The Senator’s advocacy will support people in his district and residents in need across the state 

BOSTON– Senator DiDomenico recently joined his colleagues in the Massachusetts Legislature in passing a wide-ranging $3.76 billion relief package to provide targeted energy assistance, support ongoing transportation needs, as well as, investing in the state’s small businesses, caregivers, health care system, affordable housing, and efforts to fight climate change.

Senator DiDomenico secured significant funding in this package for community organizations and public projects throughout his district:

$425,000 in funding for community organizations:

• Margaret Fuller House

• East End House

• Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee

• Zion Community Services Corporation

• John F. Kennedy Family Service Center

• Harvest on Vine

• Everett Haitian Community Center

• Nurtury

 Funding for community projects:

• Mary O’Malley Park enhancements | $75,000 

• Northern Strand bike path improvements | $200,000

• Student and Parent Internship program and the Reality Check program at Everett Public Schools | $150,000

• College and career assistance programs at Chelsea Public Schools | $150,000

• Funding to help the RMV take steps to ensure non-English speakers can still access state services, programs, and activities | $500,000

• Funding for Roca to plan for and expand the delivery of training for police and other criminal justice partners | $1,000,000

Successful advocacy for statewide funding:

• Food security infrastructure grants | $25 million

• $150 million for early education and care providers through the continuation of the Commonwealth Cares for our Children (C3) stabilization grant program, including $60 million for subsidized providers.

“I was thrilled to pass this bill and secure funding for local organizations and public projects that support my constituents and contribute to the well-being of my communities,” said Senator DiDomenico, Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate. “This bill will also provide much needed financial relief to Massachusetts residents, boost our economy, work on addressing the housing crisis, help our early educators, and strengthen our fight against the climate crisis. I want to thank Senate President Spilka, Speaker Mariano, Chairs Rodrigues and Michelwitz for their commitment to getting this legislation over the finish line in both chambers.”

“This compromise legislation makes critical investments to ease the financial burden facing individuals and families, puts money back in taxpayers’ pockets and helps prepare our economic landscape for new challenges,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “I am proud of the significant investments made to assist residents with rising utility costs, boost affordable housing production, support our health care system, keep our climate goals on track and stabilize the early education and childcare sectors. We also take meaningful steps to ensure a record $3 billion in tax relief payments for taxpayers, the most ever in state history, is paid for. I am grateful to House Speaker Mariano, Chairs Rodrigues, Michlewitz, Lesser and Cusack, their staffs and my colleagues in Senate and House for their work on this legislation. I look forward to seeing it quickly signed into law.”

In addition to $3.76 billion in direct investments, this compromise legislation ensures that the Commonwealth responsibly pays for the historic $3 billion one-time tax relief that will be returned to an estimated three million taxpayers over the coming weeks. Combined, this $6.76 billion in tax relief and direct investments will provide much-needed breathing room for families, small businesses and individuals feeling the pinch of inflation. Notably, the bill closes the books on Fiscal Year 2022 and dedicates $500 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), leaving a balance of $1.74 billion in federal resources for future use.

Appropriations

 Over $1.4 billion invested to support health and human services programs, including:

• $350 million for hospitals that have become fiscally strained during the pandemic

• $225 million for rate increases for human service workers and providers

• $200 million for COVID-19 response efforts

• $195 million for nursing facilities and rest homes

• $80 million for Community Health Centers

• $20 million to reduce gun violence and related trauma throughout the Commonwealth, including:

  • $3 million for a grant program to support school safety infrastructure improvements

  • $2 million to provide behavioral health-related supports and resources in schools to reduce instances of gun violence

• $20 million to bridge impending federal cuts to Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) programs and maintain critical victim service programs

• $17.5 million for reproductive and family planning services

• $14 million for facilities that treat individuals with an alcohol or substance use disorder in the Commonwealth

• $5 million to support harm reduction efforts and services to address substance use disorder in the Commonwealth

• $2.5 million for grants to support the nursing workforce talent pipeline

$540 million invested to support clean energy and climate resiliency initiatives, including:

• $250 million to accelerate and support clean energy initiatives, including:

  • $100 million to promote and accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, through the MOR-EV program as well as supports for the expansion of electric vehicle charging infrastructure

  • $100 million for ports and port infrastructure to support the clean energy economy

  • $50 million for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to accelerate the transition to and expansion of renewable energy

• $175 million for the conservation and improvement of publicly owned lands and investments in green spaces, with an emphasis on investments in environmental justice communities

• $115 million for the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust, including:

  • $15 million for planning and implementing water pollution abatement project in watersheds designated as nitrogen sensitive areas

$409.5 million invested to support affordable housing, including:

• $304.5 million to support and boost housing production, including:

  • $100 million for the Commonwealth Builder Program to support the production of for-sale, below market housing to expand homeownership opportunities for first-time homebuyers and socially disadvantaged individuals in communities disproportionately impacted by the 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic

  • $100 million for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund established to support the creation and preservation of affordable housing

  • $100 million to support the production of workforce housing

• $50 million for the Equitable Developers Financing Program to support the development of new housing in certain underserved communities

• $25 million for regional low-threshold housing to support individuals experiencing homelessness or housing instability and who struggle with substance use disorder

• $20 million for housing options and additional support services and resources to address the needs of immigrants and refugees

• $10 million for public housing redevelopment

Over $500 million invested to support early education, economic development, workforce development and community support initiatives, including:

• $153 million for small businesses grant relief, including $45M for minority, women, and veteran owned businesses.

