Dear friends,
Hard to believe we are this far into the summer! I hope you are all doing well. This is the third official issue of my office newsletter and I hope you enjoy this update. Please feel free to share this newsletter with friends, family, and anyone else.
COVID-19 Update
I know how difficult it has been to be so isolated from our friends and family this past year and I am so glad that we are now beginning to gather together again.
If you have not been vaccinated yet, I encourage you to get vaccinated as soon as possible. The vaccine is safe, effective, and is the best way to protect yourself, your family, and your community. Vaccine locations and information can be found at: mass.gov/covid-19-vaccine
Budget Season!
District Funding
In the recent FY’22 budget debate, I was proud to advocate and secure funding for organizations throughout our district. These amendments were a result of months of conversations with municipal officials and constituents from all of my communities.
Whether it is funding for the Agawam Senior Center for new programming for residents, or funding to Southwick to encourage downtown shopping, I will always advocate however I can for the communities that I represent. You can find a full press release on all my budget amendments here.
Three of my amendments for youth and child-care organizations in our region were included in the final budget as well as well.
I have had the pleasure of visiting Girls Inc. and Enchanted Circle Theater a number of times, and I have always been inspired by their work to support youth in our communities to be creative and thoughtful leaders. I was truly proud to advocate on their behalf.
My amendment for Holyoke Community College allocated $100,000 for a child-care pilot program. Too often parents are unable to access education because they do not have anyone to watch their children. This amendment aims to minimize those barriers to higher education to ensure that parents have access as well.
Statewide Budget Initiatives
I was also proud to advocate and secure funding for several statewide initiatives in the budget as well, with a focus on Animal Welfare, Substance Abuse & Recovery, and Veterans Affairs.
One of of the first amendments I secured was for the Mass Animal Fund, a critical state initiative that provides vaccinations, spay, and neutering services for animals across Massachusetts.
For many low-income families, the cost of vaccinations and spaying/neutering their pets is simply not possible. This fund helps so many pets and abandoned animals in need throughout the Commonwealth.
As Vice-Chairman of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Recovery, I have met with numerous specialists and policy experts about programs that support individuals struggling with addiction and save lives in our communities. I was proud to secure funding for several budget initiatives in this area, with one of my amendments allocating $800,000 to RecoveryWorks.
RecoveryWorks is an affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital that helps individuals throughout the Commonwealth who struggle with substance use disorders find and maintain jobs. In addition they also work to educate employers to reduce the stigma around hiring someone who is in recovery.
Re-entering the workforce is such an important step for individuals in recovery. It is a chance for them to grow and regain self-confidence, develop tangible skills, and it provides them with a stability that is difficult to find elsewhere.
Unfortunately, there still exists a deep stigma around employing someone who is in recovery. That is why the programming at RecoveryWorks is so important. This funding will go a long way in aiding their work.
I also secured funding to create a state-wide pilot program to increase access to Narcan in school districts and to support Baystate Health in their their opioid prevention grant program
Western Massachusetts, and our Commonwealth as a whole, has seen far too many lives lost due to opioid overdoses. These tragic deaths affect so many in our communities and we continue to fight against this epidemic every single day. Increasingly concerning is the growing rate of opioid use in high school students.
Both of these amendments will provide critical funding to help protect our communities from opioid-related overdoses and help treat those struggling with opioid addiction. You can find a full press release on my budget amendments dealing with substance use and recovery here.
Lastly, I am extremely grateful to my colleagues for adopting my amendment to expand the Women Veterans’ Outreach Program at the Department of Veteran Services and to reassess the services that our Commonwealth provides Women Veterans.
Women are the fastest growing group in the military and by year 2040, it is estimated that women will make up nearly 40% of our Veteran population in Massachusetts. These changes in population require our Commonwealth to take a hard look at how we are serving them and what we need to improve on.
It is critical that our Commonwealth meets our women Veterans where they are at and this amendment provides the funding to do so. You can find a full press release on the budget amendment here.
Legislative News
American Rescue Plan Act Federal Funding
Many of you are undoubtedly aware that Massachusetts, like other states, has received a significant amount of Federal COVID Relief Funding through the American Rescue Plan Act. This one-time aid of $5.3 billion will be absolutely crucial as we return from the pandemic and continue our economic recovery.
The Legislature has recently begun to hold public hearings as considerations for how to best utilize these funds are being discussed. There are so many areas where this money is needed, from local small businesses, to essential workers, to our public health systems and beyond. These public hearings are the beginning of the process and clearer plans will be released in coming months.
COVID Policy Measures Extended
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed us to change how our communities run in drastic ways. The past year has taught us so much about what is possible with a few tweaks, and the Legislature recently extended several popularly helpful policy measures that were instituted during the pandemic in Senate Bill 2475.
