BOSTON – Last week, Senator Sal DiDomenico and his colleagues in the Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed The BRAVE Act – new legislation that will expand benefits and increase access to a range of services for veterans, active-duty military, and their families.

 Understanding the sacrifice that military personnel and their families make not only while on active duty, but also after returning home, the Massachusetts Legislature has consistently provided a continuum of major veteran legislation to help with those who sacrifice the most for our freedoms.

 “The Commonwealth has a strong tradition of supporting our veterans and their families, and I am proud to support this legislation that continues this legacy,” saidSenator DiDomenico, Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate. “With the passage of The BRAVE Act, my colleagues and I in the Senate have once again reaffirmed our commitment to the brave men and women who have served our country and their families by expanding benefits and increasing access to the comprehensive programs and services that they deserve.”

 “This omnibus veterans legislation encompasses some of the very best ideas presented by my colleagues in the legislature and the veterans of the Commonwealth to assist veterans and their families with employment protections, tax exemptions, burial expenses, court programs, medical care, and also continues to recognize those who serve and who have served,” said Senator Mike Rush (D-West Roxbury), Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs.”  “We want to ensure that Massachusetts remains number one in the nation in providing for our veterans, men and women in uniform, and their families. This legislation goes a long way in accomplishing this goal.”

 “The BRAVE Act exemplifies Massachusetts’ commitment to the men and women who serve our country,” said Senate President Harriette L. Chandler (D-Worcester). “Veterans have dedicated their lives to service and it is our responsibility to ensure that they can continue to thrive back home. This legislation builds upon Massachusetts’ legacy of supporting veterans, and I want to thank Senator Rush for his service and his leadership on this bill.”

 On the recognition front, the legislation designates the 5th day of April as Gold Star Wives Day and the last Sunday in September as Gold Star Mothers and Families Day and directs cities and towns to designate reserved parking for veterans at all city and town halls.

 The bill also grants paid military leave for those called to duty by the armed forces for up to 40 days for training and operation purposes.

 To help ease the costs of housing, the legislation changes the requirement for veterans to receive property tax exemptions from residing in the Commonwealth for five years down to two years.  It also increases the amount a veteran can earn on their property tax exemption for volunteering in their city or town.

The BRAVE Act increases the burial expense paid by the Commonwealth from $2,000 to $4,000 to ensure indigent veterans receive a dignified funeral. It also exempts any veterans who receive annuities for service to their country from income calculations when applying for state programs or services.

 The bill also does the following:

 ·         Addressing emergency medical transportation reimbursements;

·         Revising Veteran Court Diversion programs;

·         Updating the veteran bonus program at the State Treasurer’s Office, and; 

·         Provides several studies and analysis regarding higher education, incarcerated veterans, and National Guard recognition.

 The BRAVE Act, which now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration, is the legislature’s latest effort to support veterans, military members and their families.

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BOSTON—Senator Sal DiDomenico (D-Everett) and his colleagues in the Massachusetts Senate recently passed a $156.4M supplemental budget to cover increased caseloads and time sensitive deficiencies in Fiscal Year 2018, including additional funding for Regional Transit Authorities, local school districts’ special education costs and programs for Massachusetts children and families. 

“This funding will provide critical investments for programs that support our Commonwealth’s children and families, as well as our schools in my district,” said Senator DiDomenico, Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate. “I was proud to support these additional resources for our communities across Massachusetts, to ensure that all our residents and municipalities receive the funding they need to finish out the current fiscal year.”

“This supplemental budget includes investments in regional transportation, education and critical resources for low-income and homeless families,” said Senate Committee on Ways and Means Chair Senator Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland).  “We invest in state and local services in communities across the Commonwealth, working to provide more residents with access to support and opportunities necessary for success.”

“These funds ensure that the Commonwealth can continue to deliver its services to all of its residents,” said Senate President Harriette L. Chandler (D-Worcester). “I am especially grateful for the vital funds dedicated to regional transit authorities. That funding is desperately needed across Massachusetts to ensure a high standard of living for all of our residents in municipalities big and small.”

Recognizing the financial challenges Regional Transit Authorities across the state face in providing reliable, affordable transportation, the supplemental budget invests an additional $4 million in these services.

The supplemental budget also includes $12.5 million for the Special Education Circuit Breaker, increasing reimbursements to school districts for the high cost of educating students with disabilities.

