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Hello Everyone, 

I hope you all were able to enjoy the weekend following the Fourth of July last week. 

As we get closer to the end of July, we also approach the end of the 193^rd legislative session.  As this deadline approaches, the Senate has been busy putting the final touches on legislation and voting on a number of remaining bills.  This week, my colleagues and I were busy debating a robust Economic Development package to bolster our Commonwealth’s competitivity and economic opportunities. Included within this bill was consumer protection legislation that I filed earlier this session to make the ticket purchasing experience more transparent for those who are hoping to attend a live entertainment show, musical concert, or sports game. In addition to this legislation, several local amendments to authorize bond funding for important projects in our district were adopted during debate and passed by the Senate. 

Aside from my time at the State House this week, my team and I still managed to attend plenty of events here in Western Mass.  Yesterday morning, I was able to join Kamp for Kids for their 49^th “Welcome Day” celebration right here in Westfield. This wonderful program brings together youth both with and without disabilities in an integrated setting that allows for understanding and appreciation to develop between both groups.  This program provides incredible opportunities for youth of all abilities, and I was lucky to have been able to attend this celebration again this year. I hope all of the kids have a great summer at the camp! 

This morning, I will be attending the memorial ceremony for the 1946 crash of a B-17 on Mount Tom, one of the deadliest aviation accidents in New England’s history.  Twenty-Five service members lost their lives that day and we salute their memory.   

This week my team hosted office hours at the Chicopee COA on Tuesday and at the West Springfield COA on Wednesday.  Next week, we will be at the Easthampton COA on Tuesday from 10:30am to 11:30am and at the Holyoke COA on Wednesday from 10:00am to 11:00am.  If you can’t make office hours, I can always be reached by email, john.velis@masenate.gov, by phone, (413) 572-3920, and you can find me online at senatorjohnvelis.com.  

Sincerely,  

John Velis 

State Senate is in its Transparent Ticketing Pricing Era

(Boston- 7/12/2024) Thursday evening the Massachusetts State Senate passed an expansive Economic Development bill that includes consumer protection provisions that mirror Senator John C. Velis’s Transparent Ticket Pricing bill filed earlier this session. Last spring, Velis’sAn Act Ensuring Transparent Ticket Pricing took Massachusetts and the nation by storm as fans celebrated the bill’s push to require ticket sale companies to increase transparency in the ticket purchasing process ahead of fourteen time GRAMMY award winner Taylor Swift’s performance at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough Massachusetts.

Within the underlying bill released by Senate Ways and Means last Tuesday, An Act relative to strengthening Massachusetts’ economic leadership, includes provisions from Velis’s ticket transparency bill. The language in the final bill passed yesterday would require ticket sale companies to clearly display the full price of a live entertainment ticket, including all associated fees, from the onset of the ticket purchasing experience.

“From sport fans to fans of live entertainment, I have heard universally that folks are beyond frustrated when it comes to purchasing tickets because of these hidden fees tacked on at the last second. Too often, fans are left heartbroken when they turn back to select more moderately priced tickets only to find the event has become sold out,” shared Senator John C. Velis (D-Westfield). “I am grateful to my colleagues for their work to include this important consumer protection within our Economic Development bill to move this impactful measure forward and add Massachusetts to a growing number of states that require ticket companies to be more transparent in their sale of tickets.”

Currently, consumers who have selected a ticket within their budget to purchase often find out during the billing process that there are several required fees added to the original ticket price. These additional fees can sometimes amount to hundreds of dollars above the advertised price and require consumers to make quick decisions on whether to move forward with the purchase of the tickets or lose their spot.  As a result of this non-transparent ticket pricing method, consumers are often unable to know the actual cost of a ticket at the onset of the ticket sale process and appropriately plan. 

With similar consumer protections for ticket sales included with the House’s Economic Development bill, the two bills move to conference committee to reconcile their differences.

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(Westfield – 7/1/2024) During the Senate’s Affordable Homes Act debate last week, an amendment offered by Senator John C. Velis was adopted to ensure that housing development projects throughout Western Massachusetts will be eligible for the Homeownership Tax Credit program, a critical new initiative in the bill designed to produce homes affordable to first-time homebuyers. This amendment will enable small and rural communities in Western Massachusetts, who commonly consider smaller sized developments, to receive state support to expand homeownership opportunities within their community.

