Addressing the Affordability Crisis
In my district and beyond, families are feeling the squeeze of rising costs. Increasingly, many young people, families, and seniors on fixed incomes are considering moving out of the City. To alleviate some of these rising costs, I have supported a number of measures at the State House to help ease the pressures.
This includes supporting the largest State Aid Package to the City of Boston in history:
- $237 million in Unrestricted Government Aid to address infrastructure improvements, parks and public safety improvements;
- $250 million in Chapter 70 state aid to support public elementary & secondary education; and
- $20 million to subsidize the Boston Public Library system
I sponsored and passed legislation relative to property tax relief that would allow municipalities to use surplus funds to issue rebates to taxpayers who previously received a residential exemption. The legislation would expand eligibility for senior tax relief, increase the personal property tax exemption, and extend the filing abatement deadline for properties that have been improperly assessed to 75 days.
In 2024, I supported the largest tax relief package in state history, which doubled the Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit, increased the refundable Earned Income Tax Credit, expanded the credit for dependent children, disabled adults, and seniors, and raised the rental deduction. I also introduced the Main Streets Tax Relief amendment to offer property tax exemptions to businesses with 10 or fewer employees.
In July, the Massachusetts Senate passed energy affordability legislation to deliver billions in savings to ratepayers across the Commonwealth while keeping Massachusetts on track to meet its climate goals. The bill tackles rising energy costs by cutting unnecessary fees, smoothing seasonal price spikes, strengthening consumer protections against deceptive energy supplier practices, and prioritizing cost-effective energy investments over expensive infrastructure projects.
In addition, I supported $20 million in supplementary funding for a MBTA Income-eligible Reduced Fare Program that supports low-income public transit riders, and a statewide retirement savings program for employees whose workplaces do not otherwise provide access to a savings plan.
Furthermore, I supported $10 million at the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) last year to improve recipients’ access to SNAP benefits with the aim to forestall federal cuts to this critical program.