BOSTON – On January 4th, Sal DiDomenico was sworn in for his 7th term as Massachusetts State Senator for the Middlesex and Suffolk district. DiDomenico’s district now includes all of Charlestown, Chelsea, and Everett, and half of Cambridge.  

Senator DiDomenico has passed a wide range of legislation since being first sworn in over 12 years ago. These laws have provided funding for community organizations, school programs, and public projects in the district, expanded access to nutritious foods, supported working families by increasing cash benefits, fought back against the climate crisis, spurred economic development, protected our environment, and so much more.

“It is an incredible honor to be sworn in for another term as a Massachusetts State Senator,” said Senator DiDomenico, Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate. “I want to thank the residents of Cambridge, Charlestown, Chelsea, and Everett for your confidence and trust in me once again. We have accomplished so much together, but there is still a lot of work to do, and I can't wait to continue fighting for everyone in my district and across our Commonwealth.”

Senator DiDomenico later joined his colleagues in unanimously voting to re-elect Karen Spilka as Senate President for the upcoming legislative session. “I was proud to vote for my friend, Karen Spilka, to continue leading the body as our Senate President. Senate President Spilka has been an incredible leader and I look forward to my continued partnership with her in the upcoming session.” 

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BOSTON – Senator Sal DiDomenico recently joined his colleagues in the Massachusetts State Senate to pass legislation that would support parents running for public office by recognizing childcare as a valid campaign expense.

“The pandemic has made it abundantly clear that parents cannot go to work without access to childcare and our democracy is no different,” said Senator DiDomenico, Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate. “We want our elected representatives to look like all the people in our state, but we can’t make that happen if parents, especially women and people with low income, can’t afford childcare while running for office. This bill would take a big and important step forward in making it easier for parents to run for office and making the State House more representative of each of our districts. I want to thank Senate President Spilka and Senator Jehlen for all their efforts prioritizing this bill and shepherding it through the Senate.”

“Public service is a personal choice made more complicated and daunting for working parents, especially women, who face the added costs of childcare,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “While we’ve made great strides in diversifying our electoral representation in Massachusetts, there is much more we can do to make the decision to run for office easier for people with kids. I want to thank Senator Jehlen for championing this issue and look forward to it advancing in the legislative process.”

Under the bill, a political candidate would be able to expend campaign funds for childcare costs, using money raised in support of a political campaign. The bill tasks the Director of the Office of Campaign and Political Finance with the creation of regulation to oversee the implementation of this change.

The bill now heads to the Massachusetts House of Representatives for consideration.

BOSTON – On December 14th, Senator DiDomenico joined his Food System Caucus (FSC) Co-Chairs in hosting a forum and strategy session about how Massachusetts can end hunger and tackle diet-related diseases this decade. Co-Chairs, other elected officials, and advocates also discussed takeaways from the momentous White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September.

“Massachusetts is leading the country’s efforts to end hunger and I was proud to lead the efforts to extend universal school meals in our schools, expanding access to SNAP benefits, and increasing cash assistance to our neighbors who are most in need,” said Senator DiDomenico, Food System Caucus Co-Chair and Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate. “However, our discussion made it clear that we still need to work incredibly hard next session and keep pushing to make sure we finally eliminate hunger completely by 2030. I am grateful we were joined by Project Bread President and CEO, Erin McAleer, The Greater Boston Food Bank President and CEO, Catherine D'Amato, Congressman Jim McGovern, and so many other colleagues and advocates who have helped our state come so far on addressing food insecurity.”

Senator DiDomenico will be a new Food System Caucus Co-Chair in 2023 after years of advocacy on this issue. Senator DiDomenico’s recent legislative accomplishments related to food access include passing Breakfast After the Bell and Universal School Meals to ensure no Massachusetts student goes hungry in school, increasing funding for food banks, creating a common application to expand access to SNAP benefits, and increasing cash assistance programs to families in need.

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