Over the past year, municipal governments have operated through remote meetings. For many communities, this has turned into an extremely efficient and way of conducting municipal government business. Officials have been able to attend more meetings and residents have been able watch meetings in a much more accessible format. The Legislature extended this measure for municipalities so that this option can continue.
Similarly, COVID-19 has taught us that restaurants and bars can utilize our outdoor spaces and streets in a truly amazing way. In a time when establishments are still struggling, it is important that we continue to provide them with any flexibility that we can. The recent legislation passed in the Legislature extends outdoor dining permits to April, 2022 and also extends outdoor alcohol consumption at those restaurants until March, 2022.
Chapter 90 Transportation Funding
In mid-July, the Legislature passed its Chapter 90 Transportation Bill to provide direct support for roads, bridges and transportation infrastructure. Critical funding was included for municipalities throughout the Second Hampden and Hampshire.
In addition to the Chapter 90 funding, the bill invests in several statewide initiatives that are listed below. You can find a full press release on the bill here.
Committee Work
I am proud to be the Senate Chair of Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs and have made supporting Veterans and their families a major priority of my legislative agenda this session.
As part of our Committee’s work, we will be touring Veterans Centers across the Commonwealth and holding listening sessions to hear about issues Veterans are facing in our communities. I believe this is the best way we can inform our work as a committee.
This month we held our first tour and listening session at the Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center Headquarters in Gardner, as well as their Stallings Campus in Winchendon. One of the major topics discussed was the population of homeless Veterans in these communities and how we can improve our states outreach and services to them.
SPEED ACT
Our Committee also held one public hearing this summer on July 6th where several bills were testified on. During this hearing I was proud to voice my support for my own bill, The SPEED Act. This bill supports the immediate family of military service members. I worked with the Department of Defense to craft a piece of legislation that would help address the various challenges brought on by the frequent moving that is characteristic of being in a military family.
I believe the benefits of passing this legislation to be many– we will signal our commitment to supporting military families to the US Department of Defense and ensure that current service members do not feel a need to leave the military because of challenges imposed on their families. Additionally, and most critically, Massachusetts will make good on our promise to care for our military families and support their honorable service to our country. I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this important legislation across the finish line.
Around the District
After a long year of zooms and virtual meetings, it’s been so great to get out for in-person events and gatherings this summer.
It was fantastic to join Westfield community members in Early June for the 2nd Annual Pride Flag Raising at City Hall!
In the second week of June I was honored to speak to Massachusetts Boys & Girls State, summer leadership programs for high school students to learn about our government and democracy.
In June I also had a great visit and tour at the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in Holyoke.
Each year the best players in the world gather in Holyoke to be inducted into the Hall of Fame!
Towards the end of June, I joined Lieutenant Governor Polito and Agawam/West Springfield officials for the ribbon cutting of the new Morgan-Sullivan bridge.
This summer I met with several Chambers of Commerce in my district, including the Chicopee Chamber of Commerce for a outdoor event at the Boys & Girls Club.
Our Chambers are so important for the local businesses in our communities they represent.
It was great to celebrate the grand opening of River Valley Co-op’s new location in Easthampton in early July.
Always awesome to see new businesses opening in our communities!
Congratulations to Westfield Tech’s Aviation Technology Class of 2021!
It was a privilege to attend the graduation ceremony at Barnes Airport this month.
Always a great time speaking with the Southwick Village Retirement Community!
At the end of this month I joined Secretary of Economic Development, Mike Kennealy, and Holyoke Officials for a tour of Holyoke businesses.
I look forward to continued conversations with businesses throughout our communities on how we can best support them.
Office Spotlight
Baylee Cox
Baylee Cox joined our office in June as a summer intern. She is currently a rising junior at Princeton University, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in the School of Public and International Affairs. In the future, she hopes to pursue a law degree. She was excited for the opportunity to get a closer look at the operation of state government this summer and all of us in the office have been lucky to have her as a part of Team Velis.
When on campus, she enjoys being a staff writer for Princeton’s newspaper, The Daily Princetonian, and being a team member of Princeton’s fashion editorial, TigerTrends. When not on campus, she enjoys rollercoasters, baking, and reading in the sun. After more than a full year of online classes, she is looking forward to being in classrooms and lecture halls again this fall!
Bryan Bates
Bryan Bates is interning with our office this summer. Bryan is originally from Westfield but currently lives in East Boston. He attended High School at the Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, MA. Bryan then went to Providence College to receive his Bachelor Degree in Political Science with a Minor in Business Innovation and Public Administration. Currently Bryan is in his last semester for Master of Public Administration at Suffolk University with hopes of gaining law degree in the near future.
Besides academic pursuits Bryan likes to stay active in his free time whether that be running, working his second job at AXL Cycle Studio – East Boston, or enjoying CrossFit workouts. His main career goal is to get involved within policy in State or Local Government here in MA.
I hope this third newsletter was interesting and informative. If I can ever be of any assistance, please never hesitate to reach out. I am here to help.
Stay safe and be well.
Sincerely,
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