerk of the House. An assistant clerk since 2017 and a UMass Boston alumnus, Carroll succeeds Steven James, who retired after holding the position for 26 years.

Mariano suggested some of the possible rules reforms are in response to media coverage of the Legislature. During a Democratic caucus earlier Wednesday, Mariano more candidly rebuked reporters, telling his colleagues, “There were naysayers who couldn’t write enough about how incompetent we were and how incapable we were.”

While Democrats failed to strike agreements on a slew of major bills at the end of formal lawmaking on July 31, lawmakers continued to shepherd conference committee reports through informal sessions in recent months – signaling a willingness to circumvent the legislative rule that for decades prohibited controversial action in the final five months of the term.

Since the mid-1990s, lawmakers have operated under a rule that discourages major lawmaking surrounding biennial elections, a standard Democrats didn’t follow last term as they hammered out their long-awaited economic development bill agreement.

Without alterations to the calendar this cycle, the template from last session indicates lawmakers will get off to a slow start in 2025, before delving into weighty omnibus packages in 2026.

Mariano did not delve into specific rules reforms he will seek during his floor speech. He also made no mention of the voter law that on Friday will go into effect and give Auditor Diana DiZoglio the explicit authority to audit the Legislature – a measure that he and Senate President Karen Spilka have indicated they may adjust due to concerns over constitutional separation of powers.

The speaker asserted the last session was “incredibly productive by any reasonable, objective measure” and lamented that the “coverage of the past two years hasn’t always reflected that.”

“As a result, the perception of our work is often at odds with what we know to be the truth about what we’ve accomplished,” said Mariano, who added that “doing good work isn’t enough if our constituents don’t feel as though they can easily follow the process.”

He continued, “It’s our responsibility to ensure that voters feel that they have an efficient and transparent Legislature that is responsive to their concerns.”

House Minority Leader Brad Jones, who fended off a leadership challenge Wednesday from Rep. Marc Lombardo, expressed a willingness to consider rules changes. Jones said he’s open to any proposals from Mariano and that his caucus will also suggest their own idea for updating legislative policies.

“We’d like to have greater notice about the legislative calendar. We’d love to have more time for people to look at bills,” Jones told reporters. “We think committee votes should be public. So there’s a whole bunch of them. So I’ll happily trade some of his good ideas for some of my good ideas.”

Beyond internal matters, Mariano said lawmakers this session will need to brace for obstacles imposed by the federal government. He said the House’s relationship with the Senate and Gov. Maura Healey’s administration will “now be of heightened importance due to the election of Donald Trump.”

“Just as the Legislature acted to protect our residents during the first Trump administration, it will once again be our responsibility to step up when we can in the face of federal management changes and decreased federal support,” Mariano said. “It will be imperative that we rise above the infighting and partisan politics that continue to plague Congress, a goal that I know Gov. Healey and Senate President Spilka remain committed to.”

At the caucus, Mariano recalled how the Legislature quickly responded to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and how Massachusetts filled the federal void in funding free school lunches. But he also offered a cautionary message.

“The one thing we have to keep in mind and the one thing we have to remember is we can’t think that we’re going to replace every program the feds change,” Mariano said.