ST. THOMAS- Members of the 33rd Legislature, led by Senate President Novelle E. Francis, Jr., convened in Legislative Session at the Capitol Building on Friday and voted favorably for nominations, resolutions, and bills. All approved items will be forwarded to the Governor for further consideration.

The nominations are sent to the Legislature of the Virgin Islands by Governor Albert Bryan; set forth from Section (16) of the Revised Organic Act of 1954, and Title 3, Section 65a of the Virgin Islands Code. Senators voted favorably for the following nominations:

• Marion L. Wilson, Licensed Practical Nurse, the Virgin Islands Board of Nurse Licensure St. Croix District
• Marise C. James, Esq., VI Government Hospitals and Health Facilities Corporation
• Dina Perry-Malone, VI Housing Authority Board of Commissioners
• Marvin Pickering, Chairman, Virgin Islands Casino Control Commission District of St. Croix
• Ronan O. David, Esq., Director, Division of Gaming Enforcement
• Kai A. Nielsen Virgin Islands Coastal Zone Management Commission District of St. Croix
• Kai M. Smith Virgin Islands Coastal Zone Management Commission District of St. Thomas/St. John
• Marion L. Wilson Virgin Islands Board of Nurse Licensure Licensed Practical Nurse District of St. Croix
• Tanicia S. Penn, Registered Nurse with Varied Specializations, the Virgin Islands Board of Nurse Licensure
• Arnelle Lewis-Comissiong, Registered Nurse with Varied Specialization, the Virgin Islands Board of Nurse Licensure
• Juliette Petty, Voting Lay Person, the Virgin Islands Board of Nurse Licensure, St. Thomas/St. John District
• E. Aracelis Francis, Ph.D., the Virgin Islands Board of Social Work Licensure, St. Thomas-St. John District
• Juliette M. Millin, the Virgin Islands Board of Social Work Licensure, St. Thomas-St. John District
• Andre’ T. Dorsey, Government Employees Retirement System Board of Trustees, St. Thomas-St. John District

Similarly, policymakers voted favorable for the following measures:

