Transcript:

Good morning Madam Chair, and Mr. Chair, and members of the committee. Sorry for the technical issues I've been having this morning, but I really appreciate being taken out of turn. I'm here to testify in support of Bill H 135, an act establishing basic needs assistance for Massachusetts immigrant residents. In recent years, the Massachusetts Legislature has shown tremendous leadership in both addressing food insecurity and welcoming and providing emergency shelter for newly arriving homeless immigrant families. Our commonwealth has been at the forefront of welcoming and supporting these new arrivals with dignity and compassion. However, thousands of legally present immigrants remain ineligible for federal SNAP and cash assistance benefits due to the harsh eligibility restrictions put in effect since 1996, 97.

Massachusetts has provided state funded nutrition and cash assistance benefits in the past from 1997 to 2002 when the Legislature unanimously voted to provide key benefits in 1996 as part of the welfare reform law. The US federal government eliminated poor food and cash assistance benefits to thousands of legally present immigrants. In response to this decision in 97, I led the effort in Massachusetts backed by all my colleagues, including then Speaker Finneran and the present speaker Ron Mariano to authorize basic cash and food assistance for these immigrants so they could continue to be productive and active members of our community. Massachusetts successfully filled in this gap in our social service network until former Governor Mitt Romney revoked the program in 2002. It wasn't a good decision then and it is even worse policy now in light of the pressures that the pandemic exposed.

H 135 is our effort to bring this category of Massachusetts residents back into the fold. This will restore basic nutrition and cash benefits for low income legally present individuals and families in Massachusetts. The bottom line is there's no child or essential worker in Massachusetts should go hungry. 6 states currently provide state funded benefits, including California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Montana, and the state of Washington. Massachusetts continues to be a leader on addressing food insecurity and treating immigrant families with dignity and respect. So today, I'm asking you to report favorably H 135 so we can join other states in returning to how we once ran SNAP and TAFDC. By making immigrants with legal status eligible for food aid and cash benefits. Thank you again for taking me out of turn.