Rep. John Velis
BOSTON – It was announced earlier this week that Representative John Velis (D-Westfield) was one of only 65 Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives with a 100% roll call vote attendance for 2017. The legislative body is comprised of 160 seats, placing the Representative in the top 40% of his peers when it comes to roll call attendance. In total, the House called over 300 roll call votes, which require Members to record their votes individually and in-person.
“Plain and simple, it’s my job to be there. The people of Westfield elected me to represent them in these votes, and I consider it a privilege to do so,” says Velis.
The Representative was one of only 5 members of the Western Massachusetts House delegation to maintain a perfect record, and, along with Representative Smola (R-Warren), was one of only two Representatives from Hampden County.
Continued the Representative, “I’ve definitely had some close calls with Boston traffic, but I’m happy to say I made it just in time, even in the occasional snow storm.”
Aside from the notorious city traffic, House Members have also dealt with some long days and late nights in 2017. The Chamber took a total of 11 roll call votes after 9 PM, even as late as 10:15 PM during Budget negotiations. On September 13th, the House had the largest amount of roll call votes taken in one day, with 65 votes called.
“The longest days are usually our most consequential days. This year, our latest nights were spent on budget negotiations, the marijuana bill, and the criminal justice reform act. I find that it’s more efficient to get it done in a day or two, even if it means getting home at midnight sometimes.”
The Rep added, jokingly, that when his Boston-area friends receive a late-night phone call from him, they know to get the sofa-bed ready.
“As I always say, after helping my constituents, the most important part of my job is taking the votes. Deciding how to vote on an issue can be difficult- we often get lots of calls and emails from opposing sides- but showing up to take the votes is easy. If I’m not voting, then I’m not doing what the residents of Westfield elected me to do,” Velis finished.
The Massachusetts legislature is currently in recess for the holiday season and no more votes are expected until the New Year. The House will reconvene on January 3rd for the second session of the 190th General Court, during which major legislation on Criminal Justice Reform is likely to be the first major priority.
