Environmental Justice

In 2021, the Massachusetts Legislature passed sweeping climate legislation to boldly tackle the contributing factors of climate change and chart one of the most aggressive courses of action against global warming in the country. Critically, An Act Creating a Next-Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy, included historic environmental justice language taken from legislation championed by Senator Sal DiDomenico. The environmental justice movement calls for the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, or income level, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental goals, regulations, and policies. The communities which Senator DiDomenico represents have historically been excluded from environmental decision making and policy planning in their own neighborhoods, leading to disproportionate levels of environmental pollution and degradation in their communities. Communities like Senator DiDomenico’s, which are seeking environmental justice, are referred to as EJ communities. DiDomenico, taking a focus on environmental justice issues, was a lead sponsor of the Environmental Justice Act, and worked closely with his colleagues Senator Jamie Eldridge, Representatives Liz Miranda, Representative Adrian Madaro, and Representative Michelle DuBois to secure this EJ policy in the new climate change law. For the very first time, the Next-Generation Climate Roadmap codified provisions into Massachusetts law, defining EJ populations and providing new tools and protections for affected neighborhoods. It also required each climate roadmap plan to improve or mitigate economic, environmental, and public health impacts on EJ populations and low- and moderate-income individuals. DiDomenico and his colleagues worked closely with Environmental Justice advocates (especially Chelsea’s own GreenRoots) on these EJ provisions, and this new law is a testament to their tireless advocacy. Because of this legislation, for the very first time, Environmental Justice communities have a seat at the table and a voice when decisions are made that impact their homes and their health.

Access to Counsel

In 2018, Senator DiDomenico began sponsoring legislation to establish a “right to counsel” to provide low-income tenants and homeowners with counsel during eviction proceedings. At the time, there were an estimated 43 evictions every day in Massachusetts, with a total of 40,000 households served with eviction papers every year since 2008. Of those eviction cases, over 92% of tenants received zero assistance when they first received their eviction notice, and were forced to fight their eviction without help from an attorney. Recognizing that most evictions happen very quickly and many tenants do not know how to protect themselves both before and during court proceedings, Senator DiDomenico filed this legislation to effectively resolve eviction cases for all parties and prevent homelessness due to eviction. A RTC policy in Massachusetts is also estimated to save the Commonwealth $63.02 million annually in emergency housing costs. Of course, the need for this legislation grew exponentially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the COVID crisis, and subsequent housing emergency, Senator DiDomenico moved quickly to file an emergency bill to establish a Right to Counsel pilot program in the Commonwealth. The goal of this pilot was to protect both renters and owner-occupants in areas of the state that were hardest hit by COVID-19. Working in partnership with a coalition of over 200 organizations, Senator DiDomenico lobbied the Baker Administration to include a RTC pilot proposal in any COVID-19 eviction prevention proposal the Administration put forth. After much advocacy, the RTC pilot was ultimately included as a major cornerstone of the Baker Administration’s Massachusetts COVID Eviction Diversion Initiative. This access to counsel program is now known as the COVID Eviction Legal Help Project, which gives free legal help to low-income tenants and owner-occupants. Today, DiDomenico persists in championing Right to Counsel legislation in the Legislature, working to establish a permanent right to counsel in the Commonwealth.

Breakfast After the Bell

In 2017, partnering with some of the most prominent food security and anti-poverty organizations in the Commonwealth, Senator DiDomenico introduced new legislation aimed at combating childhood hunger in the Commonwealth. Recognizing that 1 in 9 Massachusetts children were living in a food insecure household, and that children spent most of their days at school, this legislation took aim at ensuring all kids from economically disadvantaged households had access to free breakfast at school. This bill, known as Breakfast After the Bell, required all public K‑12 schools with 60 percent or more students eligible for free or reduced-price meals under the federal National School Lunch Program to offer breakfast after the instructional day begins. Although Massachusetts was already requiring high-need schools to provide breakfast to every eligible student, breakfast was offered before the bell and in the cafeteria, resulting in low participation rates—less than 40 percent—compared to 80‑90 percent participation for free and reduced lunch. Senator DiDomenico and his team recognized that moving breakfast from before the bell to after was a simple and proven strategy to boost breakfast participation and ensure that all Massachusetts students would have the nutrition they needed to start their day ready to learn. In August 2020, after years of tireless advocacy by Senator DiDomenico and anti-hunger advocates from across the state, the Massachusetts Legislature overwhelmingly passed Breakfast After the Bell, with Governor Baker signing Senator DiDomenico’s bill into law in August of 2020. Since its passage, Breakfast After the Bell has been estimated to have expanded school breakfast to an additional 150,000 Massachusetts children.

