MLRI is pleased to present our priorities for the current legislative session.

We are leading, co-leading, or supporting several broad-based coalitions and working directly with community partners and fellow advocates from across the state to advance important priorities that address poverty and create a more just, fair and equitable Commonwealth for all.

From advocating for bills that promote housing justice, to increasing cash assistance for extremely low-income children and families, to ensuring that state agencies comply with language access laws, our policy agenda is focused on removing barriers to opportunity, promoting racial equity, and ensuring that every individual in our state lives in dignity and has every chance to thrive.

Benefits

An Act to lift kids out of deep poverty (HD507/SD501)
Rep. Decker, Sen. DiDomenico
Lift Our Kids Coalition

Raises cash assistance grants by 25% a year until they reach 50% of the Federal Poverty Level and then increases grants each year to keep pace with inflation.

An Act establishing basic needs assistance for Massachusetts immigrant residents (HD2684, SD507)
Rep. Cabral, Rep. Garcia, Sen. DiDomenico
Feeding Our Neighbors Coalition

Establishes state-funded for food (SNAP) and cash (TAFDC) benefits for legally present immigrants ineligible for federal SNAP and TANF, restoring state benefits that Massachusetts funded from 1997 to 2002.

An Act establishing the Hunger Free Campus Initiative (HD3873/SD691)
Rep. Vargas, Rep. Domb, Sen. Lovely
Hunger Free Campus Coalition

Establishes a hunger free campus initiative within the Department of Higher Education providing technical assistance and distribution of funding to Massachusetts public colleges and minority-serving institutions.

 

Housing

An Act promoting access to counsel and housing stability in Massachusetts (HD3657/SD1082)
Rep. Rogers, Rep. Day, Sen. DiDomenico
Access to Counsel Coalition

Provides legal representation for low-income tenants and low-income owner-occupants in eviction proceedings.

An Act Promoting Housing Opportunity and Mobility through Eviction Sealing (HD3625/SD1592)
Rep. Moran, Sen. Edwards
Housing Opportunity and Mobility through Eviction Sealing (HOMES) Coalition

Protects many tenants from being unfairly marked with an eviction record by providing a process for tenants to petition the court to seal the record. 

An Act to guarantee a tenant’s first right of refusal (HD3645/SD2238)
Rep. Livingstone, Rep. Consalvo, Sen. Jehlen, Sen. Gomez
Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) Coalition

An enabling act that would allow cities and towns to enact an ordinance to provide tenant associations in multi-family buildings the right to match a third-party offer when their homes are being sold. Tenant associations can designate their rights to a non-profit or local housing authority, or partner with an affordable housing purchaser.

An Act granting a local option for a real estate transfer fee to fund affordable housing (HD2857/SD1982)
Rep. Connolly, Sen. Comerford
Local Option for Housing Affordability Coalition

Enables municipalities to enact a real estate transfer fee to fund affordable housing.

An Act enabling cities and towns to stabilize rents and protect tenants (HD3953/SD1818)
Rep. Rogers, Rep. Montaño, Sen. Jehlen
Homes for All Massachusetts

Repeals the ban on local rent control and enables municipalities to enact rent control and just cause ordinances.

An Act establishing a Massachusetts foreclosure prevention program (HD1551/SD909)
Rep. Barber, Sen. Gomez
Homes for All Massachusetts

Establishes a statewide Foreclosure Prevention Program to require servicers and homeowners to participate in pre-foreclosure conferences to explore alternatives to foreclosure.

 

Immigration

An Act to ensure tuition equity for Massachusetts residents (HD3624)
Rep. Moran, Rep. Madaro

An Act providing access to higher education for high school graduates in the Commonwealth (SD751/SD81)
Sen. Miranda, Sen. Crighton

Ensures that all MA high school graduates have access to in-state tuition at our Commonwealth’s public colleges and universities, regardless of immigration status. The Senate bill would also extend eligibility for state financial aid.

An Act relative to Massachusetts state sovereignty (HD3902/SD506)
Rep. Cabral, Sen. Gomez

Ends ICE detention and 287(g) contracts between MA and ICE, and requires that any sheriff or police department first seek and receive written authorization from the Governor or the Governor’s designee before signing other types of federal contracts to deputize state/local officers.

