Latest Coalition Actions

Governor chips away at basic benefits for lowest-income kids for second year in a row

Jan. 29, 2025 – The Governor’s budget proposal for FY 26 announced last week would reduce cash assistance grants for children down to October 2022 levels, rolling back a 10% increase scheduled to go into effect for the final three months of FY 25 (April-June). Separately, the Administration announced plans to do away with the 10% April increase completely and use the money instead to fund a much smaller increase next year. This is the second year in a row the Governor has targeted benefits for very low-income children.

Read our full statement here condemning the Governor’s proposals to reduce cash assistance.

Bills filed to Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty

Jan. 17, 2025 - An Act to Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty, filed by lead sponsors Representative Marjorie Decker and Senator Sal DiDomenico), sets a floor for cash assistance at 50% of the federal poverty level.

The bills will increase cash assistance by 20% a year until grants reach 50% of the federal poverty level - setting Massachusetts on a course to end Deep Poverty.

Through a series of small increases in annual budgets, the Legislature has raised TAFDC from 33% of FPL in 2020 to 35% of FPL in 2025. While these increases were critically important, they were not enough to make progress against inflation over the last 5years. The Legislature enacted another 10% grant increase to take effect in April 2025, but the Governor has proposed to cut it.

Please ask your legislators to co-sponsor the bills to show their support for ending Deep Poverty! The House bill is HD 1353. The Senate bill is SD 1818.

To learn more about our campaign, visit our Facts page.

Take action to Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty.

Join the Lift Our Kids Coalition.

Past Coalition Actions

July 2024 Victory: FY 25 Conference Budget Includes 10% Cash Assistance Increase

This means that the maximum TAFDC grant for a family of 3 will go from $783/month to $861/month and the grant for an older adult or a person with disabilities (EAEDC) will increase from $401/month to $441/month. While we are disappointed that the increases won't take effect sooner, this is still a critical victory in a tight budget year! 

In addition, the Conference Budget keeps the increase in the annual clothing allowance that was in the Senate Budget, raising it to $500 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.

We are grateful to Sen. DiDomenico and Rep. Decker for their incredible advocacy to secure these increases and for filing amendments that would have made the increases effective 6 months sooner, in October 2024.  Although the amendments were not adopted, they were co-sponsored by more than half the members of each chamber, showing the strong support among legislators that we have built up together. 

We know that a 10% increase starting next April doesn't come close to meeting people's needs.  Grants are still far too low.  But thanks to our advocacy, incremental increases over multiple budgets mean that grants will be 45% higher than they were when we began the campaign to Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty in 2019. 

Thank you to all of our Coalition members and legislative supporters!

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.

2023-24 Legislative Launch

On January 26, 2023, the Lift Our Kids Coalition hosted a launch event at the Massachusetts State House in support of lead sponsors Rep. Decker and Sen. DiDomenico’s bills to lift kids out of Deep Poverty. The event featured newly-elected legislators Rep. Shirley Arriaga, Rep. Rita Mendes, and Sen. Robyn Kennedy as well as Chelsea Sedani and Meshell Whyte of EMPath. More than 100 attendees packed the room in support of the coalition’s mission to End Deep Poverty.

Do you get cash assistance in MA?

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