Hello Everyone,
I hope you are all doing well!
We had a busy week in the Statehouse and throughout the district. Monday, I chaired a meeting of the Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery Committee where we had the opportunity to hear from healthcare professionals regarding contaminants in the drug supply and the difficulties these pose in fighting the Opioid Epidemic. I am incredibly proud to work alongside House Chair Madaro and my colleagues from both chambers as Massachusetts works to respond to these challenges in our communities.
Tuesday, I chaired a hearing for the Veterans and Federal Affairs committee where we heard testimony on a number of bills, including two of my own, S2358: An Act promoting equality in veterans’ bonus eligibility, and S2360: An Act establishing a women’s veterans network. As we are celebrating Pride month it is crucial that we continue to work to achieve equity and fairness for service members denied bonuses and benefits under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, and that is exactly what S2358 gets after. S2360 focuses on expanding outreach and benefits for servicewomen within the Commonwealth.
My team hosted office hours at the West Springfield Senior Center on Wednesday, thank you to everyone who came to speak with us! Later in the day I had the opportunity to continue my conversations about Mental and Behavioral Health resources throughout the Commonwealth with Westfield State President Linda Thompson. We had a great discussion on what measures we can take at the State level to help the growth of the Behavioral Health workforce in our colleges.
Thursday was another busy day in session debating Tax Relief legislation. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to deliver relief to our constituents as we continue to do everything in our power to combat inflation. During the debate, I spoke on the floor in support of additional investments to the Housing Development Incentive Program (HDIP). For those who don’t know, HDIP is a tax credit incentive program that is focused on increasing market-rate housing development in Gateway Cities specifically, including Westfield, Holyoke and Chicopee. Our legislation passed on Thursday authorizes record funding for the program to expand additional projects throughout our communities.
We began Friday with a ceremony to honor volunteers at the Southampton Council on Aging, thank you for all you do! Later on I sat down with students and faculty in Agawam to discuss mental health resources in schools. These conversations are truly informing for my work on the committee.
This weekend I am excited to attend a flag raising in honor of Pride month in Holyoke and spend Fathers’ Day on Sunday with my family. I hope you all have a great weekend as well.
Next week my office will be hosting office hours at the Easthampton Council on Aging at 10:30 on Tuesday, and at the Holyoke Council on Aging at 10:00 on Wednesday. Please drop by to see us!
Sincerely,
John