MA Legislative hearing on key bills tomorrow: DTA Update on Interim Reports; GBLS tax clinic and MORE!

Greetings Coalition members and Happy mid September!

As a reminder, TOMORROW is a public hearing at the State House before the Joint Committee on Children and Families on a bunch of priority food security bills including state-funded SNAP for legal immigrants, HIP, a bill calling for resources to maximize federal SNAP dollars, SNAP replacement benefits due to skimming as well as cash grant increases (Lift our Kids), child support pass through and more. The deadline for signing up to testify was last Friday, but you can still submit written testimony (likely thru mid-November).

• Link to Coalition member priority bills HERE.
• Link to ALL bills being heard and how to submit testimony available HERE.

Tomorrow’s also a great day to come in person to observe the hearing, visit your State Rep and Senator and them to support and co-sponsor. You can also attend the Lift Our Kids Rally on the State House steps starting at 11:30AM. More Info and RSVP HERE.

DTA Reinstates SNAP Interim Reporting - Starting 9/15

The following information was sent by DTA to SNAP Outreach Providers and DTA Advisory Board Members last Friday, 9/12/25:

“To support payment accuracy, DTA will resume requiring Interim Reports for all SNAP households on Simplified Reporting beginning September 2025. Interim Reports have been largely suspended since March 2020 through a USDA waiver granted during the COVID-19 public health emergency. This waiver allowed DTA to bypass the requirement in order to reduce barriers to benefits at a time of crisis. That waiver has now expired, and DTA is required to reinstate Interim Reports.

What this means for clients:

• Beginning the week of September 15, 2025, some clients will receive a notice requiring them to complete an Interim Report six months into their 12-month certification period.
• Clients will have 45 days to return the Interim Report by mail or through DTA Connect online or in the mobile app.
• Clients who do not complete the Interim Report will receive warnings. If they do not complete the report, their SNAP case will close.
• This will be a big change for clients, as most households have not had to complete Interim Reports since 2020, when USDA granted a waiver due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

How clients will be notified

• Clients will receive a paper Interim Report form 45 days before it is due.
• They will also be notified by mail, and possibly by text, email, or app notifications if they’ve opted into those methods.

How you can help

• Please be aware that many clients may be unfamiliar with this process, as Interim Reports have been suspended for several years.
• Encourage clients to carefully read their mail from DTA and complete the Interim Report within 45 days.
• Remind clients that completing the Interim Report is necessary to keep their SNAP benefits active.” (end of DTA message)

Please reach out to MLRI if you have questions or need help with cases where SNAP households were wrongly terminated under this policy.

Free Low Income Taxpayer Clinic - Sept 18th in Roslindale

The GBLS Low Income Taxpayer Clinic is looking for distressed taxpayers for in person Tax Problem Resolution sessions with the Taxpayer Advocate Services of the IRS and MA Department of Revenue. Clinic is September 18th - see attached flier.

Tax problem examples: Missing refunds; disallowed credits for children; unpayable tax bills; health insurance tax penalties; license suspensions due to state tax liability, filing or amending prior year returns; debt due to financial abuse for domestic violence survivors; identity theft; debt based on employee misclassification as independent contractor; tax preparer fraud; documenting expenses for self employed; responding to audits, requests for evidence, etc.

Org Sign-On Letter: Urge Congress to Cosponsor Bill Repealing Recent SNAP (9/17 deadline)

In partnership with the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) and Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), we urge all MA anti-hunger organizations to sign onto THIS LETTER urging Members of Congress to cosponsor the upcoming Restoring Food Security for American Families and Farmers Act of 2025. This bill would repeal the damaging SNAP cuts enacted in the recent budget reconciliation law.
Sign on deadline: Thursday, 9/17/25.

Protect our Care Town Halls: Stop the Cuts with Corporate Fair Share

Massachusetts faces an unprecedented crisis as federal cuts threaten to strip health care and food assistance from over 300,000 Massachusetts residents. The state is set to lose up to $3.5 billion in federal aid, while federal cuts to PreK-12 schools, colleges, and childcare could hurt more than one million students. But Massachusetts can fight back by tapping into our $8 billion rainy day fund and making tax-dodging global corporations like Apple, Amazon, and Walmart pay their fare share– raising over $1.5 billion. Join our partners as Raise Up Massachusetts at regional town halls across the state - starting September 18th thru October - to learn how we can stop the federal cuts from devastating Massachusetts families and ensure critical services remain intact.

Find a regional town hall near you and register!