• Bill No. 33-0434 – An Act to rezone Remainder Parcel No. 5 Estate Honduras, No. 8C Southside Quarter, (Residential-Medium Density) to S (Special)
• Bill No. 33-0414 – An Act rezoning Plot No. 2 (Consolidated) Estate Coakley Bay East End Quarter “B”, St. Croix from R-2 (Residential-Low Density-One and Two Family) to R-3 (Residential-Medium Density)
• Bill No. 33-0428 – An Act ratifying the Major Coastal Zone Permits titled The Consolidation of Major Coastal Zone Permit No. CZJ04-14(W) and Major Land Permit CZJ-03-14 (L) and the Letter from Governor Albert Bryan, Jr., to Ms. Chaliese Summers, Managing Member, The Summer’s End Group titled Modification of Consolidated Major Coastal Zone Management Permit Nos. CZJ-04-14(W) & CZJ-03-14 (L); The Summer’s End Group, LLC, dated December 18, 2020
• No.33-0452 – An Act ratifying Minor Coastal Zone Management Permit No. CZJ-04-7-20(W) for Lovango Islands Holdings I, LLP
• Bill No. 33-0041 – An Act amending Title 3, chapter 9 of the Virgin Islands Code by adding a new subchapter establishing requirements for the construction and repair of roads and highways within the Territory of the Virgin Islands
• Bill No. 33-0055 – An Act amending titles 3 and 30 of the Virgin Islands Code, pertaining to the Public Services Commission
• Bill No. 33-0198 – An Act amending Title 14, chapter 7, section 192 of the Virgin Islands Code by increasing the penalty for the illegal importation of snakes and imposing penalties for the importation of animals or species not indigenous to the Virgin Islands which may pose a threat to the ecosystem of the Virgin Islands and the people of the Virgin Islands
• Bill No. 33-0232 – An Act to fully adopt and enact the Uniform Residential Mortgage Satisfaction Act (URMSA)
• Bill No. 33-0250 – An Act amending Title 3, chapter 9, section 134a, subsection (b) of the Virgin Islands Code, relating to the duties of the Department of Public Works, Division of Capital Improvement in administering and coordinating capital improvement projects, to require that a Front-End Engineering and Design is completed for each capital improvement project of the various departments and agencies of the Government of the Virgin Islands before the procurement of engineering and construction services
• Bill No. 33-0303 – An Act amending Title 32 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 21 Article VIX, sections 604 (d), 607 (d) and (e), 610(a) and (c), 625 (a) and (c), 634, 637, and 638 relating to Internet Gaming and Gambling licensing and fees requirements and matters related thereto
• Bill No. 33-0351 – An Act providing an amnesty for property owners who have enclosed or have started to enclose the remaining usable space under their houses without submitting buildings plans to the Department of Planning and Natural Resources for approval or without the issuance of a building permit and the enclosed space or the space to be enclosed does not exceed the boundary of the existing structure
• Bill No. 33-0360 – An Act amending Title 17 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 5 adding a section 41g, implementing and setting the requirements for online learning
• Bill No. 33-0362 – An Act appropriating $900,000 from the St. John Capital Improvement Fund of the Virgin Islands Port Authority for certain improvements to the Lorence Boynes Sr. Ferry Terminal at Cruz Bay, St. John
• Bill No. 33-0364 – An Act amending Title 1, Virgin Islands Code, chapter 7 by inserting section 111 relating to the recognition of indigenous tribes as official tribes of the Virgin Islands, and title 3, Virgin Islands Code, chapter 14 by inserting section 234 creating the Virgin Islands Indigenous Indian Tribe Identification Card
• Bill No. 33-0367 – An Act amending Title 3 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 1, section 27f, to change the composition of the Commission on Aging and its duties and for other related purposes
• Bill No. 33-0369 – An Act authorizing the removal of the copper bust of King Christian IX from the Emancipation Garden and replacing it with the statue of “The Conch Shell Blower” statue and appropriating $20,000 from the St. Thomas Capital Improvement Fund for the removal and replacement of the bust
• Bill No. 33-0376 – An Act requiring the Department of Agriculture to develop a territorial agriculture plan and providing an appropriation of $180,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Agriculture to assist with developing the plan
• Bill No. 33-0433 – An Act amending Title 19 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 34, section 777 (b), relating to the composition of the Cannabis Advisory Board
• Bill No. 33-0435 – An Act amending Act No. 8365, relating to the fiscal year 2021 operating budget for the Government of the Virgin Islands to increase the funding for wage adjustments form $2,623,000; to $9,760,658, to appropriate $18,000.000 to the Single Payer Utility Fund to reduce the operating expenses for the Department of Finance from “$2,091,757 to $1,591,757, to reduce the budget of the Department of Education from $167,807,284 to $164,180,173”; to increase the Department of Public Work’s appropriation for the Abandoned Vehicles Programs in St. Croix and St. Thomas from $25,000 to $75,000; to appropriate an additional $ 75,000 for a St. John Abandoned Vehicles Program, and $400,000 for additional road work; to increase the appropriation for the Nurse Licensure Board form $391,026 to  $536,886; to appropriate of $305,312 as a contribution to the Taxi License Fund; to appropriate $2,000,000 as a contribution to the V.I. Housing Finance Authority; amending Act No. 6366 relating to the 2021 fiscal year operating budget for the University of the Virgin Islands to provide for a direct appropriation for the University and to add an appropriation of $180,000 for preparing an agriculture plan; amending Act No. 8245 relating to fiscal year 2020 operating budget for the Government of the Virgin Islands to make the $10,000,000 appropriation for Retroactive Payment of Retirees Over 65 non-lapsing; and provide for other related purposes
• Bill No. 33-0360 – An Act amending Title 17 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 5 adding a section 41g, implementing and setting the requirements for online learning
• Bill No. 33-0362 – An Act appropriating $900,000 from the St. John Capital Improvement Fund of the Virgin Islands Port Authority for certain improvements to the Lorence Boynes Sr. Ferry Terminal at Cruz Bay, St. John
