Joint Committee Hears Sweeping Anti-Poverty Bill Covering Cash Aid, Records, and Foster Youth

BOSTON — July 1, 2026 — Massachusetts Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities heard testimony on two anti-poverty measures Tuesday, including a sweeping omnibus bill that advocates called one of the largest state-level anti-poverty bills in the country. Senate Bill 3095 and House Bill 5085, sponsored by Senator Sal DiDomenico and Representative Marjorie Decker, would raise TAFDC cash assistance grants toward 50 percent of the federal poverty level — currently $2,277 per month, against a maximum grant of $861 for a family of three — create baby bonds and match savings programs, extend the state Earned Income Tax Credit to ITIN filers, and automate criminal record sealing for an estimated 672,000 eligible residents, fewer than 10 percent of whom have sealed under the existing cumbersome process. Anne Sheldon of the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute testified that in 2023, 82 percent of $28.7 million in child support payments made on behalf of TAFDC families was retained by state and federal government rather than passed to families. The committee also heard House Bill 5286, which would require DCF to seek medical consultation when parents present evidence of a preexisting genetic condition that could mimic abuse; constituent Jennifer Fernandez described how her grandson was held in state custody for eight weeks in 2024 before three doctors confirmed there was no skull fracture. No votes were taken at the hearing.