Month: February 2020

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Nominations and Bills Forwarded to Full Body

ST. THOMAS – Members of the Committee on Rules and Judiciary, chaired by Sen. Janelle K. Sarauw, convened in a meeting at the Capitol Building on Thursday and voted favorably for nominations of Enrique Rodriquez and Pamela Montegut to serve on the Virgin Islands Historic Preservation Commission in the St. Thomas-St. John District; and Dr. Noreen Michael, Ph.D. for the Virgin Islands Housing Authority Board of Commissioners (VIHA). The nominations were sent by the Governor by virtue of the Revised Organic Act of 1954, and Title 3, Section 65a of the Virgin Islands Code. Senators also voted and approved several bills. All items will be forwarded to the Full Body for further vetting.

Nominee Rodriquez expressed a vested interest in the preservation of Charlotte Amalie and to create additional parking in town. Some of Rodriquez’s accomplishments as President of the St. Thomas Historical Trust include obtaining non-profit status and identifying funding through Trust License plates. Nominee Montegut stated that her goal is to market Charlotte Amalie as a renowned historical tourism destination. Montegut mentioned that attracting new tourists with a love for history will bring the Virgin Islands into the same economic realm as historical cities such as Boston and Georgetown. Sen. Sarauw recommended that the nominees add to their agenda, streamlining the process for public access to use historical sites such as Fort Christian. Collectively, policymakers requested the nominees to address the challenges of derelict or abandoned buildings and to ensure the inclusion of the entire history of the Virgin Islands. Subsequently, Nominee Michael defended her re-nomination to VIHA Board of Commissioners vowing to continue to fulfill the mission of VIHA and to advocate for housing residents and persons on the Housing Choice Voucher Program. Previously, she served on the Board for six years.

Separately, lawmakers voted to hold in committee, two measures proposed by Sen. Alicia Barnes and Sen. Kenneth Gittens: Bill No. 33-0210- to establish a minimum criterion for the V.I. Water and Power Authority Governing Board (WAPA) and changing the number of its members; and Bill No. 33-0211- to develop a minimum criterion for the Public Services Commission (PSC) members and changing the number of its members. Sen. Barnes stated that selecting qualified individuals to serve on the Boards is the first step to addressing challenges plaguing WAPA and the PSC. Similarly, Sen. Gittens noted that the measures are one piece to the puzzle especially since WAPA seems to have a management problem. Conversely, Anthony Thomas, Chairman of the Governing Board of WAPA noted that the legislation is “attempting to fix a problem that does not exist.”

Accordingly, senators voted and approved the following measures:

  • Bill No. 33-0137- An Act authorizing the V.I. Bureau of Economic Research, the V.I. Department of Planning and Natural Resources, and the V.I. Economic Development Authority to create a plan to assist the U.S.V.I. in developing a sustainable blue economy within the Territory.
  • Bill No. 33-0102- An Act amending Title 17, chapter 15, section 190u and 476 of the Virgin Islands Code by including graduates of the Adult Education Center among those eligible to receive scholarships as valedictorian and salutatorian.
  •  Bill No. 33-0132- An Act amending Title 3, chapter 27, section 715 of the Virgin Islands Code to strengthen the Board of the Government Employees Retirement System (GERS) by requiring greater expertise among Board members.
  •  Bill No. 33-0273- An Act amending Title 9, chapter 25 and Title 29 chapter 12 of the Virgin Islands Code relating to personnel hiring requirements for International Financial Service Entities to operate international financial services and to receive tax incentive benefits under the International Banking Center Regulatory Act and the Economic Development Program to amend the hiring requirements for receipt of tax incentive benefit.

A Madras Vision for The U.S. Virgin Islands Townhall Meeting

ST. THOMAS – Members of the Committee on Culture, Historic Preservation and Aging chaired by Sen. Myron Jackson held a Town Hall meeting at the Capitol Building on Tuesday in which the public was invited to discuss Bill No. 33-0226: An Act amending Title 1, chapter 7 of the Virgin Islands Code to establish the official madras of the Virgin Islands of the United States.

“Madras is a cultural cloth that has been used in the Virgin Islands for over 300 years. There are various uses for madras because it is an important component to our culture,” said Sen. Jackson. “It is worn as a headwrap, dress or a costume during cultural events. Madras is also used for décor such as tablecloths and is often the attire of cultural dolls.”

The measure seeks to establish the official madras of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The madras is a lightweight woven patterned plaid that is designed with colors such as yellow, white, red, navy blue, pink, green, and turquoise. The colors represent the natural beauty of the Territory.

