BOSTON—Last week, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network honored Senator Sal DiDomenico and other members of the House and the Senate for their joint effort last session to pass a comprehensive youth tobacco prevention law. Senator DiDomenico’s bill, which banned the sale of tobacco products in pharmacies, was included as a key component of the omnibus bill that raised the legal age of tobacco use from 18 to 21. The omnibus was a collaborative effort by a number of legislators to reduce youth tobacco use in the Commonwealth.

“Thank you to the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network for honoring me and my fellow Senate and House colleagues for our work on Massachusetts’s new comprehensive youth tobacco prevention law. It is an honor to receive this Advocacy Award, and I would like to thank the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network for their tireless advocacy on this critical issue for our youth and residents throughout the Commonwealth. We couldn’t have passed this legislation without the assistance of so many passionate advocates making sure that this issue was addressed in a meaningful way.”

Tobacco use and nicotine addiction remains the leading cause of preventable illness and premature death in Massachusetts, responsible for more than $4 billion in annual health care costs to the Commonwealth. Youth are particularly susceptible to nicotine addiction, with 9 in 10 cigarette smokers begin using before age 18. While youth smoking has declined considerably in the last two decades, youth use of other addictive tobacco products like e-cigarettes is increasing sharply.

The comprehensive legislation passed last session was cited as a major public health achievement to reduce youth access to tobacco and nicotine products.

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As part of National School Breakfast Week, the Rise and Shine MA Coalition recently held a legislative lobby day at the State House in support of An Act regarding breakfast after the bell, legislation filed by Senator Sal DiDomenico (D—Everett) in the Senate and Representative Aaron Vega (D—Holyoke) and Representative Andy Vargas (D—Haverhill) in the House.

If implemented as proposed, this legislation would require more than 600 high-poverty Massachusetts schools to offer breakfast after bell — which includes alternative models for serving breakfast after the start of the school day (breakfast in the classroom, grab n’ go, second chance) — allowing them to overcome common barriers such as late bus arrivals and social stigma, as well as reduce hunger during morning classes.

As a key indicator for why this bill is needed, the 2019 School Breakfast Scorecard released by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) revealed that Massachusetts lags behind other states in school breakfast participation. Despite reaching 186,747 low-income children with school breakfast on a typical day in the 2017-2018 school year—a 2.3 percent increase from the prior school year— Massachusetts still remains ranked 33rd in the nation in school breakfast participation.

“Small progress is being made, but we still have a long way to go to ensure all low-income children in the state reap the many benefits of school breakfast: less hunger, better health, and improved educational outcomes,” said Catherine Drennan, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, The Greater Boston Food Bank, the organization who is leading a legislative campaign in support of the proposed legislation. “Today, only half of the low-income students who qualify for free and reduced-price school meals are accessing breakfast. This legislation aims to rapidly increase those numbers.”

Senator DiDomenico closed out the lobby day speaking program making the case for why this legislation is so critically needed for our Commonwealth’s high need schools. “No child who shows up to school hungry can possibly be ready to learn,” said DiDomenico. “I have seen the success of breakfast after the bell in my hometown of Everett, but we clearly have a lot of work to do to ensure that every child in the Commonwealth has access to a stigma-free breakfast. I am confident that this legislation will go a long way towards boosting our school breakfast participation rates and helping all kids receive the nutrition they need to begin their days, ready to learn.”

Massachusetts already requires all high-poverty schools to provide breakfast to every eligible student. However, because breakfast is typically offered before the bell and in the cafeteria, participation levels are low— at less than 40%— compared to 80-90% participation for free and reduced lunch. Consequently, children are showing up to school hungry and unprepared to learn. Moving breakfast from before the bell to after the bell is a proven, simple, and effective strategy to boost breakfast participation in an effort to ensure that all students are fed and show up ready to learn every day.  This is the second legislative session that Senator DiDomenico has filed An Act regarding breakfast after the bell. Last session, the Senate passed DiDomenico’s bill with a unanimous vote. Building off that momentum, the Senator plans to make this his top legislative priority this session.

Senator Sal DiDomenico attended the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Coalition’s (MIRA) Immigrants’ Day at the State House. Every year, MIRA hosts Immigrants’ Day at the State House to hear from speakers about legislation, speak about their experiences, and advocate for their legislative priorities. During the day’s long schedule, Senator DiDomenico joined with Representative Dave Rogers and Health Care for All in hosting a breakout session to promote their bill, An Act to Ensure Equitable Health Coverage for Children.Thousands of low-income children in Massachusetts are not eligible for MassHealth and only have access to minimum coverage with strict limits on covered benefits, leaving them without all the care they need. An Act to Ensure Equitable Health Coverage to Children would expand MassHealth coverage to children who would be eligible for MassHealth except for their immigration status. Over 20,000 children would then have access to the care that they need.“We know that we need a comprehensive strategy to support our families and communities across the Massachusetts while building the strong and resilient children the Commonwealth needs for its future success. To do this, we cannot leave certain children out simply because of their immigration status,” said Senator DiDomenico, speaking about the importance of the bill.