Hello everyone,
We hope you all had a great week! This coming Monday, January 19, the Commonwealth will observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day. As we remember his life and work, we hope you’ll join us in reflecting on how we can continue building a stronger, more inclusive world.
On Tuesday, Bridget participated in a robust roundtable in Springfield with the Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development focused on education and workforce development. A major focal point of the discussion between the Secretary, area colleges, and lawmakers was showcasing the many different and exciting career opportunities that are available across our region through internships to retain talented students that travel to Western Massachusetts for college after they graduate.
This week the Senate passed several tax relief bills to help alleviate costs for residents across the Commonwealth. These tax relief bills would give new and enhanced options to local communities to ease the property tax burdens felt by the low- and middle-class homeowners as well as seniors. We are proud to share that among the different tax relief provisions passed by the Senate on Thursday included a bill filed by Senator Velis to help make it easier for municipalities to offer local property tax exemptions to our seniors living on a fixed income.
Senator Velis has been clear since the very beginning of this legislative session that the most important issues to him are the ones that center around affordability especially as the cost of living, home values, and household expenses continue to drastically rise. As the legislative session continues to progress, we know that the Senator will remain committed to advancing policies that ease financial burdens on residents and will work diligently to prevent measures that increase costs for working class people.
On Friday, the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Committee kicked off the beginning of green season for the valley with their annual Grand Marshal Award Dinner and Reception. We would like to congratulate this year’s Grand Parade Marshal Mike Moriarty on this well-deserved recognition following his nearly four decades of work with the Committee and countless years of work in the Holyoke community.
This week Team Velis held office hours in Chicopee and West Springfield. Next week, we will be hosting office hours at the Easthampton Council on Aging from 10:30AM to 11:30AM on Tuesday and again on Wednesday at the Holyoke Council on Aging from 10:00AM to 11:00AM. If you are unable to make office hours, you can continue to reach us by email, john.velis@masenate.gov, by phone, (413) 572-3920, and online at senatorjohnvelis.com.
Sincerely, 
Team Velis