Senator’s proposal would ease military transition to civilian life
VELIS
Published: 5/17/2021 3:10:30 PM
State Sen. John C. Velis has filed a bill that would help moving military families transition more easily into Massachusetts by cutting through some bureaucracy.
If passed, the legislation filed this session by the Westfield Democrat would speed up the state professional licensing process, allow children moving into the state to enroll in school before the move and let college students keep in-state tuition.
“In Massachusetts, we pride ourselves on doing more for our veterans than any other state, and that’s a reputation we rightly deserve,” said Velis, who represents the 2nd Hampden and Hampshire District. “But I have long suspected there is absolutely room for improvement here in the commonwealth as it relates to taking care of these service members’ families, and that’s really what I’m trying to get after with this bill.”
Legislative conference committee advances bill to build new Holyoke Soldiers’ Home
Updated May 14, 2021;
This story has been updated with additional comments from legislators.
HOLYOKE A joint Legislative committee has advanced a bond bill pledging $400 million for a new Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke, putting it one step closer to Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk.
The committee headed by state Rep. Joseph Wagner, D-Chicopee, gave a nod to financing a new, state-run home on Cherry Street in the wake of a deadly COVID-19 outbreak, plus a labor agreement and $200 million bookmark for expanded veterans services across the state.
The House and Senate are expected to sanction the bill through votes in the coming days. The bond bill will be headed for Baker’s signature shortly after, Wagner said.
Jack Coughlin’s legacy around the Connecticut River valley can been seen in the parks he helped create, and in his efforts on behalf of expanding the state’s bottle deposit law to diminish the amount of litter along roadsides and waterways.
BOSTON In the first four hours of an oversight hearing Tuesday into a report from the Office of the Child Advocate on the death of a Fall River teenager with autism, lawmakers and Baker administration officials honed in on a lack of understanding within the Department of Children and Families of the unique needs of disabled children, communication breakdowns, and implementing reforms within the department.
David Almond, a 14-year-old, was found on Oct. 21 emaciated, bruised, and unresponsive at his father s home in Fall River. Almond, one of three triplet boys, was under the watch of child welfare agencies in New York and Massachusetts and had been removed from his father s home in October 2017 as a result of allegations of neglect and physical abuse, according to the state s Office of the Child Advocate.
Proposal would ease military transition to civilian life
State Sen. John C. Velis FILE PHOTO
Published: 4/23/2021 3:20:34 PM
State Sen. John C. Velis has filed a bill that would help moving military families transition easier into Massachusetts by cutting through some bureaucracy.
The legislation filed this session by the Westfield Democrat would speed up the state professional licensing process, allow children moving into the state to enroll in school before the move and let college students keep in-state tuition.
“In Massachusetts, we pride ourselves on doing more for our veterans than any other state, and that’s a reputation we rightly deserve,” said Velis, who represents the 2nd Hampden and Hampshire District. “But I have long suspected where there is absolutely room for improvement here in the commonwealth as it relates to taking care of these service members’ families, and that’s really what I’m trying to get after with this bill.”