Senator Sal DiDomenico has proudly served as State Senator for the Middlesex and Suffolk District of Massachusetts since May of 2010. He represents a diverse district that includes the communities of Charlestown, Chelsea, Everett, as well as parts of Allston, Brighton, Cambridge, and the West End of Boston. Throughout his tenure in the Massachusetts Senate, Sal has remained committed to enhancing the lives of his constituents and residents across the Commonwealth.
Massachusetts has long been one of the greatest champions of civil rights in our nation. I have always considered myself fortunate to live in a state where tolerance is promoted and discrimination is prohibited against our residents. However, there is still progress to be made to ensure that every Massachusetts resident has equal access to opportunity and can live without fear of discrimination…
One of the most important priorities of our government is to help spur community development and economic opportunity in every community across Massachusetts. Everyone should have the opportunity to pursue the American Dream, especially our Commonwealth’s hard working families. Toward that goal, we must actively pursue efforts to create and preserve jobs, while also giving people the skills and education they need to succeed in our changing workforce and economy.
One of my proudest achievements as a Massachusetts Senator is the creation of the Community Development Partnership Act (CDPA), now known as the Community Investment Tax Credit, which was included as a key component of a jobs bill signed by Governor Patrick in 2012. This tax credit enables local residents and businesses to work together to address specific local challenges and opportunities, thereby creating jobs, economic opportunity, and vibrant communities. I am proud to say that the creation of this tax credit has helped to drive innovation in Massachusetts and spur local development in the communities that need it most.
Throughout my tenure in the Senate, I have also been a strong supporter of promoting a business-friendly environment in Massachusetts that helps small businesses open, expand and create jobs. After watching my family run a small business in Cambridge for over 40 years, I have a first-hand understanding of the struggles that many small businesses face. In spite of these obstacles, small businesses have remained the backbone of our cities and towns by helping to keep our neighborhoods vibrant, employ local residents, and provide support to communities across the state. Small businesses are vital job producers here in the Commonwealth, and it is of the highest importance that the Legislature provides them the tools they need to play a central role in our economy.
Furthermore, to ensure that we have an educated and skilled workforce, I strongly believe that we must provide ample support for career training, workforce development opportunities, and youth jobs here in the Commonwealth. Massachusetts career centers provide vital job assistance services that not only connect workers with employers, but also provide prospective employees with the skills they need to succeed in today’s economy. One of my first acts as Senator, in the midst of the recession, was to ensure that career centers had the funding they needed to continue serving our residents. I have continually worked hard over the years to provide adequate resources for these career centers in order to provide training for the unemployed, as well as those seeking new careers.
Providing our Commonwealth’s youth with job opportunities to prepare them for the workforce has also been a top priority of mine as a Massachusetts Senator. Youth jobs provide students with valuable skills that lay the foundation for their future careers, as well as the success of our Commonwealth. Each year, I work hard to secure funding in the fiscal year budget for youth summer jobs, and I will continue to advocate on behalf of these job opportunities in my role as Vice Chair of Senate Ways and Means.
Massachusetts has a legacy of being a leader in education. However, there is still much that remains to be done here in the birthplace of public education.
For starters, it’s time that Massachusetts gets serious about providing first-class early education to all our children. I know firsthand how important early education is in preparing a child for success in school and in life; I myself am a product of Head Start, and now, as a father, I understand how crucial early education is in getting children ready for school and the future.
I believe that early education is a right for every child, not a privilege, and it is our job as legislators to ensure that every student in the Commonwealth has the chance to succeed. This is why early education has consistently been one of my top priorities.
As a Massachusetts Senator, I have repeatedly championed legislation that would improve the quality of early childhood education to help close the achievement gap. In addition, I have diligently advocated for increased funding to open access to early education and care, to improve the overall quality of early education programs, and to support early educators here in the Commonwealth. I am proud to say that in recent years, while I have served on the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, there have been significant funding investments in early education, and we have made strides in reducing the Pre-K wait list for income-eligible children.
