ST. THOMAS–Novelle E. Francis, Jr., President of the 33rd Legislature, conducted Regular Session on Friday at the Earle B. Ottley Legislative Hall to consider nominees to Boards and Commissions; rezoning requests, and various proposed legislation.
NOMINEES APPROVED:
- Lionel S. Jacobs, VI Port Authority Governing Board- District of St. Croix
- Reginald O. Vigilant, University of the VI Board of Trustees- District of St. Croix
- Ian Tomlinson, University of the VI Research Park and Technology Board of Directors
- Jeffery G. Webster, University of the VI Research Park and Technology Board of Directors
- Denise T. Jeremiah, VI Board of Public Accountancy- District of St. Thomas
- Yolander Samuel-Deterville, VI Board of Public Accountancy- District of St. Croix
- William J. Tobias, VI Commission on Aquaculture and Mariculture Marine Biologist Representative
- Alvin D. Burke, Jr., VI Public Broadcasting System Board of Directors- District of St. Croix
The nominations were approved by the Body and sent to the Governor for further consideration and his signature.
ZONING BILLS APPROVED:
Bill No. 33-0322 – An Act conditionally rezoning Plot No. 102 and Plot No. 103 Estate Peter’s Rest, Christiansted, St. Croix from R-2 (Residential-Low Density-One and Two Family) to B-3 (Business Scattered).
Bill No. 33-0334 – An Act approving a Planned Area Development for 4,172 acres on Lovango Cay (eastern portion), No. 21 Cruz Bay Quarter, St. John, VI and amending Official Zoning Map OIIZ-1 to allow for a Planned Area Development in the R-1 (Low Density) Zoning District.
BR20-1181-A request for Parcel No. 2 (Consolidated) Estate Coakley Bay, East End Quarter “B,” St. Croix be rezoned from R-2 (Residential-Low Density-One and Two Family) to R-3 (Residential-Medium Density).
The zoning legislations were given a favorable recommendation and sent to the Governor for his consideration and signature.
BILLS OVERRIDDEN BY THE LEGISLATURE:
Bill No. 33-0217-An Act authorizing the Department of Property and Procurement in conjunction with other agencies to refurbish the building located at No. 1 Norre Gade on the island of St. Thomas and convert it into public restrooms to be used by the public, including tourists.
Bill No.33-0102-An Act amending the VI Code relating to the valedictorian and salutatorian awards by including graduates of the Adult Education Center among those eligible to receive scholarships as valedictorian and salutatorian; and a section pertaining to scholarship grants to increase the scholarship’s maximum amounts for undergraduate and graduate scholarships; and amending Act No. 8245 relating to appropriations for the valedictorian and the salutatorian awards to consolidate them into one line item in the annual budget and a combined appropriation.
Bill No. 33-0035-An Act amending the VI Code authorizing the Government of the VI, its departments, bureaus, agencies, and instrumentalities to implement flextime or staggered time.
Bill No. 33-0054-An Act amending the VI Code pertaining to Small Business Development. The Legislature recognizes the need to remove barriers to minority and women-owned business enterprises’ participation in Government contracting.
BILLS CONSIDERED AND APPROVED:
Bill No. 33-0103-An Act amending the VI Code by adding sections and providing for learning evaluation of children, postpartum care, and minimum standards of health care for incarcerated women and men by establishing a new procedure for obtaining an initial birth certificate; by prohibiting the use of corporal punishment; providing for paid time off from work so that parents may visit their children’s schools; and providing that individual health care facilities hire discharge planners not later than January 2020.
Bill No. 33-0111-An Act amending the VI Code, to define waste tire and to the functions of Waste Management Authority to authorize it to assess penalties relating to the disposal of waste tires to require the Waste Management Authority to designate waste tire disposal sites throughout the Territory, to establish a tire disposal fee, to require a permit for retailers to collect, store and dispose of waste tires, to assess penalties, and to create the Waste Tire Management and Disposal Fund. Amending a section of the Code relating to the denial, suspension, and revocation of business licenses to direct the Commissioner of Licensing and Consumer Affairs to refuse to renew a license for failure to pay outstanding penalties assessed by the Waste Management Authority for waste tire violation; to require excise taxes on pneumatic tires, inner tubes and solid tires for motor vehicles, and to require Vehicle Tire taxes to be deposited into the Waste Tire Management and Disposal Fund.
Bill No. 33-0115-An Act amending the VI Code by inserting a section relating to the transfer of the VI Labor-Management Committee as a division within the Public Employees’ Relations Board.
