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H 5085

An Act significantly alleviating poverty

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by James Arena-DeRosa and 3 co-sponsors

The bill expands poverty-reduction efforts by boosting cash and housing support, widening access to benefits and tax credits, strengthening wage-theft protections, and creating a M

Hearing rescheduled to 07/01/2026 from 10:00 AM-12:50 PM in B-2 Hearing updated to New End Time
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · H 5085

Purpose and overarching goal

An Act significantly alleviating poverty seeks to expand poverty-reduction measures across housing, income supports, health-related benefits, and anti-poverty tax/credit programs. The bill also creates new tools to support financial stability, wealth-building, and protections for vulnerable populations. Many provisions center on increasing access to essential goods (like menstrual products), raising cash assistance standards, preventing wage theft, expanding child support policies, and creating a Massachusetts Baby Bonds program.

Key provisions and changes

  • Menstrual products in shelters and schools (Sections 1, 2, 3):

    • Requires providers of temporary housing (shelters, hotels used for shelter, DV shelters, etc.) to supply disposable menstrual products at no cost.
    • Requires every primary and secondary school to provide disposable menstrual products at no cost, accessible in a non-stigmatizing way (e.g., restrooms).

  • Cash assistance and benefit standards (Sections 4, 5, 6, 7, 8):

    • Annual increases to monthly benefit payment standards for certain programs, with a target to reach at least 50% of the federal poverty level for household size.
    • Adds a rental housing allowance of $50 per month for households with rent/mortgage expenses and not in public/subsidized housing.
    • Introduces a nonrecurring $500 clothing allowance for eligible children (September 1 each year).
    • Expands pregnant, no-dependent-child cash assistance to begin when pregnancy is verified, equal to the TANF benefit for one person.

  • Tax credits and information dissemination (Sections 17, 29-32):

    • Requires multilingual outreach about state and federal tax credits, free tax prep, and low-income clinics; employers must display rights and information about credits.
    • Expands and adjusts tax-related provisions, including Child and Family Tax Credit enhancements, and broader access rules for certain credits and advance payments.

  • Public assistance, child support, and IV-D coordination (Sections 9-13):

    • Aligns IV-D cooperation sanctions with good-cause exceptions (e.g., rape/incest, ongoing adoption proceedings).
    • Excludes child-support payments from countable income if below federal poverty level for the family.
    • Directs IV-D to pay all collected support to the family for former recipients where applicable.

  • Wage theft and worker protections (Sections 21-28):

    • Establishes robust wage-theft enforcement with a new framework for civil penalties, stop-work orders, and enhanced enforcement through the Attorney General.
    • Introduces private-enforcement provisions and a public enforcement mechanism with a relator (whistleblower) pathway and a Community Outreach and Labor Education Fund to support outreach and education.

  • Massachusetts Baby Bonds Program (Sections 31-32):

    • Creates the Massachusetts Baby Bonds Trust Fund to support designated beneficiaries (children born on/after July 1, 2024 who receive TANF or are in DCF custody in infancy).
    • Provides for matched-savings accounts, savings plans, and approved expenditures (education, housing, small business, home purchase, and other asset-building uses).
    • Establishes governance (Advisory Board) and a Community Advisory Committee, with reporting requirements and protections to ensure financial literacy and anti-fraud measures.

Who would be affected

  • Individuals and families receiving or eligible for TANF/Transitional Aid benefits.
  • Pregnant individuals who may receive enhanced assistance.
  • Students and families in K-12 with access to no-cost menstrual products.
  • Public and private employers, and workers facing wage theft; enhanced remedies and enforcement.
  • Foster youth and former foster youth eligible for Baby Bonds and related supports.
  • Workers and households eligible for expanded tax credits and informational outreach.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • The bill sets forth annual increases to benefit standards beginning July 1, 2025.
  • The Baby Bonds program details include governance structures, eligibility critérios, and a distribution framework with funds and annual reporting due dates.
  • Several sections reference the use of good-cause criteria for IV-D cooperation and timelines for hearings and stop-work orders in wage-theft enforcement.
  • Administration and coordination sections require interagency agreements and reporting to the governor and legislature.

Note: This summary covers the substantive provisions currently described; final enactment could reflect edits or refinements during the legislative process.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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