At the start of every new legislative session, there are thousands of bills filed by Senators and Representatives in the Legislature. This session I myself have filed more than 80 bills to date in different policy areas. You can learn about all of my bills here.

An Act Relative to Providing Tax Relief (S.1959)

• This legislation builds upon the tax reform measures included in the Senate's Economic Development bill last session by increasing the Child/Dependent Tax Credit, increasing the Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit Cap, and increasing the Estate Tax Threshold. 

An Act Relative to the Unlawful Distribution of Explicit Images (S.1139)

• Massachusetts remains one of only two states without a law banning nonconsensual explicit photography, or revenge porn. This legislation would finally make revenge porn a criminal offense.

An Act Relative to Mental Health of Children in Schools (S.1273)

• Children's behavioral health continues to be one of my top concerns this session, and this legislation would permit school absences for mental health symptoms in the same manner as physical health symptoms. 

An Act Increasing Veterans' Property Tax Exemptions (S.1962)

• Building off of the SPEED Act from last session, this legislation increases all property tax exemptions provided to disabled veterans.

An Act Relative to the Humane Protection of Animals (S.1142)

• This omnibus animal welfare bill puts important animal protections into place, including restricting the possession of animals after a cruelty conviction and establishing a cruelty Task Force to review current laws.

An Act Ensuring Transparent Ticket Pricing (SD.2454)

• This bill requires the total of price of event tickets, including all fees, to be displayed at the outset of the purchasing process. It also prohibits price increases during the purchasing process. 

With the new session comes new committee assignments. This session I am honored to once again serve as the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs. We accomplished a lot last session and I am looking forward to continuing to build on that work in this new session. 

This session I am especially proud to also serve as Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery. I believe Behavioral Health is one of the most pressing issues that our Commonwealth is facing and this is an area that I am incredibly passionate about.

So far, the committee has held an informational hearing on the opioid epidemic in Massachusetts and a legislative hearing on legislation focused on improving our behavioral health workforce. I also recently led a group of legislators in calling for increased Substance Use Treatment Reimbursement rates and have been visiting schools throughout our district to understand the impact of behavioral health on students specifically.

In addition to chairing these two committees, I am also serving as Senate Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs, and will be sitting on the Joint Committee on Housing, Joint Committee on the Judiciary, Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, and Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. You can read more about my committee assignments here.

This month, the Senate passed a comprehensive Tax Relief Bill. Like so many of my colleagues, I continue to hear from residents throughout my communities about the high costs their families are dealing with. This bill responds with a number of critical tax reform initiatives, many of which I myself filed this session as S1959.

The Tax Relief Bill's transformative investments in the Housing Development Incentive Program (HDIP) are an incredible initiative for our Gateway Cities.

HDIP is the only housing program focused on the unique financial challenges of developing market-rate housing in Gateway Cities like Westfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee. It has been a lifeline for Gateway Cities that has allowed them to attract developers and bring critical investments into their communities that they would have otherwise never gotten.

As the only Western Massachusetts Senator on the Joint Committee on Housing, I was proud to speak on the Senate floor during the debate on what HDIP and this expansion will mean for our Gateway Cities in our region.

You can watch my remarks from the Senate floor here, and can learn more about the Senate's Tax Relief Bill here. Now that the Senate and House have each passed a bill, a conference committee will be appointed to resolve differences between the two bills.

In April, after hearing from constituents about the difficulties in visiting loved ones at the Agawam Veterans' Cemetery, my team successfully petitioned the Executive Office of Veterans' Services to expand visiting hours to dusk daily.

In this new legislative session, I was proud to be appointed by Senate President Spilka to a National Taskforce on Mental Health convened by the Council of State Governments and the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Exciting news for Barnes Air National Guard Base and Westfield! The Department of Defense has selected the 104th Fighter Wing to receive the Air Force's next generation of F-35A aircraft.

Taylor Swift came to Massachusetts this spring, and when she did, a whole bunch of excitement about my Transparent Ticket Pricing Bill came with her. From Billboard Magazine, to the Guardian, to Boston.com, our legislation received national attention as momentum on this issue builds across the country. 

This spring, the Holyoke Veterans' Home was officially awarded $164M in federal grants for the reconstruction of the facility, the first award of $263.5M of federal funding. 

This spring, the City of Chicopee officially broke ground on the Western Massachusetts Post 9/11 Veterans & Service Dog Memorial Park.

As usual, Saint Patrick's Day in Holyoke was a blast in March!

This spring, Representative Carey and I welcomed Easthampton High's "We the People" Civics Team to the State House for a tour.

Always great to see the folks from the West Springfield Boys & Girls Club!

In May, we celebrated the retirement of Holyoke Community College's President, Christina Royal. A great friend and leader, she will be truly missed.

As always, it was truly special to join community members at Memorial Day ceremonies throughout our district at the end of May. 

Congratulations to all the students who graduated in our district this year!

Great time at Westfield's Pride Event this month and at events throughout the district. 

Although we were challenged by some rain, it was another great Fourth of July celebration in the Hampden and Hampshire District!

Abraham is our Senate Summer Fellow, a graduate student halfway through his Master of Public Policy Program at The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, concentrating on Economic and Racial Equity. He is a first-generation college graduate with an Associate of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Salem State University, he is a lifelong MA resident and first-generation Puerto Rican mainlander raised in Lawrence and Dorchester, now living in Salem, MA, with his husband.  

His professional experience includes over a decade as a Behavioral Health Counselor throughout the North Shore and as a Harm Reduction/Needle Exchange Site Coordinator in Jamaica Plain. Before starting graduate school, he was a Certified Resident Service Coordinator working with multifamily, elderly, and disabled affordable housing communities in Boston, Lawrence, Lowell, Methuen, and Westford.   

After graduating, he looks forward to policy work in areas related to Behavioral Health, Healthcare, Housing, and Labor/Workforce Development. 

Fun Fact: Long-time fan of roller coasters. 

My team is always working on new ways to reach folks and communicate on what's happening in the Senate. If you have suggestions on how we can improve, let us know!

In addition to this newsletter, I write weekly updates, host a monthly local cable show, and post on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram frequently. Team Velis also holds in-person office hours at rotating locations in the district each week. Our District office is available for walk-ins and our Statehouse office always welcomes appointments. 

If I can ever be of any assistance, please never hesitate to reach out. I am here to help.

Sincerely,

John Velis

State Senator

Hampden & Hampshire District

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