Category: Uncategorized

Hello Everyone, 

I hope everyone got the chance to enjoy some of the sunny weather this week! It is hard to believe that we are nearly halfway through the summer. 

This week Team Velis was hard at work meeting with constituents and local officials, both in the district and the State House. I started Monday off strong by getting the opportunity to meet with the new president of Western New England University, Dr. Joseph Hartman. It was wonderful to sit down and hear about the new President’s priorities.  On Monday, Team Velis also joined the Holyoke Food and Resources coalition meeting, where we met with local providers to discuss food access and local community resources. 

I started off Tuesday morning in Chicopee with office hours, where I never fail to have a great time meeting with members of our community and hear concerns directly from them. Tuesday afternoon was the highlight of my week as I stopped by the Easthampton Fire Department Open House and caught up with folks from across the community. The open house featured ice cream, a simulated fire house, and a dunk tank! I happily took a turn in the dunk tank, and while I was dunked over 20 times, it made the summer heat a little bit more bearable. Overall it was great to see so many families get to know their local fire department. 

On Thursday the Senate was in session to discuss two major health care bills. One bill would establish a statewide licensure system for home care agencies, creating stronger standards to improve the quality of care for those receiving services at home. The second would strengthen protections for health care workers by requiring hospitals and medical facilities to develop workplace violence prevention plans and enhance security measures. These bills raise an important discussion around improving both patient care, and care for the dedicated professionals who serve our communities. I was grateful to see them both pass and am looking forward to the next few weeks of legislative formal sessions.

I ended the week on Friday morning with the Hampshire Sheriff’s Office Legislative Breakfast, where I got the opportunity to discuss the FY27 budget framework, including staffing and inmate care, and receive an update about office operations throughout Hampshire County. 

This week, Team Velis hosted office hours in Chicopee and Holyoke. Next week, we will host office hours at the Easthampton Council on Aging at 10:30a.m. on Tuesday. If you are unable to make office hours, please remember that you can reach us by email at john.velis@masenate.gov, by phone at (413)- 572-3920, or online at senatorjohnvelis.com

Best,
John Velis

(BOSTON—7/16/2026) The Senate passed legislation today to help older adults age in place in Massachusetts by improving the industry that assists elders with basic care like cooking, dressing, and bathing. 

The Senate’s legislation strengthens the integrity of the home care industry and its workers, who provide the daily non-medical care that is key to helping people stay in the comfort of their own homes as they age. 

Massachusetts is currently among a handful of states that do not regulate home care agencies. By checking and licensing home care workers, the Senate bill gives peace of mind to families while also ensuring that workers are safe and prepared. 

“For so many older adults and individuals living with disabilities, home care services make the difference between remaining in the comfort of their own home and having to seek institutional care,” shared Senator Velis (D-Westfield) Senate Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Aging and Independence . “For far too long, Massachusetts has lacked a statewide licensure process for home care agencies. Every resident deserves access to safe, reliable, and high quality care, so I was absolutely supporting of this effort.”

“Everyone—consumers and workers—will be safer with home care licensure,” said Senator Patricia D. Jehlen (D-Somerville), Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Aging and Independence and lead Senate sponsor of the legislation. “If you qualify for state-paid home care, the agency who sends you workers is required to train and supervise them and meet other standards.  But if you’re private pay, you may have to find someone in a hurry.  There are a large and growing number of agencies, many for profit.  They can send care workers who would come into your home and help with grocery shopping and even intimate help with showering.  We don’t even know how many such agencies there are.  And they don’t have to meet any standards.  The bill is supported by home care organizations, SEIU 1199, and consumer groups. Most of us will need long term care at some point, and many of us will find it very hard to afford.  The long term services and supports commission will take the next step toward creating social insurance for long term care, building on the work we commissioned last year which created a set of models we could choose from, with variables such as the required contribution and the amount or duration of benefits.  Establishing social insurance for long term care will make it possible for many more people to age with financial security.” 

Under the bill—S.3170, An Act to improve Massachusetts home care—the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) would create the licensure structure, which would include fingerprinting and background checks. 

A worker’s driving record would also be checked if they provide transportation for their client. 

The legislation also helps connect people in need of care with a properly checked home care service. EOHHS would share a list of verified and licensed agencies on its website. 

Full details of the legislation are available in a fact sheet in the Senate’s press room. 

The Senate Committee on Ways and Means redrafted the bill and voted 13-0 to advance it to the full Senate on July 9, 2026. The legislation was reviewed last year by the Joint Committee on Aging and Independence and a prior version was passed by the House of Representatives. 

The Senate passed the bill and sent it to the House of Representatives for further consideration. 

Statement of Support

Cari Medina, Executive Vice President, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East

“As Massachusetts’ population ages, the demand for home care is rising. Older adults and people with disabilities who receive care at home, and their families, deserve protection from fly-by-night home care operations that cut corners and mistreat workers to make a quick buck. This legislation establishes clear standards, backed by state oversight, to ensure that those entrusted with caring for our state’s most vulnerable residents live up to that serious responsibility. We appreciate Senate President Spilka and Senator Rodrigues for their support of this critical legislation, and want to especially thank Senator Jehlen for her strong leadership on behalf of homecare workers and those they care for. We look forward to working to get this legislation over the finish line and provide the common-sense protections that older adults, people with disabilities, and their caregivers deserve.” 

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(BOSTON—7/16/2026) The Massachusetts Senate acted today to support the safety of frontline health care workers by improving vital security protocols at hospitals and doctors’ offices across the state. 

Responding to a troubling spate of violent incidents, the Senate’s legislation would require annual reviews of security protocols and potential risks at health care facilities. 

