Massachusetts Weighs Guaranteed Income for Low-Income Families

Legislation making its way through the Massachusetts State House would establish a pilot guaranteed income program in which the state’s poorest would receive direct cash stipends from the state, funded by taxpayers.

State House News Service reported that Cambridge has already launched a $22 million pilot program “offering $500 per month for 18 months to income-eligible families with children.”

What the Guaranteed Income Bill Proposes

Senator Sal DiDomenico of Everett and Representative Marjorie Decker of Cambridge have sponsored (SD 2872 / HD 4622), “An Act Significantly Alleviating Poverty (ASAP)."

In 2021, the legislature appointed the Special Commission to Study Poverty. The committee’s report, released in June of 2025, established a road map to “significantly reduce poverty over the next ten years.” ASAP includes many recommendations included in the report.

SHNS reported, “In a state where more than 10% of residents live in poverty, lawmakers are pitching an omnibus bill to expand cash benefit programs, raise wages, and create state-run initiatives to help families build wealth.”

The Cost of Fighting Poverty in Massachusetts

In addition to guaranteed income, the legislation also increases the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) cash benefits program while increasing funding for the Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled, and Children (EAEDC) benefits program “until every individual is lifted out of deep poverty.”

Sen. DiDomenico was quoted as saying, “We have a moral obligation... I have no tolerance for people who say we can’t afford to help people.” SHNS wrote that DiDomenico’s office was unable to provide a “bottom-line” cost for the program.

SHNS estimated Massachusetts has dedicated around $50 billion for programs to assist the poor in the current fiscal year’s budget, including MassHealth ($22.41 billion), Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled, and Children ($209 million), Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children ($467 million), no charge school meals ($180 million), more than a half billion dollars for rental, utility and relocation assistance programs, and $50.5 million for the Emergency Food Assistance Program.