For the first time in a while, the Senate’s full session agenda wrapped well before dark set in, and only one new appropriations amendment — attempting to pull $250,000 from General Fund for outstanding expenses of the Fifth Constitutional Convention — made it onto the designated Christmas tree bill.
Before the bill, which shuffles around previously-allocated Community Development Block Grant funds for building rehabilitation projects on St. Thomas and St. Croix, made its debut at the end of the day, Senate President Louis P. Hill said senators would be able to stick on one amendment each. A couple were reprogrammings, putting unused money from previous appropriations toward the hiring of 25 new Bureau of Corrections officers, along with the purchase of lockers for St. Croix Central High School and maintenance/upgrades for the school’s gym.
A similar amendment from Sen. Usie R. Richards puts money left over from V.I. Housing Authority renovations toward the refurbishing of dilapidated housing units on St. Croix. Richards explained that not all of the money was spent on St. Thomas-St. John, and could now be put toward fixing up some units on St. Croix that residents are currently living in.
The rest were either policy changes or clarifications to laws already on the books. One amendment from Sen. Celestino A. White Sr. reduced the number of resident commissioners on the V.I Housing Authority’s board to two and mandated that all board members complete a "nationally recognized training course" to help them carry out their duties.
White explained later that the Legislature had previously reduced the number of VIHA board members from nine to seven, and now sought to reconcile the ratio of resident commissioners — private citizens living in the housing communities regulated by the authority — along with making sure the executive director of the V.I. Housing Finance Authority, which recently inherited the housing components under Housing, Parks and Recreation, gets a seat on the board.
Another amendment from Sen. Carlton "Ital" Dowe changes language in the fiscal year 2010 budget to make sure $7.5 million earmarked for pending union negotiations can be released by the Office of Management and Budget. Dowe explained that the money was line-itemed for the Division of Personnel but needed to be sent straight to the General Fund so the unions could get their money, which he said OMB would be able to allocate by the end of the month.
Contracts covered by the money include the: International Association of Firefighters (supervisors and fire fighters), Seafarers International (for hospital security guards, public health physicians, dentists and assistant attorneys general), American Federation of Teachers, Education Administrators Association, Police Benevolent Association and Licensed Practical Nurses.
An amendment from Hill removes the requirement for new business owners to get tax clearance letters from the Bureau of Internal Revenue and Division of Corporations and Trademarks before opening their doors to the public.
"In these tough economic times, we want businesses to be able to set up as quickly as possible," Hill said.
Another of Dowe’s amendments sets up an E-Rate Reimbursement Trust Fund under the Finance Department that will give the Education Department easy access to fees paid by Innovative Telephone into the Federal Communications Commission’s Universal Service Fund, which helps to subsidize internet access in schools, along with various other technology projects.
Speaking after the session, Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone said Education usually takes money for its E-Rate projects out of the General Fund, which is then reimbursed by the federal government. If the amendment is signed into law, those reimbursements will go straight into the new fund, along with any other contributions, donations or appropriations made by the Legislature, he said.
In the meanwhile, another amendment from Richards updated the territory’s uniform rules of evidence — the guidelines set by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws for the drafting and adoption of standard laws for the states and territories.
The bill as amended passed on a unanimous vote, with Sens. Craig W. Barshinger, Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, Hill, Neville James, Wayne James, Malone, Terrence "Positive" Nelson, Richards, Sammuel Sanes, Patrick Simeon Sprauve, Michael Thurland, White and Alvin L. Williams.
Sen. Nereida Rivera-O’Reilly was absent at roll call.