BOSTON – Senator Sal N. DiDomenico spoke at 50th anniversary celebration of IDEA — the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act — hosted by the Massachusetts Early Intervention Consortium and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. For half a century, the Early Intervention (EI) program has ensured that eligible infants, toddlers, and their families get the critical services they need at the most important stage of development. DiDomenico has secured millions of dollars for early intervention services each year and has been the Senate champion for the EI workforce and the families they serve. 

“Massachusetts is a leader in this work, and I am committed to ensuring that it continues for all our kids who need it,” said DiDomenico. “I have championed this program in the State House throughout my career, and I will continue to advocate for its critical funding as long as I am in office.”

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Legislation would give teachers until mid-2027 to join RetirementPlus 

BOSTON— Senator Sal DiDomenico and his colleagues unanimously passed legislation to allow longtime public school teachers the opportunity to buy into an enhanced savings program if they missed out when the program was first launched a quarter century ago. DiDomenico was lead cosponsor of this legislation and had been working tirelessly to push this critical measure forward for years alongside countless teachers across his district.

An estimated 6,500 to 8,500 current teachers in Massachusetts have been unable to participate in the RetirementPlus pension program because they missed the window to opt into the plan in 2001. 

"I was proud to be lead cosponsor of this legislation and I am thrilled to see us get one step closer to fixing this issue for thousands of teachers in my district and across the Commonwealth," said Senator Sal DiDomenico. "Due to administrative confusion when the RetirementPlus program launched, many teachers lost out on their opportunity to join this essential program. Thanks to this legislative fix we passed through the Senate, up to 8,500 eligible teachers will have a one-time window until June 30, 2027, to buy into the program and secure the enhanced retirement benefits they deserve and should have received decades ago."

The bill—S.3109, An Act relative to benefits for teachers—would provide another one-time opportunity to that group of longtime educators and give them until mid-2027 to choose whether they would like to join RetirementPlus. 

Teachers who join RetirementPlus through this new opportunity would pay into the program as if they had joined at the outset, which would include interest payments, to ensure both fiscal stability and fairness for teachers and retirees who have been participating throughout the past 25 years.  

“With today’s vote, the Senate is reaffirming its support for some of our state’s most dedicated teachers and the schools and communities they serve. This bill provides teachers who have been working in our schools for decades the chance to enroll in a retirement system many of them were unfairly shut out of 25 years ago, the same system new teachers are automatically enrolled in. These are teachers who were dropped from the system when they changed districts, teachers who were told they were enrolled only to find out years later that was not the case, and teachers who were not provided the necessary resources to enroll in the first place, including ASL interpreters to explain the new system and the enrollment process for deaf and hard of hearing teachers in the Boston Public Schools. We are grateful to the Senate President for her leadership and the Senate’s commitment to ensuring our public educators receive the dignified and secure retirement they’ve earned.” - AFT Massachusetts President Jessica Tang 

The Senate passed the bill on a 39-0 roll call vote and sent it to the House of Representatives for further review. 

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Budget plan also completes Student Opportunity Act commitment, expands housing growth, and shields residents from federal cuts—without increasing a single tax or fee  

BOSTON — Senator Sal DiDomenico secured amendments in the Senate budget to deliver $650,000 for essential organizations in the district and secured over $1 million for critical statewide programs that support those with ALS and organizations addressing gang and youth violence. In addition, dozens of his statewide priorities that he advocated for, totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, were also included in this year's budget. The Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed their $63.37 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2027 that invests responsibly in public education and municipalities, unlocks new opportunities for housing growth, and upholds the Commonwealth’s core commitments to its residents. Every investment made by the Senate comes without raising a single tax or fee on Massachusetts residents, who are already feeling the weight of inflation, tariffs, and the impact of the federal government’s costly foreign entanglements. 

“I am immensely proud of this budget because it will directly benefit students, patients, survivors, working families, commuters, tenants, and homeowners in my district and throughout the Commonwealth,” said Sal N. DiDomenico, Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate. “I am proud to bring critical funding to community organizations in my district and ensure stable funding for some of the state’s most impactful education, food insecurity, and anti-poverty programs that provide vital services for our residents. I want to thank Senate President Spilka and Chair Rodrigues for all their work ushering through this impactful budget that will benefit our residents now and promote our state’s success into the future.”

The district investments Senator DiDomenico brought home will support local food pantries, childcare services, youth job programs, domestic violence shelters, education programs and anti-poverty nonprofits across Cambridge, Charlestown, Chelsea and Everett. These amendments totaling $650,000 will support:

• Community Action Programs Inter-City, Inc.

• The Everett Haitian Community Center - EHCC

• John F. Kennedy Family Service Center, Inc.

