Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) Statement Responding to Executive Order 14224
4/1/2025
On Saturday, March 1st 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14224 which designated English as the official language of the United States of America. Many have considered this action to be symbolic, but Executive Order 14224 should be understood as a first step in upending federal language access policy by rescinding Executive Order 13166: Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency. The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute stands with all limited English proficient (LEP) people whose right to equal access to government services and benefits is being jeopardized by this change in federal language access policy.
MassProBono.org Relaunches to Connect Massachusetts Lawyers with Those in Need
Boston, MA – February 10, 2025 – MassProBono.org, a vital online resource for lawyers, paralegals, and law students looking to contribute their time to meet the legal needs of vulnerable people across Massachusetts, has been redesigned and updated. Volunteers can now browse more than 60 curated, up-to-date pro bono opportunities from legal aid organizations across the Commonwealth to find projects that match their skills, interests, and availability. The website also features a calendar of training sessions and events aimed at strengthening volunteers’ ability to serve those in need of legal assistance. Mass Pro Bono is managed by the Massachusetts Legal Aid Websites Project, at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI).
Press Statement for Martin Luther King Jr. Day by Georgia Katsoulomitis and Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI)
January 2025
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a time for all of us to reflect on Dr. King’s unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and the eradication of poverty. His vision, his dedication and his life’s work drive all of us who fight each day to eliminate poverty, injustice and inequality and to advance racial justice.
Congress’s Last-Minute Compromise to Avoid a Shutdown Eliminated its Previous Agreement to Replace Food Benefits Stolen from Low-Income Families
BOSTON, MA (December 23, 2024) – Low-income families struggling to put food on the table are a major casualty of last week’s political maneuvering to avoid a government shutdown.
Since summer 2022, thousands of Massachusetts families have had their food benefits stolen through no fault of their own due to organized card-skimming schemes. SNAP benefits are particularly vulnerable to theft because the benefit cards use a magnetic stripe instead of a chip. To make matters worse, Congress in 1996 denied SNAP families the recourse available to other cardholders whose funds are stolen.
MLRI Applauds Congress For Extending Replacement of Stolen SNAP Benefits
On Thursday, September 26, 2024, President Biden signed a continuing resolution to keep the government open until late December. We applaud the resolution’s continuation of federal replacement for SNAP benefits stolen through December 20, 2024. We are grateful to our Massachusetts delegation, particularly Congressman Jim McGovern, for their leadership in Congress and focus on this critical issue.
Statement from MLRI re Anti Immigrant Rhetoric
Statement of Georgia D. Katsoulomitis,
Executive Director of Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI)
In Response to Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric Against Haitian Community
The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit poverty law organization that does not endorse any political candidate. At the same time, as an organization grounded in social, racial and economic justice, we do not and cannot turn a blind eye to injustice.
We cannot remain silent in the face of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance’s relentless, baseless and racist attacks upon all immigrants – and currently against the Haitian people, so many of whom are our cherished friends, neighbors and co-workers in Massachusetts.
FY25 Budget Signed by the Governor Provides Funds for Access to Counsel (ATC)
BOSTON , MA (July 29, 2024) – Today, the Governor signed the FY25 budget and included the House and Senate’s recommendation for $2.5 million to launch an Access to Counsel pilot program to provide lawyers for low-income tenants facing eviction, an investment proven to decrease housing instability and homelessness.
“This is a significant step forward for housing justice and equity. A significant number of households facing eviction are Black or Brown, and very often are families headed by a single mother,” said Georgia Katsoulomitis, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI). “Gov. Healey, Attorney General Campbell and more than 240 legal, housing, healthcare and faith organizations support Access to Counsel as a way to provide tenants a level playing field, keep families housed, and build safe, healthy communities.”
Massachusetts FY25 Budget Includes 10% Cash Assistance Increase Starting April 2025
BOSTON, MA (July 29, 2024) – The Massachusetts FY 25 budget includes a 10 percent increase in cash assistance benefits for both TAFDC and EAEDC programs starting April 2025, marking another historic step forward for families in Deep Poverty.
This increase means that the maximum TAFDC grant for a family of three will go from $783/month to $861/month, and the EAEDC grant for an older adult or a person with disabilities will increase from $401/month to $441/month. Even with these increases, grants are still well below half of the federal poverty level – known as the Deep Poverty level – which is $1,076 a month for a family of three in 2024.