News

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. 

Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly received a letter to the editor last week from the Together Rising Against Coercion Coalition, of which the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute is on the Steering Committee. The letter outlines some key facts regarding an Act to Prevent Abuse and Exploitation, popularly known as the ‘Revenge Porn’ bill, in relation to the MLW front page story “Revenge porn law raises bail, dangerousness concerns” (July 1).

The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute and 95 other Massachusetts organizations joined with over 1,400 state and national organizations calling on Congress to protect and strengthen the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the upcoming Farm Bill deliberations. 

The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute applauds the Massachusetts’ Legislature for approving legislation to protect survivors of domestic abuse.  An Act to Prevent Abuse and Exploitation expands the definition of domestic abuse to include coercive control, the foundation of all forms of abuse. Coercive control is a pattern of deliberate behavior used by an abuser to restrict their victim’s safety and autonomy. Massachusetts now becomes the seventh state in the nation to recognize coercive control as a harmful form of domestic abuse. The law also aligns Massachusetts with 48 other states who have already outlawed revenge porn, a form of coercive control. Prior law in Massachusetts limited the definition of domestic violence to physical and sexual assault or fear of imminent serious physical harm.

Last week, House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson released the text of his Farm Bill proposal. His proposal would take $30 billion SNAP food dollars off the tables of extremely low-income families over the next decade – a $750 million cut for Massachusetts families between FY2027 and FY2033. If it were to be enacted, the bill would make the largest cuts to SNAP in nearly 30 years – since 1996’s failed welfare law.

Currently, 1 in 6 Massachusetts residents connect to SNAP to help put food on the table. A modestly priced meal in Massachusetts costs 30% to 70% more than the maximum SNAP benefit (and most families do not receive the maximum). 

On April 19, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved Massachusetts’s request to amend the MassHealth Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Plan Section 1115 Demonstration. This approval recognizes shelter as a health-related social need and allows MassHealth to spend federal money on shelter and other assistance for MassHealth families experiencing homelessness in the Emergency Assistance (EA) shelter program. This policy change will bring significant federal money into the EA shelter system which can be used for shelter costs and supportive health-related services for MassHealth members.

BOSTON, April 16, 2024 – Today, the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) proudly announced the official relaunch of MassLegalHelp.org, one of five websites it manages. 

MassLegalHelp.org offers free, practical legal information and resources to help members of the public learn about their legal rights in Massachusetts and take actionable steps to solve civil legal problems. The refreshed site features a modern, streamlined look that contains over 800 articles, e-books, and videos reviewed by substantive legal experts. MassLegalHelp.org is committed to enhancing access to justice for vulnerable people struggling with critical legal issues related to unemployment; housing; public benefits; family law; health care; domestic violence; money and debt; immigration; education; and more. 

Our advocates know that meaningful change takes time – a win today only leads to change tomorrow if advocacy is ongoing.

Whether it is the restoration of state-funded food benefits for immigrants or the creation of access to counsel in eviction cases, when we take on issues, we are making a long-term commitment. 

The successes we’ve had in the past few months are the result of that committed advocacy – and will be the catalyst for more wins down the road. Thank you for joining us on this journey towards justice.