Through Senator Velis’s amendment, the Homeownership Tax Credit program will be able to consider small developments with less than 10 units if approved by the Secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.  The flexibility provided by this amendment will maximize eligibility for the program especially among smaller developments commonly utilized in small and rural communities across Western Massachusetts. The Senate’s legislation also ensures these smaller projects are eligible for the Commonwealth Builder Program, which supports construction of affordable homeownership opportunities in Gateway Cities.  

“To meaningfully tackle the Commonwealth’s housing crisis, it requires solutions that considers every part of our state- including our small and rural communities here in Western Massachusetts. I am grateful to my colleagues for adopting my amendment to make these smaller developments eligible for this critical funding program and to ensure that our smaller communities have the same opportunities to create homeownership opportunities,” shared Senator John C. Velis, who is the sole Western Massachusetts Senator on  the Joint Committee on Housing. “Iam particularly grateful to my friend and Chair of the Housing Committee, Senator Edwards, for her diligent work to craft legislation that considers the unique housing challenges of every corner of our Commonwealth- including right here in Western Massachusetts.”

Last fall, Senator Velis held a roundtable in Holyoke alongside Chair Lydia Edwards that brought together housing experts and advocates from his district and throughout Western Massachusetts. This roundtable was a critical opportunity that led to many priority housing initiatives specific to Western Massachusetts being included in the Senate’s Housing Bond Bill passed unanimously last Thursday.

Separate versions having passed the Senate and the House of Representatives, the two branches will now reconcile the differences.

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Hello everyone, 

I cannot believe that July is right around the corner. As we near the end of legislative session, we’ve had a packed schedule over on Beacon Hill.   

I started off my week at the West Springfield Block Party celebrating the Town’s 250^th anniversary on Sunday.  This is a huge milestone for the Town, and I’m honored to represent such a storied and rich history at the State House.  This was a great event with local vendors and performers right over on the town common. Festivities are going to continue throughout the summer, and I recommend checking out the West Side 250^th Committee’s calendar to see what is coming up next.  A big thank you to the Committee for all of your work organizing these incredible events for our community! 

Monday morning, I was honored to have joined the Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery at their Western Massachusetts Policy Forum. This forum brought together advocates and subject knowledge experts from all across the state to our part of the Commonwealth to collaborate on ways we can best support those suffering with addiction and help them in their recovery journey. As the Senate Chair for the Joint Committee on Mental Health Substance Use, and Recovery, I’m proud to work alongside many of these advocates in the battle against the substance use epidemic.    

Later that day, I attended the “Topping Off” Ceremony for the new Peck Middle School in Holyoke.  This ceremony commemorated the placement of the final support beam on the frame of the future new building.  This is a major milestone in the school’s construction, and I am excited to see this progress after years of work and collaboration on the state and local level. I alongside many of my fellow local leaders from the Paper City cannot wait to see the students of Holyoke fill the new building’s future classrooms in the Fall of 2025.  

The Westfield Woman’s Club held their annual Tea Party at Stanley Park on Wednesday afternoon.  This is one of my favorite events of the year and it benefits a group that has done so much for the City of Westfield throughout its history.  I was honored to have presented a citation to Cynthia Neary, who earned the distinguishment of this year’s Westfield Womans’ Club Honoree for all her hard work given to the club and to our Westfield community as a whole.  Congratulations Cynthia and thank you for all that you do! 

I would also like to extend a welcome to the CubeSmart storage facility in Holyoke who just had their grand opening on Thursday where my team was proud to present them with a citation while I was out in Boston for the Senate’s Housing Bond Bill debate. It’s always great to have new businesses moving into our communities and I wish them the best of luck. 

This week my team hosted office hours on Monday at the Westfield COA, on Tuesday at the Russell COA, and on Wednesday at the Southampton COA.  This upcoming week we will be at the Agawam COA on Monday July 1^st 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) 572-3920, and you can find me online at senatorjohnvelis.com.  

