Hello Everyone,
I hope you all are enjoying some of the fantastic outdoor activities in our region as July comes to close. The weather has been relatively cool this past week, however, should you need help finding a cooling center near you when the temperatures pick back up, my office is ready to assist.
With the end of the 193rd legislative session right around the corner the Senate was busy again this week considering a supplemental budget and reforms to the Long-Term Care industry. Our region knows all too well from the closure of four local nursing homes last spring that these management companies need greater oversight to ensure residents’ care is put first. As Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs I am proud to have seen this legislation, that we began working on last spring, pass the Senate before the end of session.
On Wednesday, Representative Pease and I welcomed Westfield State University’s summer State and Local Government class to our offices at the State House. This delightful group of students was given a full tour of this historic building and caught us in thick of legislative session, giving them glimpse at all the work that they have been learning about in the classroom. It’s classes like these that inspire our young adults to pursue careers in public service and I hope to be seeing some of these very bright young minds up on Beacon Hill someday.
In honor of National Internship Day this past Thursday, some of our district interns joined me out at the State House to view the Senate’s debate. I am extremely grateful for all the help my office has received from our four all-star summer interns this past month. Thank you, Ella, Lauren, Emily, and John, for all of our hard work!
This week my team hosted office hours at the Westfield COA on Monday and at the Russell COA. Next week, we will be at the Southampton COA on Wednesday July 31st from 9:30am to 10:30am. If you can’t 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 Velis