Good Morning Westfield- hope you had a great week, despite the rain! We certainly had a lot going on in our office…
On Monday, the Joint Committee on Marijuana Policy had our second official hearing in West Springfield. This was a great opportunity for our local officials to testify about what they would like to see in the upcoming Marijuana Policy changes. It was also nice to see so many of my Eastern Mass colleagues outside of Boston and a little closer to home. The Committee is trying to stop in every region of the state to make sure that all cities and towns have a chance to have their perspectives heard. This upcoming Monday will be our third hearing, and first opportunity to hear testimony about specific bills. The hearing will be at 11 AM at the Statehouse.
Earlier that day, I also had the chance to meet with some non-profits who do wonderful work in the Greater Springfield area. The Springfield House delegation (Reps Tosado, Williams, and Gonzales) and I had an eye-opening meeting with the Western Mass Network to End Homelessness, which is a coalition comprised of several local agencies. We had a productive conversation with representatives from the Friends of the Homeless, HAPHousing, the United Way and several other groups about how we can work to meet the needs of those struggling to find stable housing in the area. It’s truly inspiring to see the work they do on a daily basis.
On Tuesday, the Holyoke Soldier’s Home held their annual Legislative Lunch, where I was joined by several of my colleagues from around the state. As the new House Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs, I’m glad to say that we have such an important establishment so close to our district- the only other Soldiers’ Home in the Commonwealth is all the way in Chelsea! The Soldiers’ Home has always been important to me, and their lunch always one of my favorite events of the year.
Wednesday was a State House day for my office. This week, we voted on Chapter 90 funding, which is the local aid that goes specifically to cities and towns to maintain transportation infrastructure. Although it’s usually part of the annual budget, we always try to get these funds passed before the regular budget process so that construction crews can get started as soon as the weather permits. This year, we approved $200 million in funding, $1.2 million of which is slated for the City of Westfield.
From Boston, I rushed back to Westfield in time to see my former Boys and Girls Club mentee, Gabe Santos, named the Greater Westfield Boys and Girls Club Youth of the Year. Gabe is a seriously impressive kid- he plays basketball at the high school, volunteers regularly, and still maintains straight A’s. I’m extremely proud of him and I wish him the best of luck as he is considered for the National Youth of the Year Award.
Finally, yesterday I had the opportunity to tape an interview with WGBY’s Jim Madigan about the Governor’s Budget proposal and other legislative issues that are coming up this session. In case you missed it last night, it will be airing tomorrow, Sunday, at 10:30 AM on WGBY.
That’s all for this week- as always, if you have any questions or concerns for my office, please don’t hesitate to reach out at 413-572-3920 or [email protected]. Have a good weekend!
