Hello,
With all the bills, meetings, and budget discussions it continues to be very busy this month. This past week I joined my colleagues to pass a COVID-19 relief bill that provides a tax break to small businesses and emergency paid sick leave for employees impacted by the pandemic. It now will go to the Governor for his signature.
STATE REP. KELLY PEASE
Last Friday the CVS on Main Street became a vaccination site and started receiving vaccines this week. Appointments are still very competitive due to the amount of vaccine that is provided from the Federal Government. As of March 25, 2021, the state has administered a total of 3,151,237 doses, and out of our nearly seven million people, 1,165,381 are fully vaccinated. It was great to see that the hard work of myself, Senator Velis, and Mayor Humason pay off in getting the CVS location. I had reached out to CVS Corporate Office and Senator Velis called their lobbyist in Massachusetts, along with both of us having multiple conversations with the State Office of Health and Human Services and the Mayor calling the Lieutenant Governor. This was a success story, and we are now focused on getting more locations and sites in our City.
If the reports are true that Moderna and Pfizer are planning to nearly double their output by April and with the Johnson & Johnson Company’s collaboration with Merck, vaccines should become more readily available soon. With the projected increases in vaccine production, I believe that more sites will be opened in April to better accommodate local communities like ours.
This week was very busy with meetings. Two of the committees I am on held their first meetings. The Joint Committee for Higher Education and the Joint Committee for Veterans and Government Affairs met this week. In addition to that, I met with Firefighters of Massachusetts, Baystate Noble President Ronald Bryant and Michael Knapik, vice president of Baystate Health Government & Community Relations, Jane Doe Inc., Educator Diversity and Early Education for All, to just name a few. I want to thank Local Channel 15 and 89.5 FM for having me on Ken’s Den, with Ken, Kathi, Peter and Ethan. Last week I also appeared on the Superintendent’s Spotlight with Westfield Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski and Administrator of Student Interventions Christopher Rogers. I really appreciated the opportunity to discuss what is going on at the state level.
Friday, March 26, 2021 was the 30th anniversary of when I went to basic training, advanced individual training, and airborne school before being stationed at Fort Bragg, NC. The experiences and people I met in my over 20 years of service were incredible. Not all of it was fun, but I would not trade my time in the Army for anything.
I continue to work hard to serve the City of Westfield. I am not afraid to ask the hard questions and will continue to do the best job I can. Ethan is doing a great job with handling multiple constituent issues and we have noticed that unemployment issues are getting resolved in a more timely manner. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Ethan or I at: [email protected] or [email protected] or by calling our office at 413-875-8787. We are located at 94 N Elm St Suite 301N in the Westwood Building.
State Representative Kelly Pease