Childhood Wellness

In December of 2019, Governor Baker signed into law An Act Relative to Children’s Health and Wellness, legislation aiming to break down silos of service to better address the complex health and wellness needs specific to the Commonwealth’s children. Longtime legislation sponsored by Senator DiDomenico were included as key components of this sweeping childhood wellness law, including An Act ensuring continuous healthcare coverage for youth who have aged-out of the department of children and families. Under the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicaid became available to former foster children up to age 26. However, when the ACA went into effect, many foster youth who had aged out of the Department of Children and Families (DCF)— but were under the age of 26— were unaware of their eligibility for health insurance through MassHealth. Consequently, many who were in foster care on their 18th birthday lost MassHealth coverage after aging-out of the system. The provision from Seantor DiDomenico’s legislation addresses this inequity by codifying the policy that allows youth who have aged out of DCF to receive MassHealth benefits until they turn 26 and require that these young individuals be automatically enrolled until they are no longer eligible. Because of this policy, foster youth today are now guaranteed the same access to healthcare that their peers are afforded and more at-risk youth now have a better chance to lead healthy and successful lives.

LiftING the Cap on Kids

In 1995, Massachusetts passed what was then called the “toughest in the nation” welfare reform law. This new law included a family cap-- i.e. a “Cap on Kids-- a policy that denied assistance to thousands of children who were born after their family began receiving benefits. As a result of this policy, for more than two decades, Massachusetts denied benefits to thousands of children living in poverty, making it exceedingly difficult for low-income families to meet their most basic needs. Recognizing that the Cap on Kids was a failed and unjust policy that hurt vulnerable children, Senator DiDomenico partnered with the Lift Our Kids Coalition and sponsored legislation to repeal Massachusetts’s family cap policy. In an impressive display of political will and determination by the advocates and lead sponsors of the bill, Senator DiDomenico and Representative Marjorie Decker, this legislation was passed by both the Massachusetts House and Senate during the very first legislative session that it was filed with a bipartisan vote. After receiving a veto from the Governor, DiDomenico and the Lift Our Kids Coalition moved swiftly during the next legislative session to once again file and pass this bill. In April of 2019, after overwhelmingly voting to override the Governor’s veto, the Massachusetts Legislature passed DiDomenico’s bill into law, officially repealing Massachusetts’s family cap policy. As a result, nearly 9,000 Massachusetts children experiencing poverty now have access to the benefits they need and deserve.

FIGHTING BIG TOBACCO

In July of 2018, landmark legislation passed by the Massachusetts Legislature to reduce youth access to tobacco and nicotine products was signed into law. At the time of passage, tobacco use and nicotine addiction remained the leading cause of preventable illness and premature death in Massachusetts, responsible for more than $4 billion in annual health care costs to the Commonwealth, with youth being particularly susceptible to nicotine addiction. Included in this comprehensive bill was longtime legislation sponsored by Senator DiDomenico to prohibit the sale of tobacco and nicotine delivery products in pharmacies and other health-care institutions. In 2014, CVS Pharmacy announced that it would stop tobacco based sales in their local pharmacies, and at least 160 Massachusetts communities have also banned tobacco sales in their local pharmacies. This legislation required all other pharmacies to follow suit. Senator DiDomenico was ultimately awarded the Distinguished Advocacy Award, a prestigious honor bestowed by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) in recognition of his leadership in passing the comprehensive youth tobacco bill and his commitment to strong public health policies around tobacco and other cancer issues.

