Senator Marc R. Pacheco was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1988 and to the Massachusetts Senate in 1992 by the citizens of the 1st Plymouth and Bristol District. Senator Pacheco dedicated many years of service to the City of Taunton School Committee and the Mayor’s office prior to his time in the Massachusetts Legislature. He is currently the senior ranking elected official of Portuguese descent in Massachusetts as well as the Senate Chair of the Portuguese American Legislative Caucus.

Senator Pacheco was recently named Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Natural Resources. He is also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change. Senator Pacheco was honored to be selected by Al Gore in 2007 to become a Climate Messenger and increase awareness of this critical issue.   He also serves as the Vice Chairman of the Joint Committee on Telecommunication, Utilities and Energy.  In addition he serves on the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, and is a member of the Joint Committee on Transportation

Senator Pacheco has prioritized the key issues of today to build a better tomorrow for the future generations of the Commonwealth. Throughout his career, Senator Pacheco has supported initiatives to spur economic growth, preserve and protect the environment, ensure the protection of rights for veterans and senior citizens, increase civic engagement, create jobs in the new “green” economy, and foster the creation of global economic partnerships.  

For more than 30 years, Senator Pacheco has worked to strengthen the Commonwealth’s ties with foreign leaders and create economic partnerships to benefit the citizens of the Commonwealth. For his leadership in economic development and his commitment to global partnerships, Senator Pacheco has received national and international recognition. In 1994, Senator Pacheco was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to the Massachusetts District Export Council, which he chaired from 1996 through 2005 and is currently a member. In 2002, Senator Pacheco was appointed by the United States Federal Housing Finance Board to serve as an appointive director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston.

Foreign governments have honored Senator Pacheco for his work to develop and strengthen ties that unite countries across the globe. Senator Pacheco was honored in 2005 by the region of Pskov, Russia with the medal of Saint Olga for his humanitarian efforts. In 2000, Senator Pacheco received the honor of “Commander of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator,” the highest award bestowed upon a civilian by the Portuguese government.

Throughout his career, Senator Pacheco has worked to increase civic engagement and protect the constitutional rights of each and every citizen. For his commitment to these ideals, Senator Pacheco in 1995 was appointed by President William Jefferson Clinton, and confirmed by the United States Senate, to serve a six-year term on the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation’s board of trustees. In 1997, Senator Pacheco played a leadership role in solving the most pressing public policy issues of the 21^st century when he was appointed by the National Democratic Leadership Council to serve as a member of the State Legislative Advisory Board. 

During his tenure in the legislature, Senator Pacheco has prioritized and developed strategies to enhance the economy of Massachusetts and the southeastern region. For his work, Senator Pacheco in 1998 received a gubernatorial appointment to the government affairs committee of the Task Force on Growth and Change in Southeastern Massachusetts. Senator Pacheco was then appointed co-chair of the task force which was later named Vision 2020, a regional growth management project being undertaken by three regional planning agencies. Senator Pacheco is the founder and co-chair of the Southeastern Massachusetts Legislative Caucus, a bi-partisan group of legislators and community leaders that share the common goal of fostering economic development throughout the region.

His leadership role on these issues made him a key player in many prestigious national conferences and events throughout the United States and here in the Commonwealth. In 2007, he was selected to speak at the Democratic Leadership Council’s Annual National Conversation event, educating legislators from across the country about the new health care reform laws in Massachusetts. That same year, Senator Pacheco was chosen to be a key player in the National Conference of State Legislatures, addressing legislators and IT professionals from all across the nation about homeland security issues and matters pertaining to Open Documents Standards.

A life-long resident of Taunton, Senator Pacheco was first elected to public office in 1979 as a member of the Taunton School Committee.  He served for ten years as a member of that body, eventually rising to chairman of the committee.  From 1982 to 1988, he worked for the mayor of Taunton as his chief assistant and budget director.

The Senator earned his Master's Degree in Public Administration from Suffolk University. Senator Pacheco has a Bachelor's Degree in Human Services from New Hampshire College and an Associate's Degree from the University of Massachusetts-Stockbridge School. Senator Pacheco and his wife Barbara (Sylvia) Pacheco currently reside in the city of Taunton, just a few blocks from where he grew up.