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(BOSTON – 2/27/2023) Senator John Velis (D-Westfield) today applauded Governor Healey for including increases to the Child & Family Tax Credit, Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit, and Estate Tax Threshold in her tax relief proposal announced this morning. Senator Velis filed these reforms in his own bill, SD1368 An Act relative to providing tax relief, at the beginning of this legislative session and championed the reforms in the Senate’s Economic Development Bill last session. 

“Since the Senate first took up these tax reforms last session, I have pushed and advocated to get them across the finish-line. That is why I filed legislation in the Senate this session and why I am thrilled to see that Governor Healey’s proposal reflects my priorities as well,” said Senator Velis. “I continue to hear from families and seniors throughout my district who are struggling to make ends meet. These increases to the Dependent Tax Credit, the Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit, and the Estate Tax, will provide real relief to so many folks and I look forward to working with the Administration and my colleagues to get these reforms signed into law.”  

Just like Senator Velis’ bill, Governor Healey’s proposal increases the Child & Family Tax Credit for each family dependent, doubles the Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit for low-income seniors paying property taxes or rent, and increases the Estate Tax Threshold to ensure that heirs aren’t left paying an unfair “death tax” upon inheriting an estate. 

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(BOSTON – 2/15/2023) Today Senate President Spilka announced new committee assignments for the 2023-2024 legislative session. Senator John Velis (D-Westfield) was named the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, & Recovery. Senator Velis was also named to continue serving as Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Veterans & Federal Affairs.  

“I am honored to be appointed to serve as Chairman of the Mental Health, Substance Use, & Recovery committee and am excited to build upon the work we achieved last session with the passage of the Mental Health ABC Act 2.0,” said Senator Velis. “In my mind, mental health and substance use are the biggest problems in the Commonwealth that not enough people are talking about. And as someone who has had their own struggles in recovery, I know firsthand how these two issues can so often be cooccurring for people. We know that we must do more to help those struggling, and I look forward to working with members of the committee to accomplish just that.” 

Senator Velis served as the Vice-Chair of the Mental Health, Substance Use, & Recovery Committee in the 2021-2022 legislative session and helped usher the Mental Health ABC Act 2.0 in law. Senator Velis was also recently appointed to a National Mental Health Task Force convened by the Council of State Governments (CSG) and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). 

With his reappointment as Chair of the Veterans & Federal Affairs Committee, Senator Velis will continue to lead the Legislature’s efforts to support veterans, active-duty service members, and military families.  

“From securing funding to rebuild the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, to reforming the governance structure of both our Soldiers’ Homes, to passing the SPEED Act to support service members and military families, we are coming off of an incredible productive session in terms of veterans’ affairs,” said Senator Velis, who is a Major in the US Army Reserve himself. “I want to build off that momentum this session and focus on expanding outreach to women veterans, ensuring that the new cabinet-level Veteran’s Secretariat has the support they need, and increasing benefits for veterans throughout our communities. This is an area that I will always be passionate about and I am thrilled to continue this work to ensure that Massachusetts remains the best place for service members and military families to call home.” 

In addition to his two chairmanships, Senator Velis was also named Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs. Senator Velis will also serve on four other joint committees in the 2023-2024 legislative session: the Joint Committee on Housing, the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, the Joint Committee on Public Safety & Homeland Security, and the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight.  

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(BOSTON – 2/15/2023) Today Senate President Spilka announced new committee assignments for the 2023-2024 legislative session. Senator John Velis (D-Westfield) was named the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, & Recovery. Senator Velis was also named to continue serving as Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Veterans & Federal Affairs.  

“I am honored to be appointed to serve as Chairman of the Mental Health, Substance Use, & Recovery committee and am excited to build upon the work we achieved last session with the passage of the Mental Health ABC Act 2.0,” said Senator Velis. “In my mind, mental health and substance use are the biggest problems in the Commonwealth that not enough people are talking about. And as someone who has had their own struggles in recovery, I know firsthand how these two issues can so often be cooccurring for people. We know that we must do more to help those struggling, and I look forward to working with members of the committee to accomplish just that.” 

Senator Velis served as the Vice-Chair of the Mental Health, Substance Use, & Recovery Committee in the 2021-2022 legislative session and helped usher the Mental Health ABC Act 2.0 in law. Senator Velis was also recently appointed to a National Mental Health Task Force convened by the Council of State Governments (CSG) and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). 

With his reappointment as Chair of the Veterans & Federal Affairs Committee, Senator Velis will continue to lead the Legislature’s efforts to support veterans, active-duty service members, and military families.  

“From securing funding to rebuild the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, to reforming the governance structure of both our Soldiers’ Homes, to passing the SPEED Act to support service members and military families, we are coming off of an incredible productive session in terms of veterans’ affairs,” said Senator Velis, who is a Major in the US Army Reserve himself. “I want to build off that momentum this session and focus on expanding outreach to women veterans, ensuring that the new cabinet-level Veteran’s Secretariat has the support they need, and increasing benefits for veterans throughout our communities. This is an area that I will always be passionate about and I am thrilled to continue this work to ensure that Massachusetts remains the best place for service members and military families to call home.” 

In addition to his two chairmanships, Senator Velis was also named Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs. Senator Velis will also serve on four other joint committees in the 2023-2024 legislative session: the Joint Committee on Housing, the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, the Joint Committee on Public Safety & Homeland Security, and the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight.  

