Author: john_velis

Hi Everyone,

Team Velis wishes you all a Happy Mother’s Day! Our team is so thankful for the strong women that raised us and are eager to celebrate all that they have done for us over the years. Fingers crossed we will have nice weather this Sunday while we all celebrate the ones we love!

This week Team Velis is excited to introduce you all to our new Legislative Director, Sam Hershman. We kicked off the week on Monday, welcoming Sam on his first day with our office and catching him up to date on all things Team Velis! Sam is a great new addition to the team, and we cannot wait to dive into budget season with him.

On Tuesday, Mark attended a ribbon cutting to celebrate PV Allergy’s opening in Westfield. Our district staff always looks forward to attending ribbon cuttings and learning more about the new business that help our district continue to grow. Tuesday was also the Nurses Association Day on the Hill at the State House. Gabe and Sam had the opportunity to meet with nurses from the district to discuss legislation exploring safety protections for healthcare workers.

Wednesday was a busy day at the State House as the whole building was abuzz as the Senate prepares to take up its version of the FY27 budget. Team Velis spent the day meeting with various local advocacy groups and learning about different budget priorities from local Western Mass providers.

This Thursday, Mark met with community leaders in the district to discuss potential youth intervention programs. This program in particular is focused on engaging youth with sustainability efforts in order to drive community-based engagement in Western Mass. Senator Velis always looks forward to learning more about resources in our district that promote healthy mindsets and developing civic engagement in our youth. Later that evening, Team Velis attended an information session on Leaders Engaged and Activated to Drive System-wide change (LEADS), an executive fellowship program dedicated to connecting gateway city leaders to discuss entrepreneurship, collaboration, and development. This was a great opportunity for our team to learn more about educational resources out there to help our community and gateway cities continue to grow.

This week, Team Velis hosted office hours in Agawam. Next week we will be hosting office hours at the Chicopee Council on Aging on Tuesday from 10:00am to 11:00am, and at the West Springfield Council on Aging on Wednesday from 11:00am to 12:00pm. If you are unable to make office hours, please remember that you can reach us by email,  john.velis@masenate.gov, by phone, (413) 572-3920, and online at senatorjohnvelis.com.  

Sincerely,

Team Velis

Hello everyone,

We hope all the local students and teachers had a fun and relaxing April vacation this past week.

Mark and Bridget kicked off the week in Westfield to help celebrate the swearing-in of Westfield Fire Department’s new chief, Eric Bishop. This past fall Senator Velis was proud to help celebrate now Chief Bishop on graduating from the prestigious Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy, a two- year rigorous program centered around community safety and well-being. On behalf of our office and the Senator, Congratulations Chief!

During school vacation weeks, visitors from all over Massachusetts flock to the State House to explore its rich history. This week, Boy Scouts representing various regions of the state, including three scouts from West Springfield, visited the Senate Chamber to present a report on Scouting’s impressive impact statewide. We hope they enjoyed their visit and the remainder of their Freedom Trail Tour around Boston.

On Wednesday, Gabe hosted guests from Forum House in Westfield for the Massachusetts Clubhouse Coalition’s annual advocacy day and employment celebration. During their visit, Gabe joined in acknowledging their valuable partnership with Westfield State University’s Dining Services, which offers numerous supportive employment opportunities for their clients. Partnerships and employment opportunities such as these are vital for individuals served by Forum House, as they foster personal growth, independence, and a sense of belonging within the community.

This week, our team began preparing for the Senate’s upcoming budget season, which starts in just a few weeks. We aim to advocate strongly for our communities and the essential services everyone relies on. Each year, one of the legislature’s most significant responsibilities is crafting a robust, balanced budget for the next fiscal year. The Governor presented her proposed FY’27 budget in January, and following months of hearings and analysis of both the proposal and our Commonwealth’s needs, the House of Representatives now has the budget. They will complete their review over the next week or so before sending it to the Senate, where we will have the opportunity to put forth our own strong recommendations. We look forward to sharing updates about the Senator’s efforts on the budget throughout the next month.

This week, Team Velis hosted office hours in Easthampton. Next week we have an exciting line-up of office hours beginning on Monday at the Westfield Council on Aging from 12:30pm to 1:30pm, on Tuesday at the Russell Council on Aging from 11:30am to 12:30pm, and again on Wednesday at the Southampton Council on Aging from 9:30am to 10:30am. If you are unable to make office hours, please remember that you can reach us by email,  john.velis@masenate.gov, by phone, (413) 572-3920, and online at senatorjohnvelis.com.   

Sincerely,

Team Velis

$1.57 Billion Plan Pairs Fair Share Investments with Innovative Policy Solutions 

(BOSTON—4/9/2026) The Massachusetts Senate today approved a budget plan that pairs statewide education and transportation investments with innovative policies to spur new multifamily housing construction, boost the family medicine workforce, protect immigrants, and ease strained municipal budgets with regionally equitable Fair Share investments. 

The legislation, S.3041, exempts building materials from the sales tax for qualifying housing projects and boosts the primary care workforce by delivering scholarships to UMass Medical graduates who agree to practice in underserved populations in Massachusetts after graduation. 

The bill sends significant funding to city and town budgets to help with the costs of heavy winter storms, increases reimbursements for special education services, and strengthens scientific research operations at public universities. 

“By including innovative policy solutions with strong investments, we are going beyond just allocating funding in this budget,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “We are lowering taxes to spur housing, building our health care workforce, and protecting our immigrant neighbors, on top of making generational investments in statewide transit and education. I’m grateful to Chair Rodrigues for his leadership in delivering this bill, and grateful to each Senator for their contributions.” 

