Posted April 4, 2023; last updated April 19, 2024

2023-2024 Legislative Session Bill Priorities:

• 2023-2024 bill priority overview fact sheet

• 2023-2024 bill priority chart

• Overall bill (and budget) endorsement form

• Strengthening the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program: Bill fact sheet, organizational endorsement form, and RAFT talking points for testimony
  
  • Related resource: RAFT FY24 Administrative Plan & Scope of Services from the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (July 2023)
   

• Expanding access to Mass. IDs for youth and adults experiencing homelessness: Bill fact sheet, organizational endorsement form, and testimonial statements
  

• Improving the Emergency Assistance family shelter and services program: Bill fact sheet and organizational endorsement form

• Establishing a bill of rights for people experiencing homelessness: Bill fact sheet and organizational endorsement form

• Codifying and strengthening the HomeBASE rehousing program: Bill fact sheet and organizational endorsement form

• Improving the Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled, and Children (EAEDC) cash assistance program: Bill fact sheet and organizational endorsement form

• Passing a strong Housing Bond Bill (the Affordable Homes Act, House Bill) and providing bridge subsidies to promote housing stability for low-income older adults:
  • Bill text and status updates for House Bill 4138
    
  • Bridge subsidy bond bill fact sheet
    
  • MCH testimony in support of the bill (January 2024)

• Making Chapter 257 eviction protections permanent: House bill text and status updates, Senate bill text and status updates, and testimony to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary (May 2023)
  

  • Related update: The Legislature’s final FY24 budget includes an outside section, Outside Section 64, which would restore the Chapter 257 eviction protections that expired on March 31, 2023 and make the protections permanent.  Governor Healey signed the language into law on August 9, 2023, so the protections are back in effect!
    

• Expanding access to legal counsel in eviction proceedings: Bill fact sheet

• Building in affordability requirements in the Housing Development Incentive Program (HDIP): Bill text and status updates for House Bill 1300, Senate Bill 870, and Senate Bill 863 plus MCH testimony in support of the bills (July 2023)

• Establishing a housing secretariat: Bill text and status updates for House Bill 43 and MCH testimony in support of the bill (March 2023)

Current Budget Priorities:

Fiscal Year 2024 Supplemental Budget Priorities:

• Adequately funding the Emergency Assistance family shelter program (Line Item 7004-0101) to provide traditional shelter or overflow shelter spaces to all eligible children and families (not capped at 7,500 families.)
  • The Administration has told the Legislature that they need $225 million in supplemental funding for FY24 to continue to serve 7,500 families in shelters and hotels and to provide overflow shelter spaces to some of the families who have been approved for shelter but have been placed on a waiting list: $215 million directly for the EA program and $10 million for wraparound services.
  • See Governor Healey’s related FY24 supplemental budget request, House Bill 4284, released on January 24, 2024. It focuses on the Emergency Assistance family shelter program and housing and homelessness issues more broadly.
   

Recent Budget Priorities:

Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Priorities:

• FY24 budget priority overview fact sheet

• FY24 budget priority chart

• Overall budget (and bill) organizational endorsement form

• Budget requests submitted to the FY24 budget Conference Committee (June 2023)

• FY24 Senate amendment overview sheet (May 2023)

• FY24 budget testimony submitted by the Coalition to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means  (April 2023)

• Launching a bridge subsidy program to promote housing stability for low-income older adults (Line Item 9110-XXXX, new line item under the Executive Office of Elder Affairs): Budget fact sheet and organizational endorsement form

• Strengthening the HomeBASE rehousing program (Line Item 7004-9316): Budget overview and organizational endorsement form

• Improving the Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled, and Children cash assistance program (EAEDC, Line Item 4408-1000): Budget overview and organizational endorsement form