Bill No. 33-0198-An Act amending the VI Code relating to the importation of snakes, to increase the penalty for the illegal importation of snakes and imposing penalties for the importation of animals or species not indigenous to the VI which may pose a threat to the ecosystem of the VI or the people of the VI; and amending a section relating to prohibition on importing of animals to prevent the disease from requiring animals entering the Territory to have a valid certificate of veterinary inspection, and to subject any animal entering the Territory without a certificate of inspection to quarantine.
Bill No. 33-0210–An Act amending sections of the VI Code by establishing minimum criteria for the VI Water and Power Authority Governing Board and changing the number of its members.
Bill No. 33-0211-An Act amending the VI Code by establishing minimum criteria for Public Services Commission members and changing the number of its members.
Bill No. 33-0223-An Act amending the VI Code by requiring that the Commissioner of the VI Department of Labor approve any proposed Youth Transitional Employment Program within three (3) months after receipt of the application; authorizing the Commissioner of the Department of Labor to use funding from the Youth Transitional Employment Program to hire a fulltime coordinator for the Program, and providing for other related purposes.
Bill No. 33-0246-An Act amending the VI Code relating to maternal mental health.
Bill No. 33-0254-An Act authorizing the VI Water and Power Authority to use the unexpended balance from the $1,200,000 appropriated for the Estate Bovoni Waterline Expansion Project.
Bill No. 33-0358-An Act authorizing the transfer of Government-owned real property located at #51 Hannah’s Rest, Frederiksted, St. Croix owned by the VI Water and Power Authority to the VI Police Department for the construction of a police station in Frederiksted, St. Croix, and for other related purposes.
Bill No. 33-0267– An Act to amend the VI Code relating to the powers of the VI Board for Career and Technical Education to strengthen and expand the pathways to career readiness currently available for students in the public high schools of the VI and to build on the career and technical (vocational) education program that allows high school students to gain exposure in their desired vocational career field, obtain national qualifications, and incentivize qualified local businesses territory-wide to participate; and to give the Board for Career and Technical Education and the Department of Education until the following school year to develop and implement the Program
Bill No. 33-0269-An Act amending the VI Code related to the Department of Property and Procurement.
Bill No. 33-0272-An Act amending the VI Code relating to public utilities adding sections to enact the VI Ratepayers’ Bill of Rights; relating to powers of the Public Services Commission; to authorize the Public Services Commission to resolve ratepayers’ complaints; and relating to powers of the VI Water and Power Authority to require the Authority to comply with the VI Ratepayers’ Bill of Rights
Bill No. 33-0299 – An Act amending the VI Code relating to powers of the Enterprise Zone Commission to expand its Authority; to designate the South Shore of St. Croix as an Enterprise Zone; adding subchapter IIIA to govern the VI South Shore Trade Zone.
Bill No. 33-0300-An Act amending the VI Code to establish a numerical limitation on the licenses issued for gasoline stations to take effect in five years and impose a five-year, Territory-wide moratorium on the issuance of business licenses for gasoline stations. The Bill was removed from the agenda for further amendments.
Bill No. 33-0325-An Act amending the VI Code to emergencies and major disasters to prohibit unconscionable pricing of goods and services during a declaration of a state of emergency.
Bill No. 33-0342 – An Act to amend the VI Code relating to new definitions that govern the chapter pertaining to the duties of the members of the V.I. Government Hospitals Corporation and for other related purposes accordingly.
BILLS TO BE CONSIDERED AND APPROVED ON TUESDAY:
Bill No. 33-0343 – An Act to amend the VI Code establishing minimum criteria for members of the VI Government and Health Facilities Corporation Board, decreasing the number of its members, and increasing the stipend of its board members.
Bill No. 33-0346-An Act establishing a Management and Oversight Review Committee for the VI Water and Power Authority.
Bill No. 33-0347-An Act amending the VI Code to provide scholarship benefits for persons receiving home instruction, to provide for a two-year licensure period; to repeal provisions that have become obsolete; allow physician assistants to prescribe, dispense, and administer narcotic drugs and non-narcotic drugs to the extent delegated by a physician.
The rest of the session was suspended upon the Majority Leader’s call, Sen. Mavin Blyden, and placed on the next open schedule.
Senators at Friday’s Legislative Session were President Novelle Francis Jr., Donna Frett-Gregory, Kenneth Gittens, Allison DeGazon, Janelle Sarauw, Marvin Blyden, Dwayne DeGraff, Stedmann Hodge, Steven Payne, Sr., Oakland Benta, Kurt Vialet. Maron Jackson, Alicia Barnes, Athneil “Bobby” Thomas, and Javan James, Sr.
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