Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! As we begin the new year, Senator Velis cannot help but feel immensely grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve the Hampden and Hampshire District in the Massachusetts State Senate. While the Senator continues his deployment with the Massachusetts National Guard in service to our country, all of us on Team Velis are excited to continue his annual end-of-year tradition to reflect on all his tremendous accomplishments during 2025! Join us as we close the books on 2025 and look back at all the many memorable moments from across Western Massachusetts and up on Beacon Hill.

The Senator’s top priority has always been responding to the needs of constituents. Our office always prioritizes helping those in our community who may be in need of assistance while navigating a state agency or locating local resources. We are proud to share that our office assisted well over 310 constituents with a variety of different issues during 2025 including applying for unemployment benefits, updating information with the RMV, and securing housing resources. Our constituent services team also fielded hundreds of calls and inquiries throughout the year and is always available to track down any answers they can!

Learn more about how our office can be of assistance!

Over at the State House, the Massachusetts State Senate had an incredibly busy and productive first year of the legislative session in 2025. From filing numerous pieces of legislation last winter, to securing millions of dollars in funding this past spring, and reporting out bills from committees this fall, Senator Velis and our policy team were hard at work throughout 2025!

Kicking off 2025 and the 194^th legislative session, Senator Velis filed a number of bills last January on the issues most important to the residents of our district including legislation focused on affordability, public safety, and more! This session the Senator’s guiding “north star” while filing bills and considering how to cast his vote on the Senate floor has been centered on making Massachusetts an affordable place to live.

Team Velis is thrilled to share that three of the Senator’s bills were passed by the Senate in 2025, a tremendous accomplishment during the first year of the legislative session where many bills are only initially reviewed by committees. This includes legislation seeking to help our youth improve their behavioral health and succeed in school, strengthening the support services our Commonwealth provides to our military families, and clarifying our National Guard’s chain of command for state missions. While 2025 may have come to an end, the second year of the legislative session will be underway very shortly where we expect to share many more updates on these bills and more! 

Last year Senator Velis also secured $1,250,000 in state funding specifically for our district that will support local schools, community organizations, and much more throughout our communities. Whether it was helping support grant applications submitted by municipalities and local organizations or advocating for the adoption of the earmark funding in the state budget, Senator Velis worked diligently to secure funding to bring back home to the district!

Check out recent and past earmark funding secured by the Senator

One of Senator Velis’s favorite parts of being Senator for the Hampden and Hampshire district continues to be the opportunity to attend community gatherings and connect directly with constituents.

While there were many different memorable events throughout 2025, some of the Senator’s very favorite include hosting Senate President Spilka for a Youth Mental Health Roundtable in Agawam, shooting hoops with the Holyoke Girls Empowerment Basketball League, and chasing after Carson at the Ashley Reservoir.

Senator Velis was also honored to receive several awards and recognitions during 2025 from both local and statewide organization including being named a leader in preventing self-harm and suicide by the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention, being presented with Scouting America’s Distinguished Citizen of the Year Award, and receiving the Big E’s Quilt of Valor. 

Last winter Senator Velis was re-appointed as Senate Chair to the two joint committees he had previously chaired, the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, & Recovery and the Joint Committee on Veterans & Federal Affairs, to build upon the work that these two committees accomplished during the previous legislative session. Together each of these committees have already reviewed hundreds of proposed bills and thoughtfully reported out the strongest pieces of legislation this fall.

This past spring Senator Velis was appointed the co-chair of the Special Commission on the Public Health Effects of Xylazine alongside Representative Domb of Amherst. As Xylazine, a drug intended for animal sedation, and other deadly containments become increasingly prevalent in the Commonwealth’s drug supply, the Commission will continue to meet over the next few months to propose measures that local and state officials can take to best assist those struggling with addiction.

Just a few weeks ago the Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism submitted its final report and recommendations to the Legislature. The final report’s findings and recommendations chart a course for combating antisemitism “the Massachusetts Way”, by supplying a set of best practices rooted in the Commission’s strong belief that fighting and preventing antisemitism must combine strong civil rights protections, civic education, and moral responsibility Senator Velis was proud to introduce the amendment which created this first statutorily created commission on combating antisemitism in the United States. Over the course of 14 months, the Special Commission held 16 public meetings where it heard over 50 hours of testimony from more than 200 speakers that, along with Massachusetts and national data, informed the final report. Learn more about the report and the significant support it received from public officials and business leaders across the Commonwealth!

Every single day Senator Velis feels absolutely honored to represent the Hampden and Hampshire district. We look forward to a productive second year of the legislative session and all that is to come in 2026!

Happy New Year!



Team Velis