Hello everyone,
I hope you are all doing well, especially after another week of wild New England weather!
Monday started off this week with a Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs hearing. During this meeting, several bills were heard that will help further extend benefits to veterans and more members of the armed forces. Later, my staff attended a meeting alongside Rep. Duffy with several organizations in Holyoke working to expand access to affordable food here in the Pioneer Valley, and discuss the challenges posed by recent flooding to our community’s food banks, and local farmers.
On Tuesday I had the opportunity to visit Kamp for Kids in Russell with my son Carson. It was great to welcome the campers and get to see their amazing site! Office hours were hosted in Holyoke on Wednesday before members of my team and I headed down to the Westfield Council on Aging for their Summer Sizzle and Float Party. Thank you to all the wonderful staff and community members who made this event possible! It was great to be able to talk with and enjoy the festivities with so many of my community members.
Thursday, I joined Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll at Mountain View Farm in Easthampton as the Governor announced a partnership with United Way Central Massachusetts to create a Massachusetts Farm Resiliency Fund. This fund will not only help respond to the recent floods that have impacted farmers across the Commonwealth, but to respond to climate related events that will affect our farms in the long run. Afterwards, I attended a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the beginning of construction of Cooley Dickinson’s new Emergency Department. The groundbreaking marks a decade-long partnership between Mass General Hospital and Cooley Dickinson, building a statewide network of world class medical facilities.
We will wrap the week up the week on Friday with constituent meetings throughout the district, and a meeting with behavioral health staff from local hospitals. I hope everyone has an excellent weekend!
Next week’s office hours will be held at the Russell Council on Aging on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m., and the Southampton Council on Aging at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday. I can always be reached by email, john.velis@masenate.gov, by phone, (413) 527-3920, and you can find me online at senatorjohnvelis.com
Sincerely,
John Velis