The reoccurring theme during the Town Hall meeting was that “Madras is a cloth that binds us together.” Debbie Sun, Owner of Debbie Sun Design Studio was the artist who designed the madras in collaboration with the St. Croix Heritage Dancers along with Mary Dema of the Christiansted Community Alliance. Sun indicated that this is the moment to contribute to the culture and celebration of the identity of the Virgin Islands. “This project reflects our past, present, and future. If this legislation is approved, the official madras of the Virgin Islands will be a part of our culture and history for generations to come,” Sun said.

Similarly, Joseph Bess, Doctoral Student at the University of the Virgin Islands said, “Fashion is a direct indication of your culture. The research that I am doing is because I wanted to dig deeper into our culture and have symbolism that represents us. Culture is not just the food, it’s also fashion. Madras is a way that says although our ancestors suffered, we are their descendants and that is beautiful.”

Other panelists included artist Stephanie Chalana Brown and historian Larry Larsen. At a similar Town Hall meeting on St. Croix the day before, Alvin Milligan, St. Croix Heritage Dancers board member and Shamari Haynes, Division of Festivals assistant director and former troupe leader, also shared their support for the bill.

Sen. Marvin Blyden shared his remarks. “Cultural identity is critical to any society. We need to ensure that when we leave this earth, our culture stays intact. The culture of the Virgin Islands is very rich. The madras representing the Territory is beautiful and impressive.”

He was joined in attendance by Senators Javan James, Stedmann Hodge, Athneil “Bobby” Thomas, Oakland Benta, Steven Payne. Senator Alicia Barnes participated in the meeting on St. Croix. A Town Hall meeting is scheduled for St. John for Monday, March 2, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. at the St. John Legislature.

Senators Vet Agriculture Bills and Updated on The Department of Agriculture Operations

ST. THOMAS- Members of the Committee on Economic Development, Regulations and Agriculture chaired by Sen. Allison DeGazon convened in a meeting at the Capitol Building on Tuesday and voted on two bills regarding water catchments and the V.I. Agricultural Caribbean Symposium. Lawmakers were also updated on the status of operations for the Department of Agriculture (DOA). All approved items will be forwarded to the Committee on Rules and Judiciary for further consideration.

Senators voted to hold in committee: Bill No. 33-0229- An act amending title 3, chapter 17, section 291 of the Virgin Islands Code by replacing supervision and control of existing water catchment areas under the Department of Agriculture to be used for agricultural purposes; and amending Title 30, chapter 3, subchapter II, section 66 of the Virgin Islands Code, by relieving the Commissioner of Health from the responsibility for protection of water catchment areas and placing the responsibility upon the Commissioner of Agriculture. Sponsor of the bill, Sen. Dwayne DeGraff said, “There are great water facilities holding stagnant water and garnering mosquitos that can be repurposed for agriculture. The bill is simple, to turn over the water catchments to the Department of Agriculture.”

On the contrary, the DOA Commissioner Positive Nelson noted that because of the necessary requirements to maintain water catchments it is best to give oversight to the V.I. Water and Power Authority and the V.I. Fire Department; not DOA. Furthermore, Commissioner Nelson stated that transferring the responsibility to DOA without addressing the physical condition of the facilities is not conducive. Presently, each water catchment requires maintenance, cleaning, the protection, testing, portability, and onsite storage. Moreover, the Department of Health (DOH) Assistant Commissioner Nicole Syms recommended that DOH maintains authority with rights of usage to DOA especially if water receptacles are placed by nearby farms. “It would take a tremendous effort to restore water catchments in its present state. Financially, this is not feasible. It is more cost-effective to use portable water,” Sen. Kurt Vialet said. However, Sen. DeGazon indicated that portable water should be tested prior to use. “I do not support using portable water because when I watered my seeds with it, they died. It is important to conduct a study as to why plants watered with cistern water survive vs. the adverse effect of portable water.”

Separately, Commissioner Nelson shared an update on the operations of DOA. To date, DOA expended 24% or $43,442 out of $4,596,880 appropriated for the FY 2020 budget. DOA is recruiting to fill vacancies to include a Heavy Equipment Mechanic and a Forest Stewardship Coordinator. As of February 14th, Abattoirs are on a 120-day voluntary suspension. In response to Sen. Alicia Barnes’s inquiry regarding the reason for the suspension, Commissioner Nelson noted that the Abattoirs received seventeen Non-Regulatory Citations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and DOA is currently addressing challenges.

Lastly, senators voted favorably for Bill No. 33-0249- An Act amending Title 7, Chapter I, Subchapter II, section 9 of the Virgin Islands Code by adding a new subsection (i) mandating the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Tourism to host an Agricultural symposium known as the V.I Agricultural Caribbean Symposium, alternately and annually on the islands of St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John. The bill was proposed by Sen. Javan James, Sr. and Sen. DeGazon. “We are now going to take agriculture to another level which is to host a conference where people from all over the world can learn about agriculture in the Territory. The goal is to turn this into an agri-business conference and showcase local cuisine and produce,” Sen. DeGazon said.

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