Although early education is the foundation of future success, it is also crucial that we continue providing ample support to our students from kindergarten through Grade 12 and beyond. I have had the pleasure of visiting nearly every school in my district, and often interact with the amazing students and great educators throughout our communities. Chapter 70 funding and local aid provides critical financial assistance to our Commonwealth’s schools and their students, and I have been a longtime supporter of increasing this funding so our schools are able to access the resources they need.
Furthermore, I strongly believe that every student deserves an education that fits their needs and abilities, which is why I have consistently advocated for legislation and funding that supports our English Language Learner (ELL) students, as well as students with special needs. It is vital to the success of the Commonwealth that all of our young people have access to equal education and that we do our part to provide the necessary resources to ensure the success of all students.
Our Commonwealth is also home many of the best public and private higher education institutions in the world. I am proud to have so many of these first-class universities and colleges in my own district. However, I am well aware that, for many students, getting a college degree means facing exploding higher education costs. The strength of our knowledge economy relies heavily on a college-educated workforce. As such, we should do everything we can to make college more affordable to ensure that people are able to receive a degree without taking on a mountain of debt. One of the best ways we can do this is by supporting our public higher education institutions to make high-quality, affordable education attainable for any young person who is striving for further education.
Educating the future leaders of our Commonwealth is one of the most important jobs that we have, and it is my job as a legislator to ensure that our schools and students receive the assistance they need. In recent years, we have managed to make significant investments in our education system; however, there is still much that remains to be done. I will continue to fight for the students of the Commonwealth to ensure that they receive the education they deserve..
Senior citizens are invaluable members of our community, and it is of the highest importance that we ensure the best quality of life for elder population. I strongly believe that we must support seniors throughout the Commonwealth to live longer, productive, and independent lives. In order to accomplish this, we must ensure that the programs and organizations that we have to offer receive ample support from the Legislature so they can continue to provide the high quality services that many of our seniors rely on. This is why throughout my tenure in the State Senate, I have been a strong advocate of legislation that promotes the health and livelihood of our senior community…
Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy and it is of the highest importance that we ensure our electoral process is accessible for all eligible voters in the Commonwealth. As such, it is crucial that our election laws are up-to-date and reflective of the needs of every voter so they can actively participate in the political process.
In my previous role as Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Election Laws, I worked hard to modernize Massachusetts’s election laws in an effort to reflect our Commonwealth’s voting needs in the 21st century, and to make the electoral process more accessible to historically disenfranchised and underrepresented voting groups.
As Vice Chair, I took part in crafting the Election Laws Reform Act, which was a major step in improving our previously outdated voting laws. This crucial piece of legislation was signed into law by Governor Patrick in 2014, making it easier and more efficient to register, vote, and participate in the political process. This law includes early voting, online voter registration, post-election audits of voting machines, and pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds.
Pre-registration serves as an important tool in engaging and empowering our young adults to take an active role in our communities and make a positive impact on society at every level. As legislators, we should do everything in our power to support our youth and provide them with the tools to become active participants in our democratic process. I strongly believe that empowering our young adults begins with voter pre-registration.
Prior to passage of the Election Laws Reform Act, I recurrently filed pre-registration legislation aimed at closing the voter participation gap between young eligible voters and their older counterparts. It is a proven strategy to get thousands of people involved in our electoral process, and I was thrilled that it became an essential component of the comprehensive election laws bill.
The Election Laws Reform Act was referred to as the “most significant reform to strengthen the vote-counting and voter registration processes in Massachusetts in 20 years” by the Director of MassVOTE. This law helps to protect the fundamental right to vote for all people of the Commonwealth, and it is one of my proudest accomplishments as a Massachusetts State Senator. I will continue to fight in the Legislature for current election laws that strengthen our democracy and encourages political participation from all eligible voters.
Protecting our environment makes our communities better and safer places to live. As such, our energy and environmental policy must reflect the needs of today while also ensuring the health and safety of future generations. It is our job as legislators to balance the current energy and economic needs of the Commonwealth with an effective and environmentally responsible path forward, paving the way for our children. In order to accomplish this goal, we must have a strategy that combines energy efficiency, increased utilization of renewable resources, and the conservation of our natural resources.
