BOSTON – Last week, the national anti-hunger campaign No Kid Hungry announced Senator Sal DiDomenico as a recipient of its 2020 Breakfast Hero contest. DiDomenico was one of only six recipients throughout the United States. 

DiDomenico was awarded alongside his House colleagues and Representatives Aaron Vega and Andy Vargas for their sponsorship of Breakfast After the Bell legislation that recently passed unanimously in both chambers of the Massachusetts Legislature. Once enacted, this legislation will increase access to school breakfast to over 150,000 low-income students across the Commonwealth by making it a part of the school day.

Accessing traditional cafeteria breakfast service can be challenging for many kids. Breakfast after the bell provides breakfast in a way that is more convenient and accessible to students, resulting in more kids starting the day ready to learn. 

“Thank you to No Kid Hungry for honoring me as a recipient of their 2020 Breakfast Hero contest,” said Senator DiDomenico. “We can have the best teachers, facilities, and technology in our classrooms, but if our kids are showing up for school hungry, they simply are not ready to learn. Breakfast After the Bell is smart policy that will help thousands of children across our Commonwealth access the nutrition they need to start their days. I am very grateful to the No Kid Hungry campaign and Rise and Shine Coalition for their advocacy and partnership on this critical issue for our children and families.” 

“Smart legislation is one of the most effective ways to increase participation in school breakfast programs,” said Bernadette Downey, Share Our Strength’s associate director, government relations and advocacy. “Once this legislation is enacted, thousands more kids in Massachusetts will get the nutrition they need to reach their full potential – thanks to the strong leadership of these three breakfast heroes.”

According to No Kid Hungry, “this year’s inspiring line up of champions come from all walks of life, proof that ending childhood hunger takes all of us. Breakfast powers kids to reach their full potential, but millions of kids in need start each school day on an empty stomach. No Kid Hungry’s breakfast hero award celebrates individuals who are changing that. By using their voices to build awareness, enacting smart policy, raising critical funds and implementing breakfast after the bell programs in schools, they have gone above and beyond to ensure all kids in America are Powered By Breakfast.” 

No Kid Hungry is an active member of Rise and Shine Massachusetts, a statewide coalition of over fifty hunger-relief and education organizations advocating for state legislation that increases equitable access and participation in school breakfast.

School breakfast is an energy source for kids across the nation. Research shows that hunger has long-term ramifications on children, including lower test scores, weaker attendance rates, and a higher risk of hospitalizations and chronic diseases. No Kid Hungry and its partners focus on school breakfast as a critical way to end childhood hunger.

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BOSTON— Earlier this month, Senator Sal DiDomenico partnered with Representative 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, Senator 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.”

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BOSTON-Senator Sal DiDomenico recently served as a speaker at the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless Legislative Action Day at the State House. Every year, the MA Coalition for the Homeless hosts a Legislative Action Day, during which advocates hear from elected officials about legislation, share their stories, and lobby for bills that would improve the lives of those experiencing homelessness in the Commonwealth. During this year’s address, Senator DiDomenico highlighted the many challenges that people experiencing homelessness face and spoke to the urgent need to adopt “right to counsel” legislation in the Commonwealth.

“Approximately 43 people are evicted from their homes in Massachusetts every day,” Senator DiDomenico said, speaking about his right to counsel bill, which would ensure qualified low-income individuals have representation during eviction proceedings. “As a Commonwealth, we must do better to protect those who are economically at risk.”

In 2018 alone, over 40,000 households in Massachusetts were served with eviction papers. Of these households, 92% of low-income tenants fought their eviction without help from an attorney, while 70% of landlords were represented by counsel. DiDomenico’s legislation seeks to level the playing field by ensuring tenants have an equal advantage in eviction proceedings.

In the short term, right to counsel policies provide families facing eviction—and, in many cases, homelessness—with housing stability through a greater likelihood of success in eviction proceedings by ensuring legal representation. In the long term, these policies assist with housing and economic stability, avoiding recurring evictions and preventing shelter entry.

Research performed at Harvard University, and being confirmed through similar right to counsel programs around the country, shows that case outcomes materially improve when tenants have access to full legal representation. Even when a tenant’s case is ultimately unsuccessful, the presence of counsel can assist with negotiating issues like payment, an extension of time to vacate and find alternative housing, or different lease terms that satisfy both landlords and tenants.

“My goal with this legislation has always been to simply level the playing field and provide tenants with greater equity in eviction proceedings,” said DiDomenico. “I have no doubt this policy would have major benefits for vulnerable families throughout our Commonwealth. 

This is the second legislative session Senator DiDomenico has filed his right to counsel legislation. This session, the Massachusetts Right to Counsel Coalition has formed to support right to counsel policy and is working closely with DiDomenico’s office on a comprehensive to protect low-income individuals.

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