Hello,
I hope everyone got the chance to enjoy some of the sunny weather this week! It is so hard to believe that we are nearly halfway through the summer.
With July coming to a close next week there was a lot of activity over at the State House. On Tuesday, I testified before the Joint Committee on Transportation in support of my bill S2454, An Act Relative to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in the Commonwealth, which would establish common sense regulations for the use of drones in our state. Massachusetts law simply has not kept up with this rapidly advancing technology and law enforcement agencies currently have limited options for overseeing drone usage and ensuring safety. We regulate cars; We regulate aircraft; We must do the same for drones to protect public safety and personal privacy.
Later that day I chaired the second hearing of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs. During this hearing the committee reviewed legislation to improve the lives of our veterans, service-members, and their families including bills that would study the needs of women veterans who become mothers, preferred parking for our veterans, and the vital work of our Veteran Service Officers.
On Wednesday, I sat down with Dave Madsen from Western Mass News to discuss my work up on Beacon Hill and the Senate’s push to limit the use of cell phones in schools. Check out the interview tomorrow morning on Getting Answers. Afterwards, I paid a visit to the West Springfield Housing Authority to meet with residents and help the Greater Springfield Senior Services Inc’s annual “Beat the Heat” event, where they prepare smoothies for the residents and provide resources on how to stay safe during the warmer months. It was great to hear from our senior residents on their experiences and ways to improve their community, the smoothies were also great!
On Thursday, the Senate was in session to vote on a whole host of bills that would update archaic language in our state laws, especially with regards to people with disabilities, and help expand the State Police’s blue envelope program. The blue envelope program is an effort to create safer interactions between law enforcement and drivers on the autism spectrum during traffic stops. This is done through an envelope that not only holds a driver’s documents but contains communication guidelines for law enforcement to help adapt their approach to interacting with a driver who has autism.
This week Team Velis hosted office hours in Russell. Next week, Team Velis will be hosting office hours on Monday at the Westfield Council on Aging from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm and on Wednesday at the Southampton Council on Aging from 9:30 am to 10:30 am. If you are unable to 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.
Best,
John Velis