The Western MA Network to End Homelessness is a supporter of the effort led by the Western MA Economic Development Council and Springfield Works in their efforts to pass cliff effect legislation (S.57/H.174), “An Act concerning public assistance for working families and the creation of a pilot program to address the impacts of the cliff effect,” with lead sponsors Senator Eric Lesser and Representative Aaron Vega.
The House and Senate Ways and Means Committees needs to hear from us to urge them to include this legislation in the Fiscal Year 2021 budget. Please use this template for the letter and see the email addresses below.
The “cliff effect” refers to a structural flaw in our public benefits system that inadvertently disincentivizes work. S.57/H.174 proposes the creation of a pilot program where participants will receive a MA Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) adjustment that rewards work and closes the cliff effect gap during each year of a 3-year program. This pilot will also provide us with more data about appropriate interventions to offset the cliff effect and will serve as a scalable template for the Commonwealth.
The letters addressed to the Senate Ways & Means Chair and Vice Chair should be sent via email to:
Michael.Rodrigues@masenate.gov, Chair
Cindy.Friedman@masenate.gov, Vice-Chair
The letters addressed to the House Ways & Means Chair and Vice Chair should be sent via email to:
Aaron.M.Michlewitz@mahouse.gov, Chair
Denise.Garlick@mahouse.gov, Vice-Chair
Please send a copy of your letter to Anne Kandilis of Springfield Works at a.kandilis@springfieldworks.net so we can track our output. Thank you for your support!