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Happy February Everyone, 

Tuesday marked the beginning of Black History Month.  I hope that over the course of this month we can all take some time to reflect on the trials and triumphs that the African American community has faced since our country began.  

With the bill filing deadline behind us, I have been to spend some more time in the district before committee work begins. Wednesday morning, I started off the month with one of my favorite duties as State Senator: calling bingo for our veterans at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home.  This groups of vets always proves to be a lively bunch and I was honored to have been invited to host.    

Thursday night began Nashawannuck Pond’s 10^th Annual Winterfest in Easthampton. The first event was the Chili Cook-off where Mayor LaChapelle, Representative Carey, City Council President Gomez and I participated as the servers (thankfully not the chefs).  Winterfest continues throughout the week and if anyone is interested in attending, you should visit the Pond Committee’s website at https://www.nashawannuckpond.org/   

I spent a good amount of Friday in West Springfield. This included meetings with Mayor Reichelt, Interim School Superintendent Perrone, and a great visit to the West Springfield COA where I met with staff and residents to discuss the needs of the Senior Center and learn more about community events coming up soon in West Side. I always love getting out in the district and hearing from local leaders and residents about how I can support our communities.  

This week, as a result of market price changes, the Department of Public Utilities also announced an approved reduction in the price of natural gas for the Berkshire Gas Company, Eversource, National Grid and other utility suppliers. Starting February 1, customers can expect to see a 4-5% decrease in their monthly natural gas bills. After having cosigned a letter with other legislators urging the DPU to reconsider these rates, I’m happy that this reduction has been approved. I will continue to work with my colleagues to pursue any and all additional relief opportunities.  

I’d also like to congratulate the “We the People” Civics team at Easthampton High School for their sixth State Championship this week. This team competes academically with other schools to test their knowledge of civics as well as their skills in debate and oratory.  I with the best of luck to the “We the People” team as they continue on to the national competition.  

My office will be hosting office hours in Agawam on Monday from 11:00am to 12:00pm.   We will also be back at the West Springfield COA on Wednesday from 11:00am to 12:00pm.  Please feel free to stop by with any questions, comments, concerns, or just to say hello! 

If you are unbale to make our office hours or need assistance any sooner, I can always be reached at my email: john.velis@masenate.gov or by phone: (413) 572-3920. You can also find me online at senatorjohnvelis.com where you can also sign up for my newsletter! 

 
Best,  

John Velis 

BOSTON – 2/2/2023) As a result of recent market changes in the price of natural gas, the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) today announced that they have approved a reduction in gas supply rates for many Massachusetts residents.  

Customers served by the Berkshire Gas Company, Liberty Utilities, Fitchburg Gas and Unitil, National Grid, and Eversource Energy can expect to see a decrease of roughly 4-5% in their monthly bill beginning on February 1^st. 

In October, Senator John Velis (D-Westfield) joined forces with more than 90 colleagues on a bi-partisan letter to DPU urging them to reject the then-proposed winter energy rates. In January, with market prices of oil falling, Senator Velis joined legislators on another letter to DPU urging them to reconsider the rate of oil and continue to explore all avenues of relief for residents.  

“After multiple letters to DPU regarding these energy rates, I am glad to see that the Department has approved this reduction and that these savings will be passed on to customers throughout Western Massachusetts,” said Senator Velis. “I continue to hear from folks throughout our communities about the high utility bills they’re struggling with. These market-changes present an opportunity to provide some assistance to folks and I am grateful that the DPU has acted on them quickly. I will continue to work with my colleagues and the Healey-Driscoll Administration to pursue all possible relief opportunities for residents during these winter months.” 

According to DPU, customers will begin to see these rate changes in their March bills. Senator Velis noted that additional financial programs are available to residents struggling with utility bills and that his office is available to connect people with resources.  

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(BOSTON – 1/25/2023) This week Senator John Velis (D-Westfield) will attend the first conference of a National Task Force focused on informing state and federal level Mental Health Policy. Senator Velis was appointed to the task force by the Council of State Governments (CSG) and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) in recognition of his leadership and work as Vice Chair of the Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery Committee this past session.  

“I am honored to represent Massachusetts on this national task force and look forward to collaborating with legislators across the country to address the serious mental health challenges our nation is facing,” said Senator Velis, who helped usher the Mental Health ABC 2.0 into Massachusetts law last session. “These issues are especially prevalent in our workforce, where we see a shortage of behavioral health care workers and where we also see individuals with mental health conditions struggling to find employment. These problems aren’t unique to one single part of the country, and this task force is all about creating a policy framework to help states address these workforce gaps.” 

The Mental Health Matters: National Task Force on Workforce Mental Health Policy is being convened by CSG and NCSL in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Labor’s State Exchange on Employment & Disability (SEED). The task force consists of 40 legislative, executive, and judicial state policymakers and subject matter experts who have championed solutions and support for mental health, disability, and workforce issues. 

The goal of the task force is to identify, discuss, and develop a policy framework to support job seekers and employees with mental health conditions, as well as address the behavioral health care workforce shortage. The SEED team will then produce a series of policy briefs based on the task force’s work to circulate across states and cities. Areas of focus for the task force include nondiscrimination in care, workplace supports, underserved racial and ethnic and rural communities, behavioral health workforce shortages, and state behavioral health resource systems. 

The second conference of the task force will occur in the early spring. Senator Velis noted that he hopes to bring some of the best practices developed with the task force back to Massachusetts to implement in the new legislative session.  

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