English Learners EDUCATION

In 2002, the Massachusetts English Language Education in Public Schools Initiative (also known as Question 2) was placed on the November 2002 ballot. This ballot question was rooted in anti-immigrant sentiment and required that all English Learner (EL) students, regardless of their background or needs, be taught all subjects in English and be placed in English language classrooms. This ballot initiative was approved by Massachusetts voters, and for nearly 15 years afterwards, school districts across the Commonwealth were mandated to use a one-size-fits-all “Sheltered English Immersion” (English-only) program to teach their students. As a result, teachers and school districts were no longer able to use the teaching practices that best fit the unique needs of their EL students. As the number of English Learner (EL) students in Massachusetts grew dramatically over the years, so too did the achievement gap between EL students and their English as a first language peers, proving that the English-only mandate was a failed education policy disproportionately impacting immigrants and English Learner students. In an effort to close the achievement gap and end this anti-immigrant policy, Senator DiDomenico partnered with Massachusetts Language Opportunity Coalition to file the “LOOK bill,” which removed the English-only requirement to better accommodate the diverse needs of the Commonwealth’s EL students and allowed school districts to choose whichever teaching model work best for their students. Senator DiDomenico filed the LOOK bill for many legislative sessions, shepherding the bill through the Massachusetts Legislature, and ultimately served on the conference committee that wrote the final version of the LOOK bill that was signed into law. On November 22, 2017, Governor Baker signed the LOOK bill, thereby repealing the English-only mandate in Massachusetts schools.

Safe and Supportive Schools

In 2014, Senator DiDomenico was appointed to Governor Patrick’s Task Force on School Safety and Security, charged with compiling best practices and policies and making recommendations to help schools prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from an emergency. After hearing from teachers, law enforcement and experts from a variety of fields, Senator DiDomenico filed legislation that encouraged Massachusetts schools to implement a flexible Safe and Supportive Schools framework that addressed mental health issues and training within our schools, and allowed school faculty to better identify and work with at-risk individuals. This bill was ultimately included in a Gun Safety Bill signed into law by Governor Patrick in 2014 that was designed to combat gun violence and suicide in our schools and communities. Also included in this omnibus legislation was a Safe and Supportive Schools Grant program to assist schools in developing action plans that organize, integrate and sustain school and district-wide efforts to create safe and supportive school environments and coordinate and align social, emotional and health support initiatives. To this day, Senator DiDomenico continues to champion this grant fund in the Senate, and has made funding for this program one of his top budget priorities.

The Electoral Laws Reform Act

As Vice Chair of Election Laws, Senator DiDomenico played a key role in crafting the Election Laws Reform Act, signed into law by Governor Patrick in 2014. This law made it easier and more efficient to register, vote, and participate in the political process. This law includes early voting, online voter registration, post-election audits of voting machines, and pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds. Prior to passage of the Election Laws Reform Act, Senator DiDomenico repeatedly filed pre-registration legislation aimed at closing the voter participation gap between young eligible voters and their older counterparts. Ever since 18 year olds were given the right to vote in 1972, youth have been underrepresented at the polls. However, voter preregistration has been shown to increase youth voter turnout by introducing them to democratic election process early. Youth with access to pre-registration also tend to continue voting regularly throughout their lives helping to increase overall voter turnout and enhance the youth voice in our democratic process. The Election Laws Reform Act was referred to at the time as the “most significant reform to strengthen the vote-counting and voter registration processes in Massachusetts in 20 years” by the Director of MassVOTE.

Early Education and Out of School Time Capital Fund

Senator DiDomenico was the Senate sponsor of An act establishing an early education and out of school time (EEOST) capital fund, to create a $45 million EEOST Capital Fund to provide loans and grants to early learning centers and out-of-school-time programs serving low-income families. In November of 2013, Governor Patrick signed the bill into law as part of a five-year housing and community development bond bill. For the first time, this fund affirmed the positive impact that high quality early education makes in children’s lives and in the economic development of the Commonwealth. To date, the Fund has assisted 21 programs throughout the state, increasing capacity by adding almost 450 slots to the early education and care system, improving the quality of learning for over 2,000 children, creating an estimated 34 full-time educator jobs and 360 construction jobs, leveraging $44 million in additional investments from foundations, banks and other sources.

