This week, Senator Sal DiDomenico hosted a briefing on his legislation, An Act to Establish a Massachusetts Children’s Cabinet (S. 79/H.189), alongside House bill sponsors Representative Kay Khan and Representative Antonio Cabral, and the Children and Adolescent Health Initiative (CAHI) coalition. DiDomenico’s briefing highlighted how this bill will empower child-serving state agencies to better communicate and coordinate with each other and more effectively use resources to advance the health and wellbeing of children across the Commonwealth. This legislation would create a Children’s Cabinet comprised of executive office Secretaries and Commissioners serving children. The Cabinet would be tasked with tracking progress on key child health measures, gathering feedback from children, addressing racial and economic disparities, and reporting to the legislature annually on the status of children and youth in Massachusetts. The bill also establishes an advisory committee to guide the cabinet, which will be made up of child-serving health care professionals, early childhood educators, teachers, school administrators, child welfare professionals, parents, youth, and other relevant experts. “I am proud to sponsor this legislation so we can ensure the wellbeing of our children is prioritized and elevated across the most powerful cabinets of state government,” said Senator DiDomenico, Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate. “Children across our state were some of the hardest hit individuals throughout the pandemic. I look forward to working with my cosponsors, Representatives Kahn and Cabral, to pass this bill so we can coordinate government agencies to use every lever of power to feed, house, and protect our kids.” “Growing up is getting harder,” said Greg Hagan, a Cambridge pediatrician and CAHI member. “Just talk with parents, teachers or anyone working with kids. If children are our future, we need to do a better job. Massachusetts doesn’t have a way to plan for kids’ needs across its many departments and programs. By creating a Children’s Cabinet, we can make sure that we do right by kids: planning, coordinating, and communicating effectively to better meet the needs of children and families.” About the Massachusetts Child and Adolescent Health Initiative (CAHI) CAHI is a coalition of child health advocates working to achieve better health, wellbeing, and development for children and youth through system transformation in Massachusetts.
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