 

Language Access

An Act Relative to Language Access and Inclusion (HD3616/SD1066)
Rep. Madaro, Rep. Gonzalez, Sen. DiDomenico
Mass Speaks Coalition

Requires public-facing state agencies and outside service providers they use to offer interpretation and translation of vital documents, including websites and and online applications. Creates an advisory board with representatives from limited English-speaking communities, the deaf or hard-of-hearing community, and community groups/legal service providers to help agencies implement the law.

An Act Relative to Training Assessment (HD1915/SD461)
Rep. Cabral, Sen. Crighton

Establishes a system for training and assessing qualified school interpreters. The system will be phased in over several years by the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and is subject to appropriation.

 

Racial Justice

An Act establishing fairness for agricultural workers (HD2936/SD1239)
Rep. Gonzalez, Sen. Gomez

Makes farmworkers eligible for regular state minimum wage; provides for improved overtime and work break coverage for farmworkers; provides tax credit for farmers to offset some overtime costs.

An Act to create access to justice (HD1581/SD1079)
Rep. Meschino, Sen. DiDomenico 

Supports the ability to enforce civil rights by protecting against harmful disparate impact and eliminating the unrealistic burden of proof of discriminatory intent.

 

Health

An Act relative to Medicaid coverage for doula services (HD2452/SD1638)
Rep. Sabadosa, Sen. Miranda
Massachusetts Doula Coalition

Expands MassHealth benefits to include coverage of doula services; creates a doula advisory committee to work with MassHealth on implementation; creates the infrastructure necessary to expand and diversify the doula workforce so it can meet the needs of MassHealth members; and admends the Patient Bill of Rights to include the right to have doulas present in the labor and delivery room.

An Act to ensure equitable health coverage for children (HD2153/SD778)
Rep. Rogers, Sen. DiDomenico
Children’s Health Access Coalition

Expands eligibility of comprehensive MassHealth coverage to include all income-eligible children regardless of their immigration status.

An Act protecting homes of seniors and disabled people on MassHealth (HD472/SD259)
Rep. Barber, Sen. Comerford

Reforms MassHealth’s estate recovery policies by no longer requiring the MassHealth agency to seek estate recovery for all spending after someone turns age 55 and instead limiting estate recovery to only what is required by federal law, expands the criteria for hardship waivers, protects individuals with disabilities in the CommonHealth program and makes other reforms.

An Act to restore the effective date of MassHealth coverage for new applicants (HD2440/SD1187)
Rep. Cassidy, Sen. Crighton

In order to reduce medical debt, this bill restores up to 3 months retroactive coverage to  MassHealth members 19-64 who under current MassHealth policy have only 10 days.

 

Child Welfare

An Act establishing a bill of rights for children in foster care (HD3395/SD2253)
Rep. Finn, Sen. Comerford
MA Child Welfare Coalition

Establishes an enforceable bill of rights for children in foster care including rights to a safe and least restrictive placement, opportunity to know their racial, cultural, religious and gender identity, placement with kin, and in person time with their parents – all as consistent with their needs.

An Act to support families (HD2603/SD293)
Rep. Garballey, Sen. Comerford

Modifying the requirement of automatic reports to the Department of Children and Families of infants born with a physical dependence on an addictive drug to require such reporting only when that dependence puts the child at risk of abuse or neglect in order to protect families from unnecessary reporting, for example in cases where mother is taking medication to treat an underlying substance use disorder.

 

Domestic Violence

An Act to improve protections relative to domestic violence (HD1844/SD1975)
Rep. Higgins, Rep. Nguyen, Sen. Moore

Adds defined acts of coercive control and technical as grounds for obtaining a restraining order.

An Act relative to controlling and abusive litigation (HD2611/SD2054)
Rep. Blais, Sen. Moore

Outlines remedies in cases where an abusive party repeatedly drags survivors into court, draining them financially and emotionally.

Email info@mlri.org to learn more about how to support these bills.