Social Worker Safety Bill

Senator DiDomenico was the Senate sponsor of a Social Worker Safety Bill, which was signed into law by Governor Patrick in 2013. Senator DiDomenico filed this legislation in response to a recommendation from the National Association of Social Workers, MA Chapter (NASW) following a 2008 tragedy in which a 53-year-old social worker Diruhi Mattian from Arlington, MA was murdered by her client. Shortly after Senator DiDomenico filed this legislation, 25-year-old Stephanie Moulton, a group-home-worker, was allegedly killed by a resident with mental illness. Since Ms. Moulton was not a licensed social worker, it was clear that the legislation needed augmenting. Senator DiDomenico redrafted the bill to broaden its coverage to include all human services workers and volunteers working in programs operated, licensed, certified, or funded by EOHHS. This legislation required that all such programs assess and annually review factors that may put employees or volunteers at risk. It also requires that these programs create a system to centrally record all incidents of workplace violence or threats, prepare written violence prevention and crisis response plans, provide each worker with a copy of the plan, implement training for all workers, and develop and maintain a violence and response team to monitor ongoing compliance. Senator DiDomenico continues to work closely with NASW to monitor compliance of the law.

Community Investment Tax Credit

Senator DiDomenico was the Senate sponsor of the legislation that established the Community Investment Tax Credit (CITC), which was ultimately signed by Governor Patrick on August 6, 2012 as a key component of a larger economic development bill. This tax credit enables local residents and businesses to work together to address specific local challenges and opportunities, thereby creating jobs, economic opportunity, and vibrant communities. Since its inception, the CITC has helped to drive innovation in Massachusetts and spur local development in the communities that need it most. The Senator and his staff also worked closely with MACDC both before and after the bill passed to facilitate a key role for the United Way as a fundraiser and investor. Since the CITC’s inception in 2014, United Way has helped to raise over $12 million from over 580 different donors. These funds have been used to support 54 CDC organizations located throughout the Commonwealth as they launch high-impact, community-led economic development initiatives. In 2019 alone, CDC’s across the Commonwealth built or preserved 1,543 homes, created or retained 4,162 job opportunities, provided 1,256 entrepreneurs with financial coaching and technical assistance, and supported 70,016 families with housing, jobs, or other services. Senator DiDomenico continues to work closely with his local CDC’s to recruit and cultivate donors, attending information sessions and presentations.

Furthermore, during the 2017-2018 legislative session, Senator DiDomenico championed a bill extending the sunset of the CITC program, an effort which proved successful and pushed the termination of the program from 2019 to 2025. The bill also lifted the individual CDC cap in alignment with growth of the overall cap, and increased the annual amount of tax credits available overall (incrementally growing CITC from current cap of $6 million to $12 million in taxable years 2023 to 2025) Senator DiDomenico remains an ardent supporter of the CITC program today.

Transition Services Endorsement

Senator DiDomenico worked with Massachusetts Advocates for Children as the Senate sponsor of An Act relative to students with disabilities in post-secondary education, employment, and independent living. This legislation created a specialist teacher endorsement in transition services for special education teachers and rehabilitation counselors. A transition specialist provides transition services to students with disabilities with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Between the ages of 14 and 22 or until they graduate, federal law requires that these students be provided the proper services to help them transition to adult life. The specialist teacher endorsement provides recognition of a particular set of skills and knowledge in relation to transitioning to adult life for students with IEPs. Advocates believe that higher standards and a focus on transition planning has led to improved graduation rates for students with disabilities and increased opportunities for successful independent living. Governor Patrick signed this policy into law in March of 2012.

ej Protecting Environmental Health

In 2012, a major energy supply company located in the Greater Boston area began trying to receive state approval for its plan to transport ethanol via train along MBTA commuter rail tracks to its facility in Revere. These commuter rail tracks run through a number of urban and heavily populated communities, including Chelsea, Everett, Boston, and Cambridge. Ethanol is a highly flammable substance, and this proposed “ethanol train” posed serious public safety risks for nearby residents. Recognizing that this was a blatant attempt to sacrifice the health and safety of his constituents for the sake of expediency and profit, Senator DiDomenico began partnering with community activists in his district to stop the energy supply company from moving forward with its reckless plan. In response, Senator DiDomenico repeatedly filed amendments to the state budget to delay the ethanol train, and assisted in shepherding through the Legislature the bill that officially halted the ethanol train from being carried through his district. This was a major win for his district, and a testament to the incredible partnership with local officials and Environmental Justice advocates from across his district. Since then, Senator DiDomenico has repeatedly reaffirmed his commitment to protecting his residents from environmental injustices and working with EJ advocates to fight for a healthier and safer community.