Sincerely,  

John Velis 

Senate Affordable Homes Act sets course for thousands of new units, sweeping renovations of public and affordable housing, and protections for residents

(Boston – 6/28/2024) Yesterday, the Massachusetts State Senate unanimously passed S.2834, An Act relative to affordable homes—also known as the Affordable Homes Act to address the state’s housing crisis. During debate an amendment offered by Senator John C. Velis (D-Westfield) was adopted to ensure that housing development projects throughout Western Massachusetts will be eligible for the Homeownership Tax Credit program, a critical new initiative in the bill designed to produce homes affordable to first-time homebuyers.

Through Senator Velis’s amendment, the Homeownership Tax Credit program will be able to consider small developments with less than 10 units if approved by the Secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities .The flexibility provided by this amendment will expand the eligibility for the program to small and rural communities in Western Massachusetts who commonly consider constructing housing developments with less than 10 units. The Senate’s legislation also ensures these smaller projects are eligible for the Commonwealth Builder Program, which supports construction of affordable homeownership opportunities in Gateway Cities.

“Providing the opportunity for small developments to be considered is vital for our small and rural communities here in Western Massachusetts who desperately need affordable homeownership opportunities and who don’t always see the larger housing developments that we see around Boston. I am proud of the bold and comprehensive steps taken by the Senate to support the construction of all forms of housing in every part of our state,” shared Senator John C. Velis, who is the sole Western Massachusetts Senator on the Joint Committee on Housing. “I am grateful for the leadership of Chair Edwards and Chair Rodrigues who together crafted these innovative solutions to meaningfully begin to tackle our Commonwealth’s housing crisis.”

The legislation makes important investments in public housing; housing affordability; initiatives for first-time homebuyers; essential infrastructure; geographic equity; and incentivizing local best practices. Additionally, the bill includes policy proposals to further housing equity for both homeowners and renters. The bill contains $5.4 billion in bond authorizations, including:

Creating and Repairing Public Housing

The Senate Affordable Homes Act provides $2.2 billion for repairs, rehabilitation, and renovation across the 43,000 units of state-aided public housing. This significant investment ensures that the state’s public housing infrastructure remains safe, modern, and sustainable, so it can continue providing quality living conditions for thousands of families.

Spurring Affordable Housing Units

A further $425 million will go to the Housing Stabilization and Investment Trust fund, working with municipalities, non-profits, and developers to support housing preservation, new construction, and rehabilitation projects for affordable rental units. This will help the longevity and sustainability of affordable housing stock, addressing both immediate needs and long-term housing solutions.

It additionally adds $800 million into the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to create and preserve housing for households with an income at or below 110 per cent of area median income, helping to bridge the gap between the high cost of housing and what many families can afford.

Supporting First-Time Homebuyers in Gateway Cities

The Senate Affordable Homes Act authorizes $200 million for the CommonWealth Builder program to further the production of housing in gateway cities for first-time homebuyers. This initiative supports economic development in these cities, helping families achieve homeownership and contributing to the revitalization of urban areas.

The legislation also includes $50 million for MassDreams, a program that provides down payment and closing cost grants to first-time homebuyers who meet the program’s eligibility criteria and who currently live in one of the 29 communities that were disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Maintaining Essential Infrastructure

The bill provides $375 million for HousingWorks, a program that awards grants to municipalities and other public entities for a variety of infrastructure-related support. Improving essential infrastructure supports the health and safety of residents and the feasibility of new housing projects.

Of this amount, $100 million will be dedicated to addressing water, sewer, and septic challenges tied to housing developments, and $100 million will help incentivize best practices in communities that have adopted the Community Preservation Act (CPA) and are spending a high percentage of those funds on housing, as well as  MBTA communities that are going beyond the minimum requirements set forth in the MBTA zoning law passed in 2021. Communities that have been proactive in creating transit-oriented development, which reduces traffic congestion and promotes sustainable urban growth, will be eligible.

Addressing Regional Equity

The legislation includes $150 million in dedicated funds to address the unique housing needs of rural towns, seasonal communities, and mid-sized communities. This ensures that all areas of the state, regardless of size or location, have the resources to meet their specific housing challenges.

The Senate’s Affordable Homes Act also contains multiple policy proposals to go hand in hand with the new authorizations.

Protecting Tenants from Broker Fees

By requiring that real estate brokers’ fees be paid solely by the party that contracted with them, this legislation ensures that buyers are not burdened with unexpected and extraordinary costs. It also promotes transparency and fairness in real estate transactions.