• Bill No. 33-0364 – An Act amending Title 1, Virgin Islands Code, chapter 7 by inserting section 111 relating to the recognition of indigenous tribes as official tribes of the Virgin Islands, and title 3, Virgin Islands Code, chapter 14 by inserting section 234 creating the Virgin Islands Indigenous Indian Tribe Identification Card
• Bill No. 33-0367 – An Act amending Title 3 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 1, section 27f, to change the composition of the Commission on Aging and its duties and for other related purposes
• Bill No. 33-0369 – An Act authorizing the removal of the copper bust of King Christian IX from the Emancipation Garden and replacing it with the statue of “The Conch Shell Blower” statue and appropriating $20,000 from the St. Thomas Capital Improvement Fund for the removal and replacement of the bust
• Bill No. 33-0374 – An Act amending Title 32 of the Virgin Islands Code relating to the Magen’s Bay Authority Board of Directors of the Magens Bay Authority to change the composition of the Board and the method of appointing members
• Bill No. 33-0376 – An Act requiring the Department of Agriculture to develop a territorial agriculture plan and providing an appropriation of $180,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Agriculture to assist with developing the plan
• Bill No. 33-0433 – An Act amending Title 19 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 34, section 777 (b), relating to the composition of the Cannabis Advisory Board
• Bill No. 33-0435 – An Act amending Act No. 8365, relating to the fiscal year 2021 operating budget for the Government of the Virgin Islands to increase the funding for wage adjustments form $2,623,000; to $9,760,658, to appropriate $18,000.000 to the Single Payer Utility Fund to reduce the operating expenses for the Department of Finance from “$2,091,757 to $1,591,757, to reduce the budget of the Department of Education from $167,807,284 to $164,180,173”; to increase the Department of Public Work’s appropriation for the Abandoned Vehicles Programs in St. Croix and St. Thomas from $25,000 to $75,000; to appropriate an additional $ 75,000 for a St. John Abandoned Vehicles Program, and $400,000 for additional road work; to increase the appropriation for the Nurse Licensure Board form $391,026 to  $536,886; to appropriate of $305,312 as a contribution to the Taxi License Fund; to appropriate $2,000,000 as a contribution to the V.I. Housing Finance Authority; amending Act No. 6366 relating to the 2021 fiscal year operating budget for the University of the Virgin Islands to provide for a direct appropriation for the University and to add an appropriation of $180,000 for preparing an agriculture plan; amending Act No. 8245 relating to fiscal year 2020 operating budget for the Government of the Virgin Islands to make the $10,000,000 appropriation for Retroactive Payment of Retirees Over 65 non-lapsing; and provide for other related purposes
• Bill No. 33-0436 – An Act appropriating $1,665,637 from the St. Croix Capital Improvement Fund to the Virgin Islands Port Authority for the completion of the “Henry E. Rohlsen Improvement and Expansion Project”
• Bill No. 33-0439 – An Act establishing an amnesty period until June 30, 2020, for the waiver of penalties for payment of outstanding income taxes and the waiver of interest and penalties for payment of outstanding gross receipt taxes and real property taxes for all tax years and to require the Director of the Virgin Island Bureau of Internal Revenue to publish information on this amnesty
• Bill No. 33-0220 – An Act providing for the construction of ramps or walkways at least two beaches in each island district that would allow persons with disabilities access to the beaches
• Bill No. 33-0004 – An Act amending the Virgin Islands Code title 3, chapter 5 adding  subchapter III to enact The Virgin Islands Public Art Program Act requiring one percent  of   total capital improvement project costs to be expended for works of art placed in government buildings
• Bill No. 33-0432 – An Act honoring and commending Orville Edward Kean, Ph.D. for his  contributions to the University of the Virgin Islands and the Virgin Islands Community by renaming the University of the Virgin Islands’ Sports and Fitness Center the “Orville Kean Sports and Fitness Center”
• Bill No. 33-0425 – An Act renaming the South Side Road on St. John “The Rudolph A.   ‘Pimpy’ Thomas, Jr. Road” Bill No. 33-0449 A bill amending title 17 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 15 relating to the Virgin Islands Higher Education Scholarship Program to extend eligibility for scholarships to students in the Dual Credit Program
• Bill No. 33-0355 – An Act amending Title 11 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 23, relating to the Small Business Development Agency by adding a section 1266 to provide an income tax deduction to small businesses that employ persons with disabilities
• Bill No. 33-0438 – An Act making an appropriation of $75,000 from the Centennial Special Fund to the Department of Education for the Charlotte Amalie High School’s centennial activities

The following was removed from the agenda:

• Bill No. 33-0269 – An Act amending the Virgin Islands Code, Title 3, chapter 13, section 218, and title 31, chapters 23, 232, sections 236, 236a, 239, and 251 as relating to the Department of Property and Procurement
• Bill No. 33-0374 – An Act amending Title 32 of the Virgin Islands Code relating to the Magen’s Bay Authority Board of Directors of the Magens Bay Authority to change the composition of the Board and the method of appointing members
•  Bill No. 33-0447- An Act amending Title 14 Virgin Islands Code, section 1461 relating to public nuisances by adding paragraph (3) to define public nuisance as including anything that endangers the public peace, health, safety, welfare, economic well-being, or lives and property of citizens of this Territory, and amending section 1462 to establish penalties for actions that endanger public peace, health, and safety, to preserve the lives and property of the people of this Territory during states of emergency
• 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 Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority to the Virgin Islands Police Department for the construction of a police station in Frederiksted, St. Croix and for other related purposes

Legislative Session recessed and will resume on Monday, December 21, 2020.

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