Hello everyone,
I hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween last night with your families. My son Carson was so excited to finally go trick-or-treating after spending much of the last month looking forward to finally wearing his dragon costume. I, on the other hand, was mostly excited to sneak a bag or two of his extra Skittles when we got home.
It was another busy week around the district and out at the State House for Team Velis. This week, my State House team had the opportunity to sit down with constituents from Agawam, Easthampton, Holyoke, and Westfield for the annual American Physical Therapy Association’s “Day on the Hill”. From hearing about legislation that will have a positive impact on Western Massachusetts to engaging with physical therapy students to learn more about their courses, Caitlyn and Gabe from my team appreciated the time this group took to meet with them in Boston.
As we approach Veterans Day, I am incredibly proud to be a part of a legislative body that prioritizes not only our veterans and servicemembers but also our military families. This week, the Senate tee’d up two of my bills for a vote next week: one which would clarify our National Guard’s chain of command for state missions and the other to continue our longstanding mission to improving the care of our Commonwealth’s military families. At the end of the day, my focus as Chairman of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs continues to be on ensuring that Massachusetts is not only the very best state for a veteran to call home, but also a welcoming and supportive home for our active-duty service members and their families. Be on the lookout next week for more updates.
On Friday, Team Velis joined community members in Agawam to celebrate the opening of the new Baystate Ob/Gyn Office on Silver Street. This new location will go a long way in addressing the limited access to reproductive healthcare for women in our area!
I wanted to take an opportunity to remind you all that my office is always available to assist constituents with a wide variety of issues. Whether you need assistance completing an application for a state program or finding the locations and hours of a local food pantry, Team Velis is here to help! Please never hesitate to call my office or stop into office hours for assistance.
This week Team Velis hosted office hours in Westfield, Russell, and Southampton. Next week Team Velis will be hosting office hours at the Agawam Council on Aging on Monday 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.
Sincerely,
John C. Velis