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MCAD urges creation of voluntary donation fund as federal support wanes
Summary
The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination asked the Joint Committee on Revenue to advance HB 3109/SB 2014 to create a Massachusetts Against Discrimination Fund allowing taxpayers to donate to MCAD via income tax filings; the agency said federal funding covers roughly 20% of its budget and is at risk.
Mike Memelow, executive director of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, urged the Joint Committee on Revenue to support HB 3109 and SB 2014, legislation that would create a Massachusetts Against Discrimination Fund to accept voluntary public donations and allow taxpayers to designate contributions when filing state income taxes.
Memelow said the MCAD has statutory authority to receive donations but lacks the mechanism to accept them through the current tax checkoff system. He said the change would align the MCAD with other state funds that accept voluntary donations via the income tax filing process.
Memelow told the committee the commission still expects to receive about $2,400,000 projected for fiscal year 2026, which he said amounts to approximately 20% of MCAD’s operating budget. He described reductions at federal partners — including the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — that have cut staffing and threatened programs that help fund MCAD work.
"For the past 35 years, the commission has had the statutory authority to receive funds directly from the public but has not had the mechanism to receive these donations," Memelow said. He added creating the fund would provide "a no cost, no risk mechanism to help sustain and strengthen the MCAD's vital anti-discrimination work."
Committee members asked about the federal funding reductions and how dual filing with EEOC operates. Memelow explained MCAD’s work-share agreement permits dual filing: complaints meeting federal criteria are preserved by filing with both MCAD and EEOC, and vice versa, to maintain both state and federal rights.
No committee action or votes on HB 3109 or SB 2014 were recorded during the hearing.
