Sen. Lorraine Berry said Monday the League of Women Voters should take the lead on a review of Act 4440 – the territory's public employee labor relations law.
In an address to the monthly league luncheon, Berry said the act, which is mandated to conform more with national labor relations law by next June, needs to be reviewed by a non-political entity.
League board member Edith Bornn reminded Berry that the league had strongly opposed the bill when it was enacted in 1980.
Bornn said the league was "horrified" by it when the bill was enacted, finishing with, "And we have paid for it ever since."
Bornn asked Berry, "What are you going to do about it?"
Berry said she was officially asking the league to look at the pros and cons of the law and compare it with federal benefits.
"We will take it (suggestions) under consideration," Berry said. "This is something we have to deal with as a government and as a people."
Berry, who chairs the Legislature's Finance Committee, had been invited to discuss the Fiscal Year 2000 budget, the governor's reorganization plan and the general state of Virgin Islands finances.
The senator said a bloated public sector, inadequate collections, taxpayer flight and abuse of Act 4440 all contributed to the dismal state of the territory's finances, but she added successive administrations have created "an inefficient bureaucracy based on patronage, nepotism and cronyism " that has also contributed to the current crisis.
Two major hurricanes haven't helped, either.
"Society has been brought to normalcy," she said, "but not to recovery."
Berry said she wanted time to come up with a comprehensive approach to the bond issue as opposed to passing the proposal that is set to be considered in a full Senate session Tuesday.
"Requesting a $100 million bond issue for working capital does not do what is necessary to take us out of the crisis we're in," she said.
After the Senate session Tuesday to consider the governor's revised legislation on the issue of floating a bond, Berry's committee faces two very full days of consideration of bills related to the FY 2000 budget.
When asked about two issues related to the budget – the status of the Inspector General's Office and a measure to increase property taxes and use the additional revenues to fund the Education Department – Berry wouldn't say too much.
She did say the Senate was bringing back the plan to make the IG's office independent, which was taken out of the original Government Financial Accountability Act. She said Gov. Charles W. Turnbull had asked for the section on the Bureau of Audit and Control to be removed from the initial comprehensive bill. The bill was then broken into three parts but Turnbull vetoed it anyway, she said.
Berry added that making the Post Audit Division independent is also under consideration.
On the question of property tax increases being used to fund education, Berry said she was not at liberty to discuss what is planned until Wednesday.