BOSTON-Senator Sal DiDomenico was recently honored by the New England Head Start Association at Head Start’s Lobby Day at the State House, where he received the prestigious Champion of the Head Start Children Award. The award was presented to Senator DiDomenico in recognition of his service to Head Start, his advocacy for early childhood education, and his work throughout the district.

During the Lobby Day, Senator DiDomenico addressed the parents and children that had come to urge lawmakers to pass funding to the program. “I am a proud product of Head Start, which is why I am so passionate about providing high quality early childhood education to every child in the Commonwealth,” said Senator DiDomenico. “Thank you to the New England Head Start Association for this honor, and everyone who came to the State House to advocate for additional funding and share your stories on why this program is so important to you and your families.”

Head Start served 15,128 children from 14,069 families during the 2017-2018 school year, with 52 programs at 28 agencies across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. DiDomenico has been a longtime champion of Head Start in the Massachusetts Senate, and has always advocated for an increase in funding for the program, which sees children improve their proficiency in areas such as math and language development over 20% on average.

In his speech at the lobby day, Senator DiDomenico reaffirmed his commitment to fight for Head Start and champion their budget priorities for the new fiscal year. Afterwards, DiDomenico and his staff met with families and educators from his district about the importance of funding for Head Start for low-income families.

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BOSTON — Last week, the Massachusetts Senate passed two comprehensive reports updating the Senate and Joint Rules related to harassment, diversity, and transparency. Senator Sal DiDomenico (D-Everett) served as Chair of the temporary Senate Committee on Rules, charged with reviewing and making recommendations on changes to the Senate and Joint Rules.

Senator DiDomenico led weeks of negotiations amongst his colleagues on the Committee regarding how to update the Senate and House’s policies and procedures for conducting official business. After releasing the Committee’s proposals, Senators had the opportunity to file amendments, and Senator DiDomenico lead the debate on the two rules packages on the Senate floor.

“I would like to thank Senate President Spilka and my colleagues who served with me on the temporary Senate Committee on Rules for their collaboration and dedication to ensuring a safe environment, transparency, and integrity in our body,” said Senator DiDomenico. “These rules are the result of a truly collaborative process, and I am grateful to every member who reached out over the past few weeks to share their thoughts on our rules and suggestions on how we can improve the ways we conduct our business. I am confident that the policy procedures adopted today will lay the foundation for thoughtful debate in our chamber and a productive legislative session.”

“We create the culture of the Senate by how we work together and the respect we show each other,” stated Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “The adoption of these rules will help guide us as we continue to build a Senate that celebrates diversity, seeks to prevent harassment and discrimination, and encourages transparency. I applaud the work of the temporary Senate Committee on Rules for their thoroughness and thoughtfulness, and thank everyone who contributed to this process.”

In May 2018, the Senate Special committee to review the sexual harassment policies and procedures submitted its report with a series of recommendations for updates to the Senate’s policies and procedures. Key highlights to the Senate rules proposal include tightening up existing protocol by creating a new rule that explicitly prohibits harassment, requiring timely training of all members and staff, and including interns in Senate policies. The proposal also requires all rule violations, including harassment, to be referred to the Committee on Ethics.

The Senate also adopted an amendment filed by Senator Diana DiZoglio (D-Methuen) prohibiting the Senate from utilizing nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) or similar clauses in an agreement or contract, and enforcing previously entered into NDAs.

“I want to thank Senate President Spilka and Chair DiDomenico for working with members to send a clear, unmistakable message, that we are committed to protecting the rights of those working in this building and will take no part in protecting politicians or their employees who engage in predatory behaviors or be a party to the silencing of victims of harassment, discrimination or assault,” said Senator DiZoglio.

The Senate rules proposal also includes the creation of the position of an Officer of Diversity and Inclusion, who will be part of the Senate’s human resources department and who will focus on the recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce.

Building on the work of the 2018 Special Legislative Commission on Public Records the Senate adopted amendments to both the Senate and the Joint rules to improve efficiency, transparency and access to records. The Senate rules proposal codifies the current practice of providing copies of Senate session broadcasts upon request to members and the public in a timely manner. It also includes provisions to ensure timely notification of Senate hearings and Senate committee action.

The Joint Rules package:

• Requires both Senate and House chairs to agree to the schedule of committee hearings and executive sessions to avoid confliction with other committees or sessions

• Directs the clerk of the House and Senate to establish temporary rules for joint committees unable to come to agreement on rules

• Requires joint committees to provide text or summaries of legislation to members prior to consideration at executive session

• Requires all recorded votes of joint committees to be posted on the General Court website

• Increases the notification requirement for joint committee hearings and executive sessions from 48 to 72 hours

• Increases the notice requirement of special commissions and task forces from 48 to 72 hours

The Senate Rules adopted will now go into effect. The Joint Rules passed by the Senate will now be reconciled with a proposal by the House of Representatives, where DiDomenico will continue to play a key role in the negotiations.

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BOSTON – Last week, Senator Sal DiDomenico and his colleagues in the Massachusetts Senate passed legislation to ensure confidentiality for first responders when participating in peer support services following critical incidents.  The bill, which had already passed the Senate unanimously earlier this year, returned to the Chamber after an amendment was offered by the House of Representatives. 

“The confidentiality provisions in this bill will ensure that our first responders have the privacy protections they need and deserve when it comes seeking mental health care,” said Senator DiDomenico. “Our firefighters, law enforcement officials, and paramedics constantly put themselves into the most stressful and dangerous of situations to protect our public safety, and it is critical that they have access to the services needed to deal with this stress without fear of stigmatization.”

“First responders—the men and women who keep us safe in the most trying of circumstances—work under high levels of stress, and often are left to fend for themselves when it comes to personal mental health care,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland).  “This bill grants those first responders the access they deserve to confidential support, and allows them to seek help without fear of retribution or stigma.”

“In times of crisis our police, firefighters, and first responders put themselves in dangerous and stressful situations to keep us safe,” said Senate Minority Leader Bruce E. Tarr (R-Gloucester).  “They need and deserve the ability to effectively deal with that stress, and this legislation will make that possible. I am grateful to be able to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advance it.” 

Responding to a critical incident can have a significant effect on the mental health of the Commonwealth’s firefighters, paramedics, and law enforcement officers. In order to ensure prompt access to the necessary services, many departments rely on trained peer support counselors. These counselors can direct the affected first responders to the necessary mental health support services, or offer their own support as needed.

However, the lack of confidentiality afforded these peer support counselors has complicated their roles, and dissuaded some first responders from using this service.  The sensitive nature of mental health issues is further compounded by concerns that first responders will experience professional adversity due to their decision to seek mental help.  Basic confidentiality protections will encourage greater participation, expanding access to services and improving the mental health and performance of first responders.

The legislation passed by the Senate provides that a critical incident stress management team member shall not be required to testify or divulge any information obtained during the receipt of critical incident stress or crisis intervention services.  The language also provides for limited exemptions, including when a person is in danger of serious bodily harm or death, or if the information indicates the existence of a crime.

The Senate has now approved a version of the bill which will return to the House for reconsideration. 

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