Sen. Sal DiDomenico joined with Senate President Karen Spilka and a number of other elected officials to speak with the Women’s Bar Association (WBA). Every year, the WBA hosts a legislative breakfast in the Great Hall in order to meet with legislators and advocate for their legislative priorities. Sen. DiDomenico spoke to the members of the WBA about his bill, An Act to Lift the Cap on Kids (S.37), which is one of the WBA’s top priorities this legislative session.

 An Act to Lift the Cap on Kids, also known as Lift the Cap, would repeal the state’s family cap. The family cap denies TAFDC (Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children) to children conceived while – or soon after – the family received benefits.  This cap denies a child $100 a month in benefits plus an annual $300 clothing allowance. There are currently about 8,700 children in Massachusetts who are excluded from benefits because of when they were born.

 “We know that it’s time to take action and repeal this ineffective and unjust policy, and show that we value all children equally, regardless of the circumstances of their birth,” Sen. DiDomenico remarked. He also encouraged the members of the WBA to speak to their legislators regarding the policy, stating; “Do not simply ask your elected officials whether they support a bill or an issue. Ask them, ‘At what level do you support it?’”

 Last session, An Act to Lift the Cap on Kids passed the House and the Senate, but was amended by the Governor at the end of session. In addition to filling An Act to Lift the Cap on Kids, Sen. DiDomenico also filled An Act to Lift Kids out of Deep Poverty, which would increase TAFDC by 10 percent every year.

Earlier this month, Sen. Sal DiDomenico partnered with Rep. Kay Khan and the Judge Baker Children’s Center to host a forum at the State House discussing the juvenile justice system and the organization’s report, “Promoting Positive Outcomes for Justice-Involved Youth: Implications for Policy, Systems and Practice.”

 The Judge Baker Children’s Center is a Boston-based nonprofit and affiliate of Harvard Medical School that works to promote children’s physical and emotional well-being. The forum, which was attended by a large number of legislators and staff, was organized to develop a comprehensive policy for helping children and families trapped in the juvenile justice system.

At the event, Sen. DiDomenico spoke about the importance of supporting the whole child in order to put all kids on a path to success. “One of my top priorities in the State House is our youth, our young people,” said DiDomenico. “We must give them every opportunity to succeed and every opportunity to have what they rightly deserve. If we leave even one child behind, then we as a society have failed. We are living in a state and a country where we should not have any young people involved in the justice system, and it is our responsibility to fix that.”

The report found that children who grow up in unstable homes are more likely to end up in the juvenile justice system. To rectify this, it recommended that the state create a care system that is “youth-centered, family-focused, community-based, culturally responsive, and minimally intrusive.”

BOSTON— Last week, Senator Sal DiDomenico joined with Senate President Karen Spilka and a number of other elected officials to speak with the Women’s Bar Association (WBA). Every year, the WBA hosts a legislative breakfast in the Great Hall in order to meet with legislators and advocate for their legislative priorities. Senator DiDomenico spoke to the members of the WBA about his bill, An Act to Lift the Cap on Kids (S.37), which is one of the WBA’s top priorities this legislative session.

An Act to Lift the Cap on Kids, also known as Lift the Cap, would repeal the state’s family cap. The family cap denies TAFDC (Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children) to children conceived while – or soon after – the family received benefits.  This cap denies a child $100 a month in benefits plus an annual $300 clothing allowance. There are currently about 8,700 children in Massachusetts who are excluded from benefits because of when they were born.

“We know that it’s time to take action and repeal this ineffective and unjust policy, and show that we value all children equally, regardless of the circumstances of their birth,” Senator DiDomenico remarked. He also encouraged the members of the WBA to speak to their legislators regarding the policy, stating; “Do not simply ask your elected officials whether they support a bill or an issue. Ask them, ‘At what level do you support it?’”

Last session, An Act to Lift the Cap on Kids passed the House and the Senate, but was amended by the Governor at the end of session. In addition to filling An Act to Lift the Cap on Kids, Senator DiDomenico also filled An Act to Lift Kids out of Deep Poverty, which would increase TAFDC by 10% every year.

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