We wish to voice our support for a bill sponsored by State Senator Sal DiDomenico, the Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate, that seeks to accelerate the timetable for lifting children in our state out of what is known as Deep Poverty.
The Act to Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty would raise the maximum cash assistance grant by 25% a year until it reaches half of the federal poverty level. Families living below half the federal poverty level are considered to be in Deep Poverty. Under Senator DiDomenico’s bill, grants would increase each year and would keep pace with inflation as the poverty level goes up.
Senator DiDomenico has been instrumental in leading the charge in the legislature to raise the grant levels three times for a total increase of 32% beginning in January, 2021.
According to the Massachusetts Budget & Policy Center, almost 80,000 children in our state live in Deep Poverty, a situation that not only is unconscionable in 2023, but that also is counterproductive to the future of our society.
We urge the legislature to pass this bill immediately to ensure that no child in our state lacks food, clothing, and the other basic necessities of life.