Jan. 23, 2002 – Six weeks after a law took effect requiring government agencies to have real, live people answer the telephone during business hours, a lot of departments were still using machines, according to Sen. Celestino A. White Sr.
In strongly worded letters he sent to the governor and heads of various departments and agencies, White, the Senate majority leader, blasted the administration for its failure to implement Act No. 6473, which calls for a person, rather than a machine, to respond to incoming phone calls on the agencies' main numbers.
White wrote that his complaint was based on two samplings of telephone response his office did, on Dec. 6 and Jan. 10, as well as feedback from unhappy constituents. "My staff conducted a survey of most government agencies, and a substantial number were in non-compliance with the newly enacted law," he said.
The Legislature passed the measure on Nov. 8 and Gov. Charles W. Turnbull signed it into law on Nov. 27, White stated in his letters, dated Jan. 18.
Saying he was flabbergasted and amazed by the non-compliance, White said his bill "was prompted by an outcry from the community, particularly the elderly, to have the executive branch agencies more responsive to citizen concerns."
In his letter to Turnbull, White asked that the administration "police itself for compliance" with the law and that "your office monitor each department and encourage adherence with the new law."
In the Dec. 6 survey conducted by his staff, White said, of calls placed to the main numbers of 25 agencies on St. Thomas, machines answered 11; and of those placed to 19 agencies on St. Croix, machines answered four. On Jan. 10, he said, calls were made to a total of 26 agencies on both islands, and 10 were answered by machines.
Answering by machine in December, White said, were the Agriculture Department on St. Croix, Education Department on St. Thomas, Human Services Department on St. Thomas, Inspector General's Office on St. Thomas, Juan Luis Hospital, Labor Department on both islands, Roy L. Schneider Hospital, Office of Management and Budget on St. Thomas, Public Works Department on St. Croix, V.I. Housing Authority on both islands, V.I. Lottery on St. Thomas and the Water and Power Authority on St. Thomas.
In the Jan. 10 survey, White said, the only changes recorded were replacement of machines by people for the V.I. Housing Authority and the Office of Management and Budget, both on St. Thomas.