During my tenure in the Senate, I have been a consistent supporter of legislation aimed at making Massachusetts a national leader on energy policy. In recent years, the Commonwealth has managed to consistently decrease its greenhouse gas emissions, with improvements in energy efficiency being a large part of our success. By continuing to implement effective programs in this area, we can not only drive down heating and electrical costs for consumers, but also maintain our progress towards decreasing our carbon footprint.
We have also taken critical steps to move towards clean energy sources and to combat climate change. This generation is already experiencing the effects of climate change, and we now have a responsibility to work towards mitigating many of its impacts, while preventing further damage to our environment. As a Commonwealth, we must take a holistic approach to energy policy by continuing to invest in alternative energy sources, such as solar and wind, while also actively encouraging energy efficiency.
Furthermore, we must focus on protecting the environment from pollution. My district in particular has a number of natural resources that are of great importance to our Commonwealth, including the Charles and Mystic Rivers. Both of these rivers are vital components of my communities, and I have worked hard to secure funding dedicated to their cleanup, as well as the preservation of the parkways and parklands along the two waterways. I am proud to say that, with support from the Legislature and help from community organizers, we have made incredible improvements towards rejuvenating the ecological integrity of both the Charles and Mystic Rivers. Our Commonwealth has many important natural resources, and we must ensure that they stay pristine for future generations.
Recycling is also an issue that has been very important to me. I was an early supporter and co-sponsor of the updated Bottle Bill, which has taken more of our plastic bottles out of landfills and off our streets. In addition to increasing recycling and decreasing litter in Massachusetts, this bill would save our cities and towns a great deal of money in avoided collection, disposal and recycling costs. This common sense bill is not only beneficial to the environment, it is also cost effective, and I will continue to advocate for the passage of this bill in the Massachusetts Legislature.
Protecting our environment and the quality of life of for our residents should be a top priority for the Legislature. Although we have made vital progress in the area of environmental and energy policy, there is still progress to be made. As your State Senator, I will continue to advocate for environmental legislation aimed at mitigating climate change, improving energy efficiency, as well as preserving our natural resources.
Ensuring that our communities are safe is one of the most important duties of our government. Every citizen has a right to feel safe in their home, their neighborhood, as well as their school. In the Legislature, we must do everything we can to protect the residents of the Commonwealth from harm and to keep our communities secure. Throughout my tenure in the Massachusetts Senate, I have worked hard to ensure the safety of my constituents, as well as residents throughout the state.
Every student deserves a school that provides a safe, welcoming, and nurturing environment. A positive school climate has been shown to increase student achievement and decrease the chances of students suffering harm from threats or hazards. As legislators, it is our responsibility to provide a framework for these safe learning environments within our schools so teachers and students can focus on what is truly important: learning.
In 2014, I was appointed to Governor Patrick’s Task Force on School Safety and Security, charged with compiling best practices and policies and making recommendations to help schools prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from an emergency. After hearing from teachers, law enforcement and experts from a variety of fields, I filed legislation that encourages Massachusetts schools to implement a flexible framework that is proven to foster a safer and more supportive school environment by addressing mental health issues and training within our schools, and allowing school faculty to better identify and work with at-risk individuals.
This bill was ultimately included in a Gun Safety Bill signed into law by Governor Patrick in 2014 that was designed to combat gun violence and suicide in our schools and communities. Also included in this omnibus legislation was a Safe and Supportive Schools Grant program to fund exemplary schools that serve as models for creating nurturing educational environments. I am very proud of this safe and supportive schools framework and grant program, and in my role as Vice Chair of Senate Ways and Means, I will continue to advocate for funding to ensure that our students have safe, healthy, and positive learning environments.
Ensuring safety in the workplace must also be a top concern for the Legislature. One of my proudest achievements in the Senate is the passage of my Social Worker Safety Bill, which was signed into law by Governor Patrick in 2013. Social workers are on the front lines of public health, caring for and working with individuals and families who are struggling through troubling and often precarious circumstances. Many other industries invest significant resources in workplace and worker safety; I believe that social and human service workers who are dedicated to helping people in need should be afforded the same expectations of a safe and secure work environment. This legislation provides critical safety protections for these employees.
