I hope you are doing well and staying warm! We are registering some of the lowest temperatures of the winter, so please bundle up and check in on those in need. In addition, reaching out to those who may be isolating due to COVID-19 concerns is especially important this time of year.
I’d like to provide a few updates on both the personal and professional fronts. On Tuesday, my wife Emily and I welcomed our son, Carson James Velis, to the world. We are very grateful to the staff at Baystate Medical Center who helped deliver a happy and healthy baby. The amount of love and support we’ve received from the community is tremendous, and we cannot thank everyone enough. I join many of you in hoping that we will one day see Carson in a Westfield Bombers uniform!
On Monday I chaired the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs hearing. As always, I appreciated everyone’s participation and thoughts on legislation before the committee. In addition, I attended a legislative briefing from the Holyoke Soldier’s Home Coalition. I look forward to continuing to work towards the reform that we need to make the commonwealth’s Soldiers’ Homes the best they can be.
While the hearing and briefing were taking place, my team held office hours in Chicopee at the RiverMills Center. Keep any eye out for my staff as they make their rounds across the district! Our next office hours are currently scheduled for Monday, Jan. 24, from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Southwick Senior Center, and from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the Westfield Senior Center.
Later in the week, my staff met with colleagues in pursuit of the formation of a National Guard caucus. The Guard has seen an enormous increase in activations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and I feel strongly that we must do more to ensure that the Legislature is supporting them. I look forward to chairing the caucus with my good friend Representative Ayers and ensuring that our National Guard servicemembers’ interests and needs are being represented.
This upcoming Monday, Jan. 17, the commonwealth will observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first observed as a federal holiday in the United States 35 years ago. As we honor his memory this weekend, please take time to reflect on his extraordinary contributions to the civil rights movement. His pursuit of a better world for all its citizens is an effort that is still ongoing today, and we can all make a difference throughout our community.
As always, if there is anything I can do to assist you, please never hesitate to reach out to my office. I can be reached at my email, john.velis@masenate.gov, or by phone, 413-572-3920, and you can find me online at senatorjohnvelis.com.
Sincerely,
John C. Velis