Hello Everyone,
I hope you all are enjoying the end of October. As Halloween approaches, I hope everyone enjoys the holiday and stays safe while doing so.
This week was jam-packed legislatively. Monday, I chaired a hearing for the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance, Use, and Recovery in the State House. Numerous bills concerning mental health care and substance use treatment were read before myself and the rest of the committee. I was particularly happy to that the Committee got to hear testimony from a group of young and passionate high schoolers from Holyoke who I invited to come down after meeting them on the previous week at Holyoke High’s Youth Forum. These future leaders were fantastic to have in the State House with us.
On Tuesday I had an informative meeting with Westfield City officials, as well as West Springfield local officials later on. Engaging with our municipal partners is always a priority for me and I am grateful for their perspective.
Wednesday morning, my team went to the ribbon cutting for the brand-new Tech Hub at the Picknelly Adult and Family Center in Holyoke. This new hub will provide IT services and technology training to all members of the community who should need it. This is an excellent service, and I can’t wait to see how it’s going to benefit our community.
Thursday afternoon, I attended the Children’s Behavioral Health Summit in Boston. Mental health issues very often begin to take hold around a young age and prevention of behavioral health issues in our youth is key to preventing these issues later in adulthood. Connecting with experts in the field of Children’s Behavioral health is crucial to my work with our committee and our work to pass effective legislation concerning these issues. Thank you to the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association for organizing and inviting me.
Friday afternoon was the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce’s Legislative Luncheon. These small businesses and local employers are the backbone of our regional economy and taking their needs and concerns back with me to the State House is just one of the many ways I’m working to better our region. I look forward to continuing to work alongside them as the legislative session continues.
My team hosted office hours this week at the Westfield COA on Monday, the Russell COA on Tuesday, and on Wednesday at the Southampton COA. Our next one will be Monday November 6th at the Agawam COA from 11:00am to 12:00pm. If you can’t make office hours, I can always be reached by email, john.velis@masenate.gov, by phone, (413) 527-3920, and you can find me online at senatorjohnvelis.com
Sincerely,
John Velis