The Senate Government Operations Committee has granted the green light to one phase of the Governor's Reorganization and Consolidation Act.
The panel, chaired by St. Croix Sen. Gregory Bennerson, voted Wednesday to approve the legislation moving the measure forward.
The proposed legislation seeks to merge the V.I. Housing Authority, Housing Finance Authority and the Housing, Parks and Recreation Department under one new agency to be entitled, "V.I. Housing and Community Redevelopment Authority." Housing, Parks and Recreation would be renamed the Department of Sports, Recreation and Open Spaces. Under provisions of the bill the new authority would be governed by a seven-member board of directors of which two members, appointed by the governor, will represent the private sector and two will be members of the governor's cabinet or executive staff. Three tenants of public housing communities will round out the new authority's board of directors.
During debate on the bill, the Government Operations Committee increased the mandatory number of tenants to serve on the authority's board of directors. The committee's vote to expand the number of tenants on the board came after taking testimony from public housing residents: Evelyn Webster, Gloria Haynes and Wayne Petersen.
Before the final vote was cast by the Government Operations Committee, senators deleted sections of the Governor's Reorganization Plan which have already been enacted in the Fiscal Year 2000 Omnibus Act and the portions of the measure that address economic development issues.
It was noted that several senators are already drafting legislation that deals with the consolidation of the territory's economic development agencies.
The measure will be sent to the Rules Committee.
