Committee on Health, Hospitals and Human Services

Please be advised that the Committee on Health, Hospitals & Human Services will be conducting a meeting on Monday, July 07, 2025, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.

BLOCK I                                                                                                          10:00 A.M. – 12:30 P.M.

Bill No. 36-0079     An Act amending title 19 Virgin Islands Code, part IV, chapter 37, to add a new subchapter mandating territorial hospitals to provide paternity testing services upon request.

Bill No. 36-0003     An Act amending title 19 Virgin Islands Code relating to nursing homes and assisted living facilities by adding a new chapter 76 to establish the services that nursing homes and assisted living facilities are required to provide; establishing limitations on financial charges, requirements for visitation, and the rights of a resident.

Invited Testifiers:
Honorable Justa Encarnacion, Commissioner, V.I. Department of Health
Mr. Gordon Rhea, Esq., Attorney General, V.I. Department of Justice
Honorable Averil E. George, Commissioner, Department of Human Services
Mr. Troy Schuster, Virgin Islands State Director, American Association of Retired Persons

BLOCK II                                                                                                         1:15 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. 

The committee will receive a comprehensive overview of the growing challenges posed by the direct discharge of minimally processed wastewater in public areas and brine discharge in our bays, which threatens environmental safety, public hygiene, and community health. This synopsis should help us understand both the immediate and long-term health risks, including potential disease outbreaks, and to provide guidance on best practices for sewage management, public health protection, and coordinated government response.

Invited Testifiers:
Honorable Justa Encarnacion, Commissioner, V.I. Department of Health
Honorable Jean Pierre-Oriol, Commissioner, V.I. Department of Planning and Natural Resources
Mr. Daryl Griffith, Interim Executive Director, V.I. Waste Management Authority
Mr. Karl Knight, Executive Director & CEO, V.I. Water & Power Authority