• East End House

• Chelsea Black Community - CBC 

• Latinos Unidos en Massachusetts

• Boston Housing Authority

• Just A Start's Biotechnology Careers Program

• La Comunidad

• Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House

• Girls on the Run Greater Boston

• Eliot Family Resource Center

• Harvest on Vine

• Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee

• Transition House

• Special Townies

• Cambridge Nonprofit Coalition

• Courageous Sailing Center

• La Vida Scholars

• Everett Community Growers

• Art Lab Everett

• The Loop Lab

• East Cambridge Business Association

Senator DiDomenico’s statewide amendments totaling over $1,000,000 will support:

Community Safety: Senator DiDomenico secured $500,000 in funding for the Shannon Community Safety Initiative to address gang and youth violence through strategies like social intervention, suppression, and community mobilization. The program, now in its 20th year, currently serves thousands of youth every year and funds anti-gang violence initiatives in 25 communities across Massachusetts. DiDomenico has been funding this program in the budget for many years.

ALS Home Care Services: The Senator directed $250,000 in the Senate Budget for the ALS Association of Massachusetts to provide home care services and essential equipment to patients living with ALS. During his speech on the Senate floor, DiDomenico spoke about his mom's courageous battle with ALS and her enduring love for her family. “My Mom was the kindest, most selfless and most compassionate person I have ever known,” said DiDomenico. “We are hoping that one day there will be a cure, but until that happens the ALS Association continues to provide life-changing services and equipment that ensures individuals with ALS live with dignity and receive the support and care they deserve.”

Career Pathways for Life Sciences: DiDomenico brought in $250,000 for MassBioEd's programming that will increase career pathways for the life sciences sector in his district and across the state. As Chair of the Life Sciences Caucus, it’s a priority of the Senator’s to ensure our life sciences sector is thriving, and importantly, that it is creating a pipeline for a diverse workforce filled with talented individuals from all our state's many communities.

Supporting Nurses in Massachusetts: Senator DiDomenico secured $190,000 for Bunker Hill Community College's Boston Welcome Back Center. This innovative program ensures nurses trained in other places can get trained to become registered nurses here in Massachusetts. This is critical to ensuring our healthcare has all the trained professionals it needs to support patients across the Commonwealth.

Senator DiDomenico’s statewide priorities included in this year's budget:

The budget makes historic investments in cities and towns through record levels of Chapter 70 school aid—which helps support the full range of school expenses from teachers to school supplies—and Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA), which local leaders can use as flexible spending for everything from paving sidewalks to hiring police officers. 

DiDomenico has been a long-time champion for school funding and this year's budget completes the Legislature’s promise to fully fund and implement the Student Opportunity Act with $7.66 billion in funding for local school districts—an increase of $297 million over last fiscal year—along with a record $160-per-pupil minimum for local school aid. It also boosts UGGA by $53 million, distributed through a new method based on population, while formally starting the process of reforming the UGGA distribution formula to be more equitable and move forward from an outdated system that has left some municipalities behind. 

The budget reconvenes the Foundation Budget Review Commission (FBRC) to examine the current K-12 funding formula and assess new ways to address rising costs in special education, student transportation, personnel, and educator health care. It also establishes a commission to study public school construction financing through the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to ensure grant funding is allocated responsibly and equitably. This has been a concern of DiDomenico's since his communities have been exploring new school buildings.

Housing for our residents is always a big issue for Senator DiDomenico.  This budget builds on last session’s Affordable Homes Act (AHA) with provisions to streamline local permitting, support development on nonconforming properties, provide reasonable timelines for projects to move forward under existing zoning rules, and modernize the variance standard — all aimed at meeting housing demand and driving down costs. 

One of DiDomenico's biggest priorities is in anti-hunger, food insecurity, and economic security. Through his efforts the budget directs over $265 million towards these areas — including $148 million for Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) caseworkers to maintain SNAP program integrity and comply with new federal requirements, $55 million for Emergency Food Assistance (assists all our food banks), and $29.7 million for the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) supporting local farmers and healthy food access.  

DiDomenico also advocated for this budget to fully annualize recent benefit increases through Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) and Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children (EAEDC) to fight deep poverty and includes a $500 clothing allowance per child for families receiving TAFDC benefits. Through DiDomenico's efforts this funding has been distributed to individuals and families who are living in deep poverty in our Commonwealth.

Additional investments include improved safety standards at assisted living residences following the tragic Gabriel House fire in Fall River; expanded affordability in higher education through Senate-led programs like MassEducate; and full funding for jail diversion programs connecting individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders to appropriate treatment—improving lives and strengthening public safety.

The budget also includes a consumer protection provision requiring companies to make canceling a subscription as easy as signing up, shielding residents from junk fees and hard-to-cancel recurring charges. 

During debate, Senators adopted amendments sending resources to programs and institutions that serve residents across Massachusetts, including funding for the Museum of African American History. 

Notably, the Senate adopted an amendment shielding children from sexual exploitation and abusive power dynamics by protecting children aged 16 and 17 from sexual interactions with people who are responsible for their care and oversight—mandated reporters such as teachers and coaches, police officers, and social workers and Department of Children and Families (DCF) custodians. 

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