The legislation passed by the Senate, S.3171, also helps law enforcement make timely arrests for assaults at health care facilities, extends new supports to health care employees who are assaulted on the job, and shields victims’ personal information from assailants. 

“Our health care workers dedicate their lives to caring for others, and they should never have to worry about their own safety while doing so,” shared Senator Velis (D-Westfield), Chairman of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery. It is disheartening that so many members of the healthcare workforce fear violence in their workplace. I am beyond proud that the Senate took action to strengthen protections for our frontline health care professionals and ensure they can focus on what they do best, which is caring for patients.” 

“Every 36 minutes, a health care worker in Massachusetts is assaulted or threatened on the job,” said Senator Joan B. Lovely (D-Salem), lead Senate sponsor of the legislation. “That is not the job description, and it never should be a reality for any professional. The bill the Senate passed today is built on legislation I have filed session after session on behalf of our nurses, our front-line caregivers, and our hospitals. It requires every facility to assess its own risks with its own workers, build a real prevention program, and ensure accountability. It gives an assaulted worker paid leave, privacy, and a lawful response. I thank Senate President Spilka and Chair Rodrigues for making this a Senate priority, and I thank the nurses who never stopped telling us what was happening on their floors.” 

Nearly seven out of 10 nurses report having experienced an assault in the workplace, according to data shared by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, 1199SEIU, and the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association. 

The Senate bill backs up law enforcement officers who respond to those incidents by allowing timely, warrantless arrests for line-of-duty assault and battery on a health care employee. This reasonable use of a warrantless arrest, in situations where the officer has probable cause to believe the suspect committed the assault, is similar to existing exceptions to allow timely arrests in domestic violence cases. 

Supporting health care employees who are assaulted on the job, the bill requires employers to offer paid leave that covers an employee’s time seeking medical treatment and aiding in the prosecution of their attacker. It would also shield the victim’s personal, residential address on criminal complaints. 

Full details of the bill are available in a fact sheet in the Senate’s press room. 

The Senate Committee on Ways and Means redrafted the legislation and advanced it to the full Senate with a 13-0 vote on July 9, 2026. Previous versions of the bill were reviewed by the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security and passed by the House of Representatives. 

The Senate passed the bill and sent it to the House of Representatives for further consideration. 

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(BOSTON—7/14/2026) The Massachusetts Legislature yesterday passed legislation to create a new special license plate to honor the memories of fallen law enforcement officers by offering a symbol of respect to their surviving spouses, parents, and children.

The bill—S.2903,An Act honoring Blue Star Families—directs the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) to create a new Blue Star Families plate to help the family members remember their loved one in a visible way on their car. It would also create a Blue Star Family emblem for motorcycle plates.

“The families of law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice deserve to know that their loved ones will never be forgotten,” said Senator John C. Velis (D-Westfield). “The creation of the Blue Star Families license plate is a meaningful way to recognize their service, honor their memory, and demonstrate the Commonwealth’s enduring support for the spouses, parents, children, and friends that carry that loss every single day.”

Under the legislation, the RMV would be required to make the plates available to Blue Star spouses, parents, and children without charge. The RMV would also be able to offer vanity plate registrations for Blue Star plates up to six characters in length.

The Blue Star Family license plates would join other special recognition plates currently offered by the RMV, including Gold Star Family plates for drivers with close family members who died as a result of their service in the armed forces.

Having passed the Legislature, the bill has now been sent to Governor Maura Healey for her signature.

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Hello everyone,

I hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July! It was truly special to see so many of you at events throughout our community, and thank you to everyone who worked to make these events a success.

Team Velis was back at it this week, both at the State House and in the District, starting off on Tuesday morning when I joined the “Male Call” exercise class at the Westfield Senior Center. It was a great change of pace and a chance to reconnect with constituents. Thank you to Jeff Hosmer and everyone in the class—I hope to return soon!

Later that day, I co-hosted the third annual Brian Donaghue Simpson Naloxone Training at the State House with several of my colleagues. Together we reviewed how to identify opioid overdoses and administer naloxone (Narcan), an important training in ensuring more people are prepared to respond in an emergency. On Wednesday, Representative Domb and I collaborated again to co-host a behavioral health resources briefing at the State House, highlighting services available through the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Helpline and how legislators and staff can connect constituents with support.  I am continuously grateful for opportunities such as these to learn more about resources available to our communities. 

On Thursday, the Senate took up a new social media bill aimed at reducing adolescents’ exposure to addictive online features and improving protections for youth. As Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use & Recovery, I have been a long-time advocate for legislation that creates safer online spaces for young people across the Commonwealth and I am grateful to have been involved with this bill from start to finish. With the House previously passing a different version of this legislation, the two bills will now go to a “conference committee” where differences between the two bills will be worked out.

Friday morning, I joined Kamp for Kids for their annual “Welcome Day” in Westfield. This wonderful program brings together differently abled youth and provides meaningful opportunities for connection throughout the summer. I look forward to this celebration every year and hope all participants have a memorable season!

This weekend, I will attend a ceremony honoring the 30th anniversary of the  B-17 Memorial on Mount Tom. The ceremony recognizes the 25 servicemen who lost their lives in 1946 and memorial that was established in their memory. It is always a privilege to join community members in honoring their service.

This week, Team Velis hosted office hours in Agawam and West Springfield. Next week, we will host office hours at the Chicopee Council on Aging at 10:00a.m. on Tuesday, and at the Holyoke Council on Aging at 9:30a.m, on Wednesday.  If you are unable to make office hours, please remember that you can reach us by email at john.velis@masenate.gov, by phone at (413)- 572-3920, or online at senatorjohnvelis.com. 

Best,
John Velis