Sen. Adam Gómez

Maddy summaryThis bill creates the Massachusetts Healthy Homes Program to assist property owners in addressing health and safety hazards like mold, lead, and pests in their residential buildings. It establishes a dedicated fund that can be financed through state appropriations, interest earnings, and voluntary contributions from private entities and individuals. The program defines specific categories of eligible applicants, including owner-occupants, small landlords, and larger landlords, who must own properties with identified habitability concerns. Additionally, the legislation requires the state department to coordinate with existing organizations that provide home repair services and allows the department to contract with these groups to administer the program.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates foster parents in Massachusetts as public employees for specific purposes related to collective bargaining, while explicitly excluding them from state retirement, insurance, and workers' compensation benefits. It establishes the Department of Children and Families as the employer for these bargaining purposes and prohibits foster parents from striking or engaging in work stoppages. The legislation mandates negotiations between the department and a certified employee organization on key issues such as payment rates, training opportunities, recruitment, and support services like respite care. Despite granting these bargaining rights, the bill maintains the department's authority to place or remove children and to inspect, monitor, or revoke foster parent licenses as necessary for safety and compliance.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Massachusetts law to restrict how landlords and property managers can use credit reports when screening tenants. It directly affects landlords, property management companies, and individuals seeking rental housing by prohibiting the use of credit reports for tenant screening without specific conditions. Key provisions require landlords to obtain written consent from applicants, disclose the reason for accessing the report, cover the cost of the report themselves, and provide applicants with the report and a chance to dispute its contents before taking adverse actions like denying a lease. The legislation also bans retaliation against applicants who file complaints or dispute credit information and ensures that using these reports does not result in illegal housing discrimination.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program to clarify how the state distributes rental assistance to low-income households. It establishes that the program will use both mobile vouchers, which allow families to choose their own housing, and project-based vouchers tied to specific buildings. The legislation sets income limits for eligibility at 80 percent of the area median income and requires that at least 75 percent of vouchers go to families earning no more than 30 percent of that median. Additionally, the bill defines how much rent the program will cover, generally allowing subsidies up to 110 percent of the fair market rent, with specific exceptions for people with disabilities.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a state-run program to help formerly incarcerated individuals secure housing upon release from prison. It requires the state department of housing and community development to coordinate with correctional agencies to educate people about housing options and provide financial assistance like housing vouchers. The law also mandates that affordable housing projects receive priority for those recently released and requires annual reviews and reports to track the program's success. Additionally, it directs state agencies to include formerly incarcerated persons in leadership roles within community organizations that support their reentry.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a statewide network of community-based services and family resource centers designed to support families and children in need of assistance. The Massachusetts Department of Health and Human Services would create these centers to help families keep children at home and in their local schools while addressing needs such as mental health care, housing, food, and education. The law requires the use of standardized assessment tools to identify family strengths and needs, along with a data collection system to track service gaps and outcomes. Additionally, the bill mandates that annual reports to the legislature include detailed statistics on the number of families served, program results, and demographic information broken down by race, ethnicity, gender, and age.

Maddy summaryThis bill aims to increase monthly cash assistance payments for families in Massachusetts who are struggling with deep poverty. Starting in July 2023, the law mandates that benefit amounts rise by 25 percent each year until they reach a level equal to 50 percent of the federal poverty line for the household size. Once that threshold is met, payments will continue to increase annually to ensure they do not fall below that 50 percent standard. The legislation specifically applies to recipients of state aid programs, excluding rental allowances, and also includes additional adjustments for clothing and housing costs for eligible households.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new grant program within the Department of Housing and Community Development to help build and maintain mobile showers for homeless populations in Massachusetts. These transportable public facilities are designed to provide sanitation services, with a specific focus on assisting underserved communities and homeless youth. The legislation establishes a dedicated funding source where all contributions remain available for future use rather than reverting to the general state budget. Municipalities and nonprofit organizations will be eligible to apply for these funds to support the acquisition and upkeep of the mobile units.

Maddy summaryThis bill aims to improve Massachusetts' public health response to Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia by creating a new state-wide awareness campaign. The campaign will educate healthcare providers on early detection methods and inform the public about warning signs, risk reduction, and available care resources, with a specific focus on diverse communities. Additionally, the law requires the state to collect more detailed data on racial and ethnic health disparities related to dementia and to include specific questions about cognitive decline in annual health surveys. These changes are designed to help the Department of Public Health better understand the scope of the issue and allocate resources more effectively.