Happy Saturday Westfield! Hope you’re all enjoying the weekend. As always, this week was very busy for my office. Even though the House Budget was passed last week, the Senate is just beginning their part of the budget process. Lucky for us, this means that we still get to meet with local organizations and agencies to hear about the wonderful work they do and their funding priorities for the upcoming fiscal year.
First thing on Monday, I co-hosted the annual Legislative Breakfast for Human Resources Unlimited, which operates the Forum House in Westfield. The Forum House, located on Broad Street, is a clubhouse that provides services to the mentally ill. They believe that every individual has the right to work, and to lead full, productive lives as contributing members of our community. To that end, they have been running their employment program for years and have helped many of their members transition into stable employment with local businesses. It’s truly an amazing program, and it was great to see some familiar faces at their event this week. I have been a strong supporter of their work for a long time, and it’s only getting more impressive!
Later that day, myself, the City’s Parks Department, and the Community Outreach Director met with John MacGillivray. John is an old friend of mine who is actively involved with the Veterans and Federal Affairs Committee through his work with the Marine Corps League and his new non-profit, Home of the Brave. Aside from doing some fantastic work to help elderly and disabled veterans, Home of the Brave is launching a new project in the Commonwealth to honor veterans called the Liberty Tree Project. They plan on partnering with municipalities to plant trees in the name of fallen service members. The trees will bear small plaques with the name of local armed service members who have been killed in action since the Revolutionary War. There have been approximately 37,000 KIAs from Massachusetts since 1775, and they are aiming to plant a tree for each one in their respective hometowns. We haven’t figured out the exact number from Westfield, but I hope that we are able to make this happen in the coming years.
On Tuesday, I had two committee hearings at the Statehouse. The first was a Health Care Financing Committee hearing on bills that would amend the Enrollment and Eligibility laws for MassHealth. With the United States House of Representatives voting on the American Health Care Act this week, it was very interesting to hear how Massachusetts legislators want to tackle the rising costs of health care. The second was a hearing for the Joint Committee on Environment, Agriculture, and Natural Resources. We mostly heard about bills that affected state land, but also heard testimony on anti-poaching bills, as well as bills that would ban exotic animal performances in Massachusetts.
I have been at Army Drill since Thursday, but my legislative aide, Emily, had the opportunity to attend several events since then. Yesterday, she attended breakfasts for Future Works Career Center, a Springfield-based agency that helps with unemployment, job training, and employment searches, and the Springfield Museums. They are opening the first ever Dr. Seuss Museum next month and hosted a breakfast to give legislators a sneak peek. Dr. Seuss’s step-daughter was there to give the first tour, as she is currently visiting to help set up the exhibits with their old household items.
Yesterday was also the official opening and ribbon cutting for the new Dr. Nettie Marie Stevens Science and Innovation Center at Westfield State. Dr. Stevens was a Westfield State graduate who became a pioneer for women in science. She was the scientist who discovered and identified the Y chromosome and first hypothesized its role in sex determination. Her discoveries have led to thousands of important discoveries over the last century- and she got her start right here in Westfield! The building is a true testament to her impact, as well as a state-of-the-art science building for the young men and women at the University.
Well that’s it for this week folks! As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office with any questions or concerns. We can be reached at (413) 572-3920 or [email protected]. Have a great week!