• $150 million for early education and care providers through the continuation of the Commonwealth Cares for our Children (C3) stabilization grant program, including $60 million for subsidized providers.

• $112 million to support the MBTA’s ongoing efforts to address the Federal Transportation Administration’s staffing and safety directives

• $100 million for the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust fund to offset estimated overpayments made during the course of the pandemic

• $75 million for investments in broadband infrastructure and access across the commonwealth

• $57 million for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), ensuring relief to families facing rising energy costs.

• $50 million to promote the attainment of debt-free higher education for students pursuing careers in high-demand industries, such as health care, education, and cybersecurity

• $25 million for food security infrastructure grants

• $12 million to support the agricultural and blue economy sectors

• $2.5 million for computer science teacher development

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Senator DiDomenico and Representatives McGonagle and Ryan helped deliver funding in partnership with congressional offices, colleagues in the state house, municipalities, and non-profits    

SOMERVILLE – On October 12th, Mayor Katjana Ballantyne hosted Senator DiDomenico, Representatives McGonagle and Ryan, along with dozens of elected officials and agency staff to celebrate collective efforts to protect coastal cities along Greater Boston’s Mystic River from sea level rise and extreme coastal storms. Senator DiDomenico worked with Representatives McGonagle and Ryan, along with other state legislators from the Mystic Watershed communities to secure millions of dollars in bonding authority to support the development of these critical coastal resilience projects.

The press conference featured spokespeople from every level of government who were critical to the success of this regional effort:

• Congresswomen Clark and Pressley’s offices,

• Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and Department of Conservation and Recreation,

• Senator DiDomenico along with other state legislators from Mystic Watershed communities,

• Mayors, city managers and senior staff from Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Somerville, Cambridge, Medford, and Malden, and

• Non-profit leaders from the Mystic River Watershed Association and GreenRoots.

“Climate change is creating severe and frequent natural disasters across our nation, and I am proud to have worked with my colleagues to secure funding to ensure that communities across our region are preparing for the effects of what that will look like for our area,” said Senator DiDomenico, Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate. “This investment is critical for the well-being of our coastal communities, and it benefits the environment, workforce, our businesses, and residents. The importance of these resilience projects led by the Mystic River Watershed Association and the Resilient Mystic Collaborative is without question and I am heartened to see so many community partners and elected officials coming together to put a plan in place to address these impacts on our cities and towns.”

"I want to thank The Mystic River Watershed Association for bringing us all together to acknowledge the work being done on the Mystic and Island End Rivers, Amelia Earhart Dam, Chelsea Creek, and into Boston Harbor,” said Representative Dan Ryan. Collectively, we have put a stake in the ground on where our climate resiliency efforts in the Mystic River region should head. As we take a few minutes to celebrate the major first steps we have taken on this journey, we also reflect on the awesome amount of work that lies ahead. With our community stakeholders leading the charge, I am confident the Mystic River state delegation and our federal partners in Congress, are quite adept at seeing this necessary vision become a reality!" 

“Among the many victories these projects have achieved, I believe collaboration is chief among them,” said Representative Joseph McGonagle. “For all these offices, community groups and other entities to rally around this cause is truly incredible. I am grateful to my legislative colleagues but especially to Julie Wormser and Patrick Herren of MRWA and Rep. Dan Ryan and Senator DiDomenico who have worked tirelessly to garner funds for these projects. As we see the effects of global warming and extreme weather in other parts of the country, it is absolutely essential that we do what we can to prevent such tragedies and protect our communities. We still have a lot of work to be done but I look forward to moving towards that end goal with this group.”

To date, their collective efforts have raised over $23 million in grants and bonding authority to support three critical coastal resilience projects underway in Somerville, Everett, and Chelsea. The map below shows the extent of saltwater flooding from a projected 2070 “hundred-year” flood, five feet higher than the record flooding in January and March 2018. The teal area is the area that will be protected through a multiyear regional flood resilience effort led by cities and towns in the Resilient Mystic Collaborative.

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BOSTON – Senator DiDomenico recently toured the Wind Technology Testing Center to learn more about the development of wind turbines in Massachusetts. DiDomenico was joined by Massachusetts Clean Energy Center CEO, Jennifer Daloisio, Museum of Science President, Tim Ritchie, and State Representatives Dan Ryan and Jeff Roy. The tour provided detailed information of how this facility creates wind turbines to best harness clean wind energy and then deliver it to people throughout the state.

“It was fascinating to get a behind-the-scenes view of a blade testing facility that plays such a crucial role in the deployment of next-generation technologies for the wind industry in our state and across the country,” said Senator DiDomenico, Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate. “I am proud to have supported clean energy legislation this year that will bolster cutting edge clean energy technologies, including offshore wind, and help bring down the cost of energy for people in my district and throughout Massachusetts.”

Senator DiDomenico has been a longtime champion of clean energy and reducing our state’s reliance on fossil fuels. During the 2021-2022 legislative session, DiDomenico played a crucial role in adding environmental justice priorities to An Act creating a next-generation roadmap for Massachusetts climate policy (S.9), which was signed into law in March of 2021. As the end of the legislative session neared, he helped lead the charge on passing another ambitious piece of clean energy legislation, An Act driving clean energy and offshore wind (S.2819), which was signed into law in August of this year. These laws will drive down greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate the expansion of Massachusetts’ clean energy industry, all while adding jobs and growing the state’s economy.

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