“Today, the Senate passed a consolidated Fair Share supplemental budget that makes significant strides in educational initiatives and transportation infrastructure, while maintaining our focus on municipal relief and regional equity,” said Senator Michael J. Rodrigues (D-Westport), Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “The Senate continues to support special education, literacy growth, and also establishes a primary care higher education scholarship pilot program at UMass Medical that will help fill the shortage of primary care physicians in the Commonwealth. We also go big on transportation, investing Fair Share dollars to support the ongoing renovation and infrastructure improvements at the MBTA. This spending plan also addresses the harsh winter and historic blizzard of 2026, dedicating $100 million for municipal relief to beleaguered municipalities all across Massachusetts. I would like to thank President Spilka and my Senate colleagues for their input to craft this supplemental budget.” 

Legal Defense for Massachusetts Immigrants 

In response to federal legal actions targeting immigrants living in Massachusetts, the legislation invests an additional $1 million in legal defense services for immigrants, allocated from the state’s general fund. 

The funding comes following the success of an initial $5 million investment by the Legislature that created the Massachusetts Access to Counsel Initiative, which has already provided legal aid to hundreds of Massachusetts residents.  

Incentivizing New Housing Construction 

The legislation includes a new targeted sales tax exemption for building materials to incentivize the construction of new affordable, moderate-income, and middle-income housing units for certain housing projects.  

To target production in areas with the greatest need, the program focuses on projects that include at least 15 per cent affordable units and projects in communities where the median household income is below 120 per cent of the average household income. 

Education Investments 

As part of the Senate’s $618 million Fair Share investment in education, the legislation addresses Massachusetts’ shrinking primary care workforce with a pilot scholarship program.  

The new approach uses $10 million in Fair Share funds to offer full-tuition scholarships for UMass Chan Medical School students pursuing family medicine if they commit to remaining in Massachusetts and serving populations in need for five years after graduation. 

The legislation invests $100 million to ensure that Massachusetts’ public universities are able to withstand reductions in federal research funding and continue to strengthen their life-saving research and development operations, grow their renowned talent pipelines, and build strategic partnerships for the future. The funds would buoy the education and scientific research sectors through a new Public Higher Education Bridge Funding Reserve. 

The bill features a new $32 million investment to provide immediate relief for strained municipal budgets by increasing special education reimbursement rates in the current fiscal year. That investment is part of a larger $232 million appropriation for special education costs and circuit breaker reimbursements.  

The bill also includes $150 million toward supporting high-quality and accessible early education and care; $40 million for early literacy initiatives; and $18.3 million to expand financial assistance offered to Massachusetts students enrolled at state universities and UMass campuses. Additional investments of $2.5 million would boost school-based mental health support, and $1 million would help public schools implement bell-to-bell cell-phone free school policies. 

Transportation & Municipal Relief Investments 

As part of the Senate’s $763 million Fair Share investment in transportation, the bill sends $100 million to help towns and cities with extraordinary winter costs, including funds specifically marked for communities that were impacted by significant winter storms such as the historic Blizzard of 2026. 

The bill also includes generational funding in statewide Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs), funding for unpaved roads, and $535 million in direct support for the MBTA for operational funding, commuter rail support, and the low-income fare relief program.  

The legislation’s transportation and education investments are possible because of the Fair Share surtax on households that earn more than $1 million per year. Fair Share revenues have continued to exceed expectations year after year, leading to mid-year supplemental packages such as this one. 

The Senate and the House proactively split off critical funding for the Group Insurance Commission (GIC), which was originally contained in this bill, and fast-tracked that $300 million supplemental appropriation to the Governor earlier this week. 

The Senate Committee on Ways and Means advanced the FY26 consolidated Fair Share supplemental budget to the full Senate with a 16-0 vote on April 2, 2026. All committee votes are posted on the Legislature’s website and full details of the legislation are available in a fact sheet in the Senate Press Room. 

The Senate passed the bill with a 35-4 roll call vote today and sent it back to the House of Representatives for further review. 

Statements of Support 

Marty Meehan, President of the University of Massachusetts 

“We are deeply grateful to Senate President Spilka, Chair Rodrigues, Chair Comerford, and the entire Senate for their significant show of support for the university in this proposed supplemental budget bill. We look forward to working with the entire Legislature in the weeks ahead to continue advancing these priorities as the university continues to navigate this difficult and uncertain federal funding and policy environment.” 

Michael F. Collins, MD, Chancellor, UMass Chan Medical School 

“As Massachusetts and the nation grapple with primary care physician shortages we are grateful that Senate President Spilka, Senator Rodrigues and his Senate Ways and Means Committee have stepped forward with this bold and creative proposal to incentivize medical students to enter into primary care fields and serve our most vulnerable populations in the Commonwealth. As the only public medical school in the Commonwealth founded with a focus on primary care education, we are excited to be part of this initiative and doing our part to address the growing demand for primary care physicians practicing in the state.” 

Adam Chapdelaine, Executive Director, Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) 

“The MMA applauds the Senate’s commitment to our communities through this surplus supplemental budget. The proposed winter recovery efforts would provide essential support after a demanding season, helping to repair roads and mitigate costly snow maintenance budgets. We are also grateful for several additional investments focused on special education costs, regionalization efforts, rural schools, and more. Thank you to Senate President Spilka, Chair Rodrigues, and the Senate for today’s important action.” 

Tamara Small, CEO, NAIOP Massachusetts 

“As a member of the Unlocking Housing Production Commission, I am pleased to see this critical recommendation move forward. Exempting material costs from the state’s sales tax will help manage the construction cost volatility facing multifamily housing development in Massachusetts. From addressing our housing crisis to catalyzing new property tax revenue for municipalities, this is a practical and progressive strategy for the Commonwealth. NAIOP looks forward to working with both chambers to advance these and other housing production strategies.” 

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