Hello,
I hope everyone had a safe and fun fourth of July! I participated in the Hampton Ponds Parade in the morning and the Wyben Parade in the afternoon where Carson was once again the star of the show. I was thrilled to see so many members of the community out celebrating our nation’s independence. Thank you to all the organizers of both parades for their hard work to make these great celebrations possible!
On Monday, the Legislature sent the Fiscal Year 2026 budget to Governor Healey’s desk for her consideration and signature. I am proud to share that I was able to secure $500,000 in local earmarks for our district. This funding will benefit a variety of local organizations including those that focus on supporting our veterans, improve public safety, combat food insecurity, and much more.
I am thrilled that the budget also included an amendment I sponsored that will repeal an archaic state law negatively impacting our Gold Star spouses. Previously spouses of our fallen heroes would lose their annuity benefits if they remarried later in life, an unfair and outdated rule. One of the most essential ways that we can all honor our fallen heroes is supporting their loved ones that they have left behind, and the annuity is a critical benefit our Commonwealth offers. I am beyond proud that this language has finally made its way to the Governor’s desk!
Monday marked the first hearing of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery. I am beyond honored to return to as the Senate chair of this committee. Over the past few years this Committee has accomplished so much from expanding access to mental health care through the ABC 2.0 Act, to expanding harm reduction and recovery resources with last session’s Substance Use Omnibus Bill. However, there is still plenty more to accomplish to improve behavioral health services across our Commonwealth, and I’m excited to get to work!
On Thursday I joined local officials and community members in Agawam to celebrate a fiscal year 2025 earmark that I had secured last summer to help make improvements at the Council on Aging. It was awesome to see the improvements and new equipment that were purchased through this earmark. Many thanks to my good friend and director of the Agawam Council on Aging, Cindy Sullivan, for all her work to bring everyone together for such a great celebration of state and local partnership!
This week there were no community office hours. Next week Team Velis will be hosting office hours on Monday at the Agawam Council on Aging from 11:00AM to 12:00PM, on Tuesday at the Chicopee Council on Aging from 10:00AM to 11:00AM, and again on Wednesday at the West Springfield Council on Aging from 11:00AM to 12:00PM. 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