I also sponsored an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2015 budget that gave police valuable tools to combat crime against public employees, such as transit workers. Our employees like bus drivers, train operators, public utility workers, and emergency medical technicians, often work later house and are isolated while on the job providing vital services to the residents in our communities. As legislators, it is paramount that we give police the best and most effective tools to combat crime and ensure that everyone has a safe workplace.
I also believe that we must do all that we can to support our men and women who put themselves in harm's way each day to protect our communities. I have repeatedly advocated for the inclusion of resources for our first responders - police officers, firefighters, and emergency management technicians - to ensure their safety and to allow them to do their jobs more effectively. Each year, I have worked to include hazmat funding for Boston, Cambridge and Everett Fire Departments in our state budget to give our firefighters the proper tools and training to prepare themselves for a hazardous materials emergency. With many institutions in our vicinity that pose a potential threat, these resources allow our first responders to be ready for any circumstances that may come their way
One major safety concern that I have repeatedly addressed throughout my time as a State Senator is preventing the transport of ethanol by rail through Massachusetts communities.
This issue first arose in 2012 in response to a proposed plan to transport increased quantities of ethanol via MBTA commuter rail tracks, which run through a number of urban communities, like Boston, Everett, Cambridge, and Chelsea, to a facility in Revere. The plan to bring increased quantities of ethanol via train through these communities raised serious public safety concerns for residents of my district. Ethanol is an extremely dangerous substance and the safety of my constituents or any Massachusetts resident should not be compromised for the sake of expediency and profit. As such, I repeatedly filed amendments to the state budget and supported legislation that prevented ethanol from being carried by train through my district.
Protecting our neighborhoods has also been one of my top priorities in the Legislature. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their home and their neighborhood, and I strongly believe that we must do everything we can to ensure that all residents of the Commonwealth are safe, no matter what community they reside in.
Massachusetts’s Shannon Community Safety Initiative (CSI) plays a critical role in keeping our communities safe by helping to reduce gang violence across the Commonwealth. By offering social intervention programs for at-risk youth, as well as education, training and employment programs for gang-involved and high-risk young adults, Shannon CSI plays a vital role in keeping our communities safe. Providing the Commonwealth’s youth with job opportunities also plays a vital role in keeping teens off the streets and provides them with the skills they need to contribute both civically and economically to our society. This is why I have been a consistent supporter of funding for Shannon grants and youth-at-risk summer jobs during my tenure in the Senate. I have repeatedly advocated for additional funding for these programs and initiatives during Senate budget debates, and I will continue to do so in my role as Vice Chair of Ways and Means.
The service and sacrifices that our veterans and their families make cannot go neither unnoticed nor be diminished. However, veterans in every community face multiple challenges upon returning home from active duty and many need assistance accessing appropriate services. As legislators, it is our duty to ensure that the hundreds of thousands of veterans that reside in the Commonwealth are able to access the first-class services that they rightfully deserve. Not only have our veterans protected our way of life, citizens from around the world owe them a debt of gratitude.
Since joining the Massachusetts Senate, I have fought to ensure that the men and women who have dedicated their lives to keeping us safe are treated with respect and are recognized for the years of service they have devoted to our country. To that effect, I have repeatedly voted for legislation and funding that ensures our veterans and their families receive the support they have earned.
I am also proud to represent a district that includes the Chelsea Soldier's Home, a multifaceted health care facility available to veterans of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Soldier’s Home provides a home and vital services for veterans both young and old, and it is of great importance to ensure that this facility receives adequate financial support so it can continue to provide these services to those who need them.
Throughout my time in the Massachusetts Senate, I have advocated for increased funding for the Chelsea Soldier’s Home; in my role as Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, providing adequate resources for the Soldier’s Home, as well as statewide veterans’ services, has been- and will continue to be- one of my top priorities so our veterans are able to receive the care they deserve.
While we have made great strides here in Massachusetts to increase support for our veterans and their families, there is still more work to be done. I will continue to do all that I can to support the great Veteran Agents and Commissioners in my district who help our veterans each day. As State Senator, I will advocate for solutions to eliminate veteran homelessness, clear hurdles that adversely affect employment, and maintain sufficient funding for existing institutions and programs.