Dooner Supports Amending Right to Shelter Law
Taunton, MA …Today Taunton City Councilor and candidate for the State Senate Kelly Dooner announced that she supports amending the Right to Shelter law so that it only applies to legal residents. When elected, she will join Senator Peter Durant as a cosponsor of his legislation.
“Our state is being bankrupted by the influx of migrants. We are spending billions not millions of dollars to house people who are not legally here in our nation. It is unsustainable and it is unfair to the hard-working taxpayers of the Commonwealth. As the next Senator, I will support amending the Right to Shelter law to fix this costly problem,” said Dooner.
In 1983 Governor Mike Dukakis signed the Right to Shelter Law. It was passed to help battered women coming from another state receive emergency shelter. The law is now being abused by the influx of migrants which is now believed to be over 8500 families and costing the state $2 billion. The Clarion Hotel in Taunton was one of the first facilities taken over by the state to house them. The city was not informed by any state officials. As a result, Taunton has lost revenue from the hotel and had to pay for increased services in the schools and public safety.
“Massachusetts is a magnet state for our generous benefits, but the helping hand we provide for the needy is supposed to go to our legal residents. I was extremely disappointed that the Massachusetts House of Representatives failed to pass the amendment putting our veterans ahead of the migrants,” said Dooner, who helped make Taunton a Purple Heart City. “It is time to restore common sense, help our veterans, and protect the taxpayers.”
Dooner is the only candidate to announce support for amending the law. She will co-sponsor Senator Peter Durant’s legislation when elected.
Dooner was elected to the Taunton City Council in 2021 being the youngest woman ever elected to the City Council. She has served as the President of the City Council, and worked to make Taunton a Purple Heart City.
Dooner is a lifelong resident of Massachusetts. She earned her paralegal certificate in applied legal studies at Boston University. Dooner has been actively involved in the Massachusetts Young Republicans and serves on their Executive Board as the National State Committeewoman.
