Committee on Homeland Security, Justice and Public Safety

The 36th Legislature’s Committee on Homeland Security, Justice and Public Safety will meet on Thursday, September 4, 2025, at 10:00 A.M. in the Frits E. Lawaetz Conference Room on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.

BLOCK I 10:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.

Bill No. 36-0144 – An act amending title 14 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 113 to define and prohibit assault
rifles, ban suppressors and silencers, and requiring safety training for licensed rifles and shotgun holders; prohibiting large-capacity magazines and preventing the illegal sales of firearms, firearm accessories and ammunition

Invited Testifiers:
Honorable Mario Brooks, Commissioner, Virgin Islands Police Department
Honorable Gordon Rhea, Esq., Attorney General of the Virgin Islands, Virgin Islands Department of Justice
Mr. Antonio Emanuel, Director, Office of Gun Violence Prevention, Office of the Governor

BLOCK II 11:15 A.M. – 12:30 P.M.

Bill No. 36-0105 – An act amending title 7 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 13, subchapter III by prohibiting the
possession, sale, or manufacture of tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, delta-6 THC, delta-8 THC and delta- 10 THC products in the Virgin Islands and for other related purposes

Invited Testifiers:
Honorable Mario Brooks, Commissioner, Virgin Islands Police Department
Honorable Gordon Rhea, Esq., Attorney General of the Virgin Islands, Virgin Islands Department of Justice
Honorable Justa Encarnacion, Commissioner, Virgin Islands Department of Health
Honorable Louis E. Petersen, PhD, Commissioner, Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture
Honorable H. Nathalie Hodge, Commissioner, Virgin Islands Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs
Ms. Joanne Moorehead, Executive Director, Virgin Islands Office of Cannabis Regulation
Ms. Riise Richards, Chair, Virgin Islands Industrial Hemp Commission, Deputy Commissioner, VI Department of Agriculture
Mr. Duane Howell, Executive Director, ARCH Institute

LUNCH BREAK 12:30 P.M. – 1:00 P.M.

BLOCK III 1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M.

Bill No. 36-0123 – An act amending title 20 Virgin Islands Code, part II, chapter 43, subchapter I, section 493
making it unlawful for a person who has 0.04 percent or more, by weight, of alcohol in his blood to operate a commercial motor vehicle, and making it unlawful for a person under the age of 21years who has any detectable amount of alcohol in his blood, to operate a motor vehicle

Invited Testifiers:
Honorable Mario M. Brooks, Commissioner, Virgin Islands Police Department
Honorable Gordon Rhea, Esq., Virgin Islands Attorney General, Virgin Islands Department of Justice
Ms. Julie Smith Todman, Esq., Chief Public Defender, Virgin Islands Office of the Public Defender