Sept. 21, 2006 — "I don't know at what time tonight we're going to stop appropriating money," Sen. Usie R. Richards said, after senators spent more than five hours attaching amendments to a new appropriations bill special-ordered onto the floor during Wednesday's full legislative session.
Without the amendments, the bill appropriates approximately $11.5 million to various departments, agencies, organizations and programs.
Of that amount, $6.2 million comes from excess General Fund revenues collected by the government during fiscal year 2006. According to Sen. Louis P. Hill, the bill's sponsor, the General Fund appropriations were included in a supplemental budget bill recently sent down by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull.
Other appropriations made in the bill earmark money from various government fund accounts for specific projects, including $4.5 million from the Transportation Trust Fund for the purchase of Lindqvist Beach on St. Thomas and $775,000 from the Transportation Trust Fund to the Department of Public Works for construction of a wall and gate at the Western Cemetery III.
Some of the amendments added to the bill during Wednesday's session continue to appropriate money from FY 2006, while others also use excess revenues projected for FY 2007.
According to the Legislature's Post Audit staff, the additional appropriations do not increase the amount of funding appropriated in the FY 2007 executive budget, which earmarks approximately $828 million for departments, agencies, programs and various other institutions.
The amendments do, however, almost completely eliminate the amount of excess revenues projected to come in during FY 2007.
At a recent Senate hearing, Hill said members of the government's financial team had adjusted revenue projections upward to $835 million for the next fiscal year. Since senators had appropriated approximately $828 million in the FY 2007 executive budget, he said, there remained approximately $7 million in leftover projected revenues.
However, the amendments approved during Wednesday's session appropriated $6.9 million of that amount for a waterline project on St. Thomas, repairs to the Clinton Phipps Racetrack, school improvement projects, and programs at the University of the Virgin Islands.
Another amendment, sponsored by Sen. Ronald E. Russell, appropriated $5 million from the Transportation Trust Fund to address retroactive pay owed to retirees. Russell said he sponsored the bill to address concerns raised by a group of retired teachers during Tuesday's full Senate session (See "Retired Teachers Want Their Back Pay Now").
Other amendments make appropriations which were "unintentionally" left out of the miscellaneous section of the executive budget. Since senators had put a closed rule on the FY 2007 executive budget bill (prohibiting them from adding any additional amendments), the amendment was tacked onto the appropriations bill when it was special-ordered to the floor during the session.
Senators stopped adding appropriations amendments around 8 p.m. Wednesday, after Hill and Richards said it was time for senators to be "more fiscally responsible."
The total dollar value of the bill is still unclear, however. According to the Legislature's Post Audit staff, a "thorough" analysis of the amendments and funding sources has to be done before a final figure is established.
Senators also have the ability to add more appropriations amendments to an Omnibus bill, which will be considered during another Senate session scheduled for Oct. 3. If additional appropriations are added, the pool of excess revenues projected for FY 2007 will be further reduced.
Despite the uncertainty, senators passed the bill, with Sens. Craig W. Barshinger, Lorraine L. Berry, Roosevelt C. David, Liston Davis, Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, Hill, Shawn-Michael Malone, Richards, Ronald E. Russell and Celestino A. White Sr. voting in favor.
Sen. Neville James voted against the bill, while Sens. Juan Figueroa-Serville, Norman Jn Baptiste and Terrence "Positive" Nelson abstained.
Sen. Pedro "Pete" Encarnacion was absent when the vote was taken.
During the meeting, senators also approved the FY 2007 executive budget, along with the Legislature's $18.9 million operating budget (See "Rules Committee Considers Legislature Budget").
A $26.4 million operating budget for the Supreme Court was also approved, along with a $3 million budget for the Territorial Public Defender and a $429,098 budget for the V.I. Judicial Council.
All bills will go to Turnbull for final approval.
All senators were present during Wednesday's session.
Back Talk

Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.