Establishing Equity-Focused Housing Offices

The Office of Fair Housing and the Office of Livable Communities and Community Services will be established under the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. These offices will set the Commonwealth on a path to address many decades of housing discrimination by prioritizing equity issues in housing across the Commonwealth, ensuring equal access to housing opportunities for all residents, and offering technical assistance to cities and towns that can sometimes lack dedicated housing staff.

Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)

The legislation prohibits the banning or unreasonable restriction of ADUs in single-family residential zones, promoting flexible housing options. This policy enables homeowners to create additional living spaces, increases housing supply and provides more affordable rental options within established neighborhoods.

Homeownership Tax Credit

This new tax credit will be available for the production of homeownership units for households that make up to 120 per cent of the area median income, incentivizing housing production and promoting homeownership opportunities.

Separate versions having passed the Senate and the House of Representatives, the two branches will now reconcile the differences.

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Hello Everyone, 

I hope you are all enjoying the summer like weather. This has been a packed week for us in the Legislature as I led the Senate in passing an expand HERO Act bill. 

Monday evening, I had the honor attending a virtual summit to discuss how we can combat the spike in antisemitism happening at K-12 schools across our Commonwealth. Together Jewish students, parents, and teachers from across Massachusetts bravely shared their personal experiences of enduring antisemitic acts at their schools. During the virtual summit I had an opportunity to share information about my amendment adopted to the Senate’s FY’25 budget that would instruct the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to put together curriculum, resources, and professional development materials that can be utilized by teachers across our state to teach students about the harms of antisemitism. Our state is experiencing an alarming rise in this sort of hate, and we need to make sure that our Jewish neighbors, friends, and families feel safe and secure in their own communities.   

On Tuesday evening, my office joined Westfield’s Bridge to Adulthood ceremony to celebrate 11 students who recently graduated from the community-based transition services this year. This is an incredible milestone in all of these young adults’ lives and I was proud to have had my office share citations with each student to commemorate their accomplishments. Congratulations, I can’t wait to see all that you each accomplish next! 

This week the Senate debated an expanded version of the HERO Act.  Very few are brave enough to raise their hand and pledge to defend our nation and the values that we hold dear, no matter the cost. It is on us – as a Commonwealth – to always remember, recognize, and honor that sacrifice however we can. The legislation passed by the Senate this week makes comprehensive and critical additions to the HERO Act to ensure that we are not only supporting Massachusetts veterans but also our active-duty service members and their families as well. Having passed both the Senate and House, I am looking forward to working with all of my colleagues to reconcile the differences and deliver this bill to the Governor’s desk before the end of session next month. 

This week my team hosted office hours at the Chicopee COA from on Tuesday and at the West Springfield COA on Wednesday.  Next week, we will be at the Easthampton COA on Tuesday June 18th from 10:30am to 11:30am and at the Holyoke COA on Thursday June 20t^h from 10:00am to 11:00am.  If you can’t make office hours, I can always be reached by email, john.velis@masenate.gov, by phone, (413) 572-3920, and you can find me online at senatorjohnvelis.com. 

Sincerely, 

John Velis 

(Boston – 6/13/2024) Today the Massachusetts State Senate unanimously passed legislation championed by Senator John C. Velis (D-Westfield) which includes critical and comprehensive additions to strengthen the HERO Act to benefit not only the Commonwealth’s veterans but also active-duty service members and their families.

The comprehensive legislative package, S.2817 An Act Honoring, Empowering and Recognizing Our Servicemembers and Veterans (HERO Act), would expand veteran eligibility for Chapter 115 benefits, remove specialty veteran license plate fees, increase annuity benefits for 100% disabled veterans and Gold Star families, expand veteran property tax exemptions, increase small business tax credits for hiring veterans, and expand access to veteran behavioral health treatment.

“Very few are brave enough to raise their hand and pledge to defend our nation and the values that we hold dear, no matter the cost. It is on us – as a Commonwealth – to always remember, recognize, and honor that sacrifice however we can. The legislation passed by the Senate today makes comprehensive and critical additions to the HERO Act to ensure that we are not only supporting Massachusetts veterans but also our active-duty service members and their families as well,” shared Senator John C. Velis (D-Westfield), Chair of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs. “I am extremely grateful for the dedication of my Senate colleagues, many of whom have filed legislation included in the bill passed today, and most especially for the leadership of Senate President Spilka and Chair Rodrigues in continuing to prioritize legislation that supports all those who have served and continue to serve in our armed forces.”

