Governor de Jongh Signs Bill 28-0228 Into Law

On Monday, Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr. approved Bill 28-0228 which was passed by the 28th Legislature recently and was due back at the Senate today. 

The first seven sections of the bill were submitted by the de Jongh administration in order to reprogram monies to ensure that certain government departments and agencies meet their budgetary requirements. “These measures will provide the necessary funding to support the Department of Tourism’s efforts at marketing and promoting the territory, the Bureau of Corrections with hiring of new corrections officers, and the V.I. Housing Authority’s renovation of vacant and occupied rental units. In addition, the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center will utilize a portion of the reprogrammed funds to bring its V.I. Water and Power Authority bill up to date,” de Jongh wrote in correspondence which accompanies Act 7168 to the Senate. 

Sections 8 and 9 of the bill, which would allow a greater number of Virgin Islands residents the opportunity to qualify for rebate incentives for installing solar thermal systems were approved. “The V.I. Energy Office has already implemented rebate programs involving solar water heaters, photovoltaic panels, small wind energy systems, Energy-Star-rated appliances and hybrid vehicles. The Administration’s Sun Power Water Heater loan program has proved successful as demonstrated by VIEO’s approval of approximately forty-one loan applications and the current processing of another sixty additional applications. “The aggregate amount of all these loans is approximately $241,890. As you are well-aware, the provider of these services are local vendors and especially those that have made the commitment to renewable energy initiatives and sourcing, further complemented by our green training programs,” de Jongh wrote. He added that the Energy Office continues to work hard at partnering with other departments and agencies as well as individuals and businesses, in order to develop and implement innovate energy savings strategies, which are proven to reduce cost for the government.

Section 11 of the bill simply delays the effective date for the legislatively initiated law that deletes solid waste collection and disposal services as a permissible use for the funds in the St. John Improvement Fund. “The implementation of this law will pose challenges because current V1. Waste Management Authority projects will require another funding source. My Administration has sought creative ways to both maintain the incomparable natural beauty that is a character of St. John while developing appropriate infrastructure to support quality services for the people. The Department of Public Works has worked tirelessly to develop and complete St. John projects funded through the ARRA, bond proceeds (Act Nos. 7081 and 7095), Federal Highway Administration and loca1 funding sources,” the governor wrote. 

He said further that the administration’s capital projects have supported infrastructure development and includes a budget for construction on Route 104 in the amount of $4 million; $150,000 for bus shelters; $200,000 for the fish market; $5.1 million for road re-construction work within the National Park Services road infrastructure, $800,000 for Kings Hill Road, $275,000 for Bethany Road, $364,000 for the Frank Powell revitalization, $1.2 million for Bordeaux Mountain, and $2 million for parking accommodations in Cruz Bay.

Section 12 of the bill enacts a practical provision of law that allows the Virgin Islands Police Department to use a measuring device to determine the degree of tine on car windows for compliance with the law prohibiting tint that reduce visible light transmittance to less than 35%. “I approved this measure as it supports our police officers with daily street side enforcement and ticketing of such violations.”

Section 13 is a measure that "authorizes" the Virgin Islands Superior Court to use up to $200,000 from the Fiscal Year 2010 budget for certain legal fees for judges and magistrates. “I approved this measure as it allows the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court the discretion, to approve or disapprove any amount up to the cap for the described legal action.” 

de Jongh also approved section 10, which provides funding from the Virgin Islands Educational Initiative Fund to the Department of Education in order to foster extracurricular activities, and provide the essential resources for building skills in career and technical fields for the students at the Charlotte Amalie High School, Addelita Cancryn Junior High School, Ivanna Eudora Kean High School and the St. Croix Education Complex. “My administration will continue to support such educational projects that increase our student's skills and preparedness to succeed in the workplace, de Jongh said.

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