On Wednesday, September 28, the Biden-Harris Administration will host the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. This conference is only the second of its kind - the previous was held in 1969.
The 1969 event was critical in the creation of school lunch programs and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). It also led to crucial changes to how the USA labels food.
Gina Plata-Nino will be representing Mass Law Reform at Wednesday's conference.
Last updated on September 21 at 11:15am
Added September 21
What legal procedures will the asylum seekers have to go through?
Asylum seekers are required to file for asylum within one year of arriving in the United States. This requires filing an application for asylum and supporting documentation demonstrating that the individual qualifies for asylum - specifically that a person is outside of their country and is unable or unwilling to return for fear of persecution based on their race, religion, ethnicity, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.
Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) stands in solidarity with our immigrant-serving partners and legal aid colleagues who are mobilizing to assist and support the Venezuelan asylum seekers who were sent to Martha’s Vineyard by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. MLRI and our partners will continue to support the work on the ground to care for these, and all immigrants and refugees, arriving in our Commonwealth.
Media Contact:
Laura Giordano
Cell: 774-214-6410
lgiordano@melwoodglobal.com
BOSTON – Representatives from the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI), Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA), Health Care For All (HCFA) and Health Law Advocates (HLA) have come together to support the Biden Administration’s move to update the federal Public Charge rule, which will ensure that immigrants seeking green cards can access public benefits they are entitled to without fear of immigration consequences.
For Immediate Release - August 04, 2022
Media Contacts
MLRI: Christine Dunn
christine@sevenletter.com | 617.646.1044
NASW-MA: Rebekah Gewirtz
rgewirtz.naswma@socialworkers.org | 617.645.4773
Newly implemented systems will increase program efficiency and improve access to critical safety-net benefits for all low-income Massachusetts residents
On July 27th, the Baker Administration implemented a portion of FY21 and FY22 budget language and began allowing low-income households applying for or renewing MassHealth online to apply for SNAP food benefits at the same time.
The FY 2023 budget’s 10 percent increase in cash assistance starting in October marks another historic step forward for families in Deep Poverty. This is the third increase in three years after decades of frozen benefit levels. These successive increases demonstrate our legislative leaders’ moral commitment to our most vulnerable children, older adults, and people with disabilities.
In late 2018, the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, together with Greater Boston Legal Services and many other legal services programs and community organizations, began a campaign to increase state cash assistance grants, which had been frozen for two decades. With the leadership of Sen. Sal DiDomenico (D-Everett) and Rep. Marjorie Decker (D-Cambridge), the Lift Our Kids Coalition secured a 10% increase – the first in a generation – in the FY21 budget, and then a further 9.1% increase in the FY22 budget.
Last month, Mass Law Reform, Greater Boston Legal Services, South Coastal Counties Legal Services and the Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School submitted an amicus brief for the case of Slavin v. Lewis in Norfolk Superior Court, representing six advocacy groups who serve survivors of domestic abuse. Amicus briefs, also known as friend of the court briefs, can be a key component of efforts to support low income survivors of domestic abuse. Amicus briefs are an opportunity to inform appellate courts on how their decisions may affect people beyond the parties in an individual case.
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