Hello Everyone,
I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday season—even though it may not have felt as festive as usual. I’m already looking forward to the next one and hopefully in 2021 we will be able to celebrate with our loved ones.
I know that many of you have reached out to my office about the COVID-19 vaccine. As of right now, the Commonwealth is still in Phase I of the vaccination schedule. This includes almost all healthcare workers, our first responders, and congregate living residents. If you have any questions about the vaccination schedule, please do not hesitate to call my office.
This new year also marks the beginning of the 192nd General Court and I’m looking forward to my first two-year session as your state Senator. With the new session comes the start of filing new bills. My staff and I are busy researching what legislation we can introduce to best serve the district and the Commonwealth as whole. I’ve been taking meetings all month with advocacy groups, constituents, and other legislators to discuss possible legislative ideas. This week included discussions with animal rights advocates, Holyoke community members, and Lisa Sheehan of Agawam High School on several different topics.
On Thursday I had a chance to sit down and talk to Westfield’s new State Representative, Kelly Pease. We had a great conversation about Westfield and some of the challenges our City is facing. I was glad to share some advice from my time as State Rep, and am looking forward to working alongside Representative Pease to advocate for Westfield.
In this new legislative session, I will also be putting together quarterly newsletters from my office that can be sent right to your email inbox. If you would like to sign up for the newsletter, head to www.senatorjohnvelis.com/quarterly-newsletter/
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