U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS — Governor Albert Bryan Jr. acted on 30 bills passed by the 35th Legislature in its September 22nd session. The bills approve agreements between the Virgin Islands government and various health insurance companies and appropriate operating funds for several government agencies, boards, and commissions. Additionally, Governor Bryan approved a bill authorizing the administration to payout $25 million in fiscal years 2023 and 2024 as part of its plan to continue payment of the decades-old backlog of retroactive wages owed to eligible government employees.
In his transmittal letter to Senate President Novelle E. Francis Jr., Governor Bryan thanked members of the Senate Finance Committee and all members of the 35th Legislature for their hard work on the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget.
The Governor also took the opportunity to use his line-item veto authority for sections of Bill No. 35-0141, to strike the reference to the Government Insurance Fund in Sections P and R because the amounts are appropriated in Bill No. 35-0156. He also exercised a line-item veto of “VIPD (Virgin Islands Police Department) Police Athletic League STX $8,000” because the subsection replicates the appropriations contained elsewhere in the bill. He also noted that a typographical error in the VITEMA (Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency) allocation, Section G, “Other Services and Charges,” wherein the sum of $363,892 should read $636,892. Additionally, Gov. Bryan noted the total for VIPD, Section T should read $74,542,585.
In Bill No. 35-0171, Governor Bryan exercised his line-item veto to strike Sections 8 and 9 related to placement of underground storage tanks in proximity to water wells because, he said, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources did not have an opportunity to weigh in on the wisdom or practicality of the amendment, and the proposed measure conflicts with 12 VIC 657(a). Governor Bryan also line-item vetoed Section 12(a) because the proposed language is more restrictive than the existing language. Finally, he noted that in Section 5(b), there is no sum appropriated for the construction and repair of Contentment Road.
In his transmittal letter, Governor Bryan requested that the Legislature review his recommendations at its earliest convenience.
The Bryan-Roach Administration is investing in the Territory’s people, infrastructure, and future through transparency, stabilizing the economy, restoring trust in the government and ensuring that recovery projects are completed as quickly as possible. Visit transparency.vi.gov
