ACT NOW: Ask your legislators to support raising cash assistance in the FY25 Budget!

The Massachusetts Legislature is in the process of determining the budget for the Commonwealth for the next fiscal year, FY25. We need to make sure that increases to cash assistance grant levels are included.

Please ask your state legislators to include raising cash assistance grant levels by 20% as a top priority when they make their budget requests to the Ways and Means Committee.  The FY 25 budget is going to be tight, but Massachusetts must ensure that our lowest-income families have enough to meet their basic needs.

You can send a message directly to your state legislators by clicking the button below:

Jan. 8, 2024 - Coalition Protests Budget Cuts to Cash Assistance

On Jan. 8th, Governor Healey announced 9C budget cuts that include eliminating the 10% cash assistance grant increases that the Lift Our Kids Coalition fought so hard for in the FY24 budget. ("9C" refers to the section of law authorizing her to make unilateral cuts in case of a revenue shortfall).  As a reason, she cited the incremental increases we secured in the prior three budgets, without recognizing that those increases – while critically important steps – are not enough to make up for decades of lost value to inflation. 

In response, on Jan. 11th, Coalition members rallied on the steps of the State House and called on the Governor to rescind the cuts to cash assistance. It is devastating that the Governor would choose to balance the budget on the backs of our lowest-income children and families.  Cash assistance grants remain far below half the federal poverty level (known as "Deep Poverty") – $1036/month for a family of 3.  The current maximum grant is only $783/month.  For an elder or disabled individual, the maximum grant is a mere $401/month.

You can view NBC Boston’s video coverage, including interviews with Coalition members, here. Check out our News page for more coverage of the rally and our response to the Governor’s cuts.

Coalition Submits Testimony in Support of Lifting Kids Out of Deep Poverty to the Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities

On Sept 12th, 2023, the Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities held a hearing that included consideration of An Act to Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty. Lift Our Kids Coalition members and supporters presented powerful testimony to the committee about the need to set a floor for cash assistance grant levels and address Deep Poverty in Massachusetts. You can watch a recording of the hearing here and read news coverage of the event here.

Thank you to the more than 23 organizations who submitted written testimony in support of our campaign! You can read our press release about the submitted testimony here, and view the full compilation of testimony here.

The Committee is still accepting written testimony. We encourage coalition supporters to submit written testimony, urging passage of H.144 and S.75. Instructions for submitting testimony are available here. We are happy to help supporters draft testimony and share background information about the urgent need to raise cash assistance levels, please let us know if you would like assistance.

State FY24 Budget Victory to Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty

The Lift Our Kids Coalition is grateful that the Massachusetts state legislature included a 10% increase to cash assistance benefits levels, to be effective April 2024, in the Fiscal Year 2024 state budget.

This means that the maximum TAFDC grant for a family of 3 will go from $783/month to $861/month next April. 

This is the fourth increase in four 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 addition, the state budget increased the annual clothing allowance for TAFDC families, raising it to $450 for each child receiving TAFDC this September.  The clothing allowance increase means that a family with two children will get $100 more in September than they would have gotten last year.

Bills to Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty

An Act to Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty, filed by lead sponsors Representative Marjorie Decker and Senator Sal DiDomenico), sets a floor for financial assistance at 50% of the federal poverty level.

The bills will increase financial assistance by 25% a year until grants reach 50% of the federal poverty level. The House bill is HB 144. The Senate bill is SB 75. To learn more, click here for our fact sheet.

Last session, a strong majority in both the House and Senate - 96 Representatives and 26 Senators - sponsored Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty. Although the Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities reported the bills favorably, the bills did not pass. The Legislature did increase grants by 10% starting in October 2022. But grants remain too low.

The cost of living has sky-rocketed, eroding the recent increases in cash assistance. More substantial increases are needed to avoid losing ground and to reach the very modest goal of 50% of the federal poverty level.

The time to end Deep Poverty is now.

Take action to Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty.

Join the Lift Our Kids Coalition.

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Read about Lift Our Kids’ Lift the Cap on Kids (family cap repeal) success here.