The Senate’s legislation builds on the historic legislative package filed by the Healey-Driscoll Administration by including additional provisions which would:

• Require a public school district to provide support services to a military-connected student when a parent or guardian is called to active duty.
• Create a military spouse liaison to help military spouses with obtaining employment and childcare, and deal with other issues they face.
• Repeal the restriction that currently prevents Gold Star spouses from maintaining their annuity benefit if they remarry.
• Ensure that both the Holyoke and Chelsea Veterans Homes receive funding to replace lost license plate revenue from waiving the fee on veteran license plates.

During debate, the Senate adopted an amendment by Senator Velis that would protect veterans from predatory claim sharks that target veterans seeking  seeking assistance filing claims with the federal Department of Veteran Affairs. It is currently federally illegal to charge hefty fees for “assisting” or “consulting” veterans with filing the VA benefits claims however, federal law lacks criminal penalties for these bad actors known as “Claim Sharks”. The amendment adopted by the Senate today would prohibit someone from receiving compensation for assisting in a veterans benefit matters, except where allowed by federal law, and allows violators of this provision to be sued civilly.

“It is absolutely reprehensible that there are over 100 predatory claim shark companies operating and preying upon our Commonwealth’s veterans. By creating serious consequences for this deceitful behavior, the Senate is taking a monumental step to protecting those who have sacrificed so much to defend our nation,” explained Senator John C. Velis. “Often times, these claim shark companies are promising extremely vulnerable veterans increased disability ratings or expedited claim decisions from the VA when in reality they are seeking to entrap Veterans into paying exuberant fees for minimal assistance. It is beyond disgusting that veterans are being taken advantage of in this way.”

The bill passed by the Senate included 17 spending, policy initiatives, tax credits, and statute changes organized into three categories:

Benefit Expansion

• Expands access to Behavioral Health Treatment: Allows veterans to be reimbursed for visits to outpatient behavioral health providers.
• Increases the Disabled Veteran Annuity: Increases the annual annuity for veterans with a 100% service-connected disability, surviving spouses, or Gold Star Parents from $2,000 to $2,500.
• Increases the Vet-Hire Tax Credit: Increases to $2,500 a tax credit for small businesses hiring chronically unemployed or low-income veterans.
• Increases access to the Active-Duty Buyback program: Lengthens the timeframe for veterans in public service to participate in the Active-Duty Service Buyback program and allows retroactive participation for veterans who missed the buyback opportunity. This program will enable veterans to purchase up to four years of active-duty service time toward their state retirement. 
• Prevents the “COLA Cliff”: Ensuring that a cost-of-living adjustment in Social Security benefits will not affect veterans’ eligibility for Chapter 115 benefits in the middle of the state fiscal year.  
• Increases Local Flexibility for Veterans Property Tax Exemptions: Creates two separate local options. The first allows municipalities to double the veteran property tax exemption without doubling all other exemption clauses. The second ties the annual property tax abatement amount to inflation, allowing exempted property tax amounts to increase with inflation.
• Eliminates the Fee for Specialty License Plates for Veterans: Waives specialty license plate fees on specialty veteran license plates and creates a new woman veteran license plate decal. 

Commitment to Inclusivity and Greater Representation

• Broadens the Chapter 115 Definition of Veteran: Expands eligibility to Chapter 115 and EOVS state veterans benefits by aligning eligibility with the federal definition of a veteran. This change allows more veterans to be eligible for the veteran annuity, Chapter 115 benefits, access to the Massachusetts Veterans Homes, and other state-provided benefits.
• Aligns the definition of a veteran dependent with the Family Court definition andupdates Dependent Residency Requirements to ensure that dependents are able to access benefits.

Modernization of Veterans Services

• Codifies Dental Assistance Benefits, Medical Assistance Benefits, and Authority over state Veterans Cemeteries under the Executive Office of Veterans’ Services. :Modernizes statute language for inclusivity and standardization Establishes a working group to study the potential benefits of alternative therapies in treating veterans suffering from mental health disorders.

Having passed both the Senate and House, a conference committee will now be appointed to reconcile differences between the two versions.

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