Committee reaches agreement on Holyoke Soldiers' Home Bill
HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – Lawmakers on Friday approved a bill that will secure millions of dollars from the federal government to reconstruct and build a state-of-the-art facility for veterans at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home.
A Conference Committee, which includes members of the House and Senate, reached an agreement and approved the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home Bond Bill to allow $400 million for the redesign project and $200 million in general obligation bonds for veteran housing across the state.
Senator John Velis, a representative of the Soldiers’ Home and chair of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs, thanked the lawmakers for their work and support throughout the process.
Velis stated, “From the very start—after last year’s tragedy—families and friends of veterans reached out to me with a very clear message: get this done. The marching orders were clear, get the mission accomplished. From listening sessions with families to standouts at the Home to the vigil that took place last month to mark the one anniversary, this has been a truly long and enduring process. We fought for this Home reconstruction for months.”
Read more: https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hampden-county/committee-reaches-agreement-on-holyoke-soldiers-home-bill/