Immigrants without status form the backbone of Massachusetts — producing our food, tending to our loved ones, and stocking our supermarkets. But the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread business closures mean many of these undocumented workers have found themselves at risk of losing their jobs, losing income, or being exposed to the virus.
The Commonwealth has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences by implementing several bold new federal unemployment policies that are also supported with federal funds. These have provided crucial protection to many workers and the economy, though undocumented workers have been excluded. Since late April, the greatest volume of unemployment claims have been for a new program for workers traditionally ineligible for unemployment insurance. Without new federal legislation, this program will expire at the end of the year. The federally-funded $600 enhancement to weekly benefits will expire at the end of July. The loss of these benefits would hurt many workers and slow the state’s economic recovery.
Testimony supporting legislation for state stimulus checks for taxpayers excluded from federal benefits because they pay taxes with an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) instead of a social security number.
For more on federal fiscal relief, read That’s A Relief Part I: Federal Fiscal Relief to Massachusetts in Recently-Passed Legislation and That’s A Relief Part II: Federal Fiscal Relief for Community Development in the CARES Act. The Massachusetts state budget is the single piece of legislation each year that defines the state’s vision, values, and plan for the …
Read the full statement by Marie-Frances Rivera, president of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget), in response to the Governor’s Reopening Massachusetts plan amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Introduction Quality early education and care (EEC) is not only critical for helping young children to learn and grow, it’s also vital to our economy by providing support for working parents. The current public health and economic crisis caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is dramatically impacting the provision of early education and care for …
Read That’s A Relief Part I: Federal Fiscal Relief to Massachusetts in Recently-Passed Legislation here. The federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act,” or “C3”), provides substantial federal fiscal relief for the states, benefits to certain businesses, as well as direct payments to individuals suffering hardship due to the pandemic and the subsequent economic …
Learn what federal relief though the CARES Act, the Coronavirus Relief Fund, and other recently passed legislation means for the Commonwealth during the public health crisis.
Read the full testimony from our President, Marie-Frances Rivera, for the Massachusetts Legislature’s April Virtual Economic Roundtable, originally scheduled for April 7, 2020.
With statewide school closures, we must ensure that children are safe, fed, and do not fall behind. Learn how COVID-19 is impacting the Student Opportunity Act, and what can be done to ensure that all schools have enough resources to fully support each and every child when they reopen their doors.