 Additional investments include:

• $25.6M for Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) Grants

• $21.1M for the operation of the Commonwealth’s county sheriffs

• $19.3M for Emergency Assistance Family Shelters

• $15.5M for recently ratified collective bargaining agreements

• $5.3M for veterans’ benefits

• $4.5M to support payroll costs at the Department of Correction payroll and $2M to support payroll costs at the Department of Developmental Services

• $2.5M for services for hurricane evacuees residing in Massachusetts

• $2.2M for the Healthy Incentives Program to increase access to nutritious foods for low-income residents

• $2M for DCF Family Resource Centers to support increased demand for services from hurricane evacuees

• $1M to support the Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund

• $150K for the Municipal Naloxone Bulk Purchasing Trust Fund

The bill will now be reconciled with a version passed by the House of Representatives.

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BOSTON – Senator Sal DiDomenico (D-Everett) recently announced that the landmark criminal justice reform package crafted by the Massachusetts Legislature has been signed into law. The Senator had previously joined his legislative colleagues in overwhelmingly voting to pass this sweeping piece of legislation, and last week the Governor signed the bill into law. An Act relative to criminal justice reform will lead to a more equitable system by supporting our youngest and most vulnerable residents, reducing recidivism, increasing judicial discretion, and enhancing public safety.

The legislation contains provisions to provide better care for vulnerable populations in the criminal justice system, and implements policies to strengthen protections for public safety and witness protection. The Legislature also passed the accompanying Act implementing the joint recommendations of the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Review (H.4012), which is designed to complement the comprehensive criminal justice reform legislation. The CSG bill allows individuals to earn early release by participating in recidivism-reduction programs.

 “The provisions in this reform package make critical changes to outdated and unjust aspects of our criminal justice system, bringing it in line with our principles of rehabilitation and reduced recidivism to promote better outcomes and ensure the welfare of all,” said Senator DiDomenico Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate. “This bill passed by my colleagues and I in the Legislature is both thorough and thoughtful, and I am confident that it will go a long way towards addressing the issues plaguing out current criminal justice system.”

 For the first time in the history of Massachusetts, this legislation establishes a process for expunging criminal records. Courts will now be able to expunge certain juvenile and young adult (18-21) records, and records in cases of fraud or where an offense is no longer a crime. 

 The Legislature has a longstanding legacy of supporting the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable children, particularly those facing trauma and adversity. Accordingly, this bill raises the minimum age of criminal responsibility from seven to twelve and decriminalizes a first offense misdemeanor if the punishment is a fine or imprisonment for not more than six months. The legislation establishes a Juvenile Justice Policy and Data Commission, which will make the state eligible for additional federal funding, and a Childhood Trauma Task Force to study and recommend gender responsive and trauma-informed approaches to treatment of youths in the juvenile justice system. The bill also extends Good Samaritan protections to alcohol incapacitation for individuals under 21.

 This legislation reflects a balanced, modern approach to sentencing. It eliminates mandatory and statutory minimum sentences for many low-level, non-violent drug offenses. Additionally, it creates the nation’s strongest law for Carfentanil trafficking and strengthens the existing Fentanyl trafficking law, bolstering the Legislature’s multi-tiered approach to the opioid epidemic. The legislation also strengthens penalties for repeat offenders convicted of operating under the influence (OUI).

 The new law requires district attorneys to create pre-arraignment diversion programs for military personnel, veterans, and individuals with addiction or mental health issues in order to combat the opioid epidemic and provide healthcare parity. It also expands diversion programs to the Juvenile Court and removes the existing age restriction on diversion in the District Court.

 Following reforms in 2010 and 2012, this legislation again updates the Commonwealth’s criminal offender record information (CORI) system to help individuals secure gainful employment and housing, enacting the following policies:

• Reduces the wait time to seal a conviction from ten years to seven years for a felony, and from five years to three years for a misdemeanor.

• Allows a conviction for resisting arrest to be sealed.

• Expands the ability of an applicant with a sealed record to be able to answer “no record” on housing and professional license applications.

• Establishes protections for businesses and landlords who shall be presumed to have no notice or ability to know about criminal records that have been sealed or expunged.

This legislation updates the Commonwealth’s bail system and enhances judicial discretion by requiring a judge to take a person’s financial resources into account when determining bail. It also raises the threshold for larceny to qualify as a felony from $250 to $1,000. It also creates the crime of solicitation that is tied to the severity of the underlying crime. 

Additional policy changes include: reduction of fees imposed on defendants; decriminalization of minor offenses; enhanced limits on solitary confinement; improvement of prison conditions; and release of prisoners who are permanently incapacitated and pose no safety risk.

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