Last week, Senator Sal DiDomenico was honored by the Equal Justice Coalition and the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC) for his commitment to civil legal aid and increasing access to justice. 

He accepted the 2019 Beacon of Justice Award during their annual event at the State House. DiDomenico has been a longtime champion of legal aid funding in the state budget throughout his tenure in the Massachusetts Senate, and most recently helped to secure $24M in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget.

“Thank you to the Equal Justice Coalition and MLAC for this honor. Civil legal aid funding is always one of my top budget priorities each fiscal year, primarily because I know how much this funding means to my constituents” said Senator Sal DiDomenico. “Year after year, their stories and advocacy serves as an important reminder as to why this funding is so critical to the residents of our Commonwealth, which is why I am so proud to support the incredible work of MLAC and the Equal Justice Coalition.”

Sen. Sal DiDomenico played a key role in securing funding in the state budget that will help to ensure a complete and accurate count in the 2020 Census. Sen. DiDomenico and his House colleague Representative Michael Moran were the lead sponsors of an amendment in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget that provided $2.5 million to establish a grant program for statewide census outreach. This grant program will help to support trusted community organizations and grassroots leaders reach historically hard-to-count communities, such as Everett and Chelsea.

From the beginning of the legislative session, Sen. DiDomenico has worked closely with the Massachusetts Census Equity Fund to secure funding needed in advance of the 2020 Census and spread awareness on the importance of a complete and accurate census count. Throughout the year, they have held legislative briefings at the Massachusetts State House to secure support for their budget priorities and help legislators and staff understand what is at stake in the 2020 Census.

“With $16 billion in federal funding to Massachusetts for programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP on the line, it is critical that we do everything we can to get an accurate Census count,” said Sen. DiDomenico. “More than half of my district’s population lives in hard to count neighborhoods, which is why I know how important it is that we work with community based organizations that have trusted messengers to get out the count in 2020. I was very proud to secure this funding in the Senate budget and work with Representative Moran to advocate for the $2.5M included in the final budget.”

The Census is a national population count that occurs once every decade. The results of the Census are used to make critical decision that will impact Massachusetts over the next ten years, such as federal funding for local communities, political representation throughout the Commonwealth, and even civil rights laws.

BOSTON – Senator Sal DiDomenico played a key role in securing funding in the state budget that will help to ensure a complete and accurate count in the 2020 Census. Senator DiDomenico and his House colleague Representative Michael Moran were the lead sponsors of an amendment in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget that provided $2.5M to establish a grant program for statewide census outreach. This grant program will help to support trusted community organizations and grassroots leaders reach historically hard-to-count communities, such as Everett and Chelsea.

From the beginning of the legislative session, Senator DiDomenico has worked closely with the Massachusetts Census Equity Fund to secure funding needed in advance of the 2020 Census and spread awareness on the importance of a complete and accurate census count. Throughout the year, they have held legislative briefings at the Massachusetts State House to secure support for their budget priorities and help legislators and staff understand what is at stake in the 2020 Census.

“With $16 billion in federal funding to Massachusetts for programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP on the line, it is critical that we do everything we can to get an accurate Census count,” said Senator DiDomenico. “More than half of my district’s population lives in hard to count neighborhoods, which is why I know how important it is that we work with community based organizations that have trusted messengers to get out the count in 2020. I was very proud to secure this funding in the Senate budget and work with Representative Moran to advocate for the $2.5M included in the final budget.”

The Census is a national population count that occurs once every decade. The results of the Census are used to make critical decision that will impact Massachusetts over the next ten years, such as federal funding for local communities, political representation throughout the Commonwealth, and even civil rights laws. To learn more about the 2020 census and what is at stake, please visit https://www.masscensusequity.org/.

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