The Senate voted to advance the $425 million emergency shelter bailout for illegal immigrants and inadmissible migrants, approving a package that claims to include reforms but falls far short of what taxpayers deserve. Despite adopting some modest changes, the bill continues to fund a dangerously broken system that is ripe with opportunities for abuse.
You can view the roll call vote below to see how your senator voted: 
Some key takeaways from the Senate debate:
1. Small Reforms Were Included in the Package:
The Senate bill caps the system at 4,000 families and reduces the maximum length in emergency shelter from nine to six consecutive months.
2. Missed Opportunities for Real Reform:
While the Senate adopted some minor measures like slightly shorter shelter stays, they failed to go far enough to address the root problems in the emergency shelter system. Amendments that would have prioritized Massachusetts residents for this housing benefit (Roll Call #11), required universal background checks for applicants (Roll Call #12), and implemented a 12-month residency requirement in order to be eligible for the shelter benefit (Roll Call #13) were all rejected by Senate leadership.
3. Republican Senators Push for Stronger Measures:
The Republican caucus stood united in opposing the final bill, arguing that the reforms don’t go far enough to fix the system. While they succeeded in forcing some minor reform measures, Senate Democrat leadership blocked the more robust reforms that are desperately needed.
New Video:
While the action was in the senate this week, last week the House took up this up. State Representative Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica) spoke passionately about allowing state agencies to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Watch our new video of Rep. Lombardo saying what we are all thinking.
Where We Stand Now:
YOUR MESSAGES ARE WORKING! Last year, Beacon Hill leaders wouldn’t even entertain reforms to the broken shelter system, simply writing away taxpayers money to a blackhole. Thanks to your advocacy, the debate has shifted. Ideas like capping the shelter population, requiring residency documentation, universal background checks, cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), are now part of the discussion—but we have much more work to do.
What’s Next:
The bill must now be reconciled with the House version before heading to Governor Healey’s desk. There’s still time to push for stronger reforms that protect taxpayers and restore fiscal sanity to this program.
If you haven’t yet taken our Call to Action, please do so here: https://www.votervoice.net/MASSFISCAL/campaigns/121074/respond.
We’ll keep you updated as this disastrous bill continues to move through the State House.
Thank you for standing with us in this fight for fiscal responsibility! |
