Sept. 25, 2006 — After making it through two months of hearings, weeks of deliberation and two days of late-night legislative sessions, executive budget bills have finally cleared the full Senate and gone to the governor for approval.
Gov. Charles W. Turnbull will get bills for the 2007 fiscal year totaling $829.1 million, according to the Legislature's post-audit staff. Sen. Louis P. Hill, chair of the finance committee, says he "hand delivered" the bills to Government House late Friday afternoon.
"I wanted to ensure that the budget was received and that the governor had adequate time to go through it and act on it by Oct. 1," Hill said in an interview Monday.
Calls made Monday for comments on the budget to James O'Bryan, St. Thomas administrator, and Government House were not returned.
The bills include budget appropriations for central government departments and agencies, the territory's two hospitals, and the government's semi-autonomous institutions, such as the University of the Virgin Islands. Some of the budget bills also make contributions from various government accounts to departments, agencies, organizations and the General Fund.
The Legislature's $18.9 million operating budget is also included, along with a $26.4 million budget for the Superior Court.
Turnbull has three options now that the bills have been delivered, Hill said. "He could either approve the budget, veto it, or not act on it at all." If Turnbull chooses not to sign the bills within the next eight days, Hill said, the budget "automatically" becomes law.
The governor has 10 business days to approve or veto bills once they arrive at Government House from the Legislature.
Many majority senators have described the executive budget as "sound" and "conservative."
"I'm very pleased with the budget, and I'm confident that it works within the revenue projections," Hill said. During a Senate meeting earlier this month, Hill revealed that the government's financial team had recently adjusted the territory's revenue projections upward. Revenue projections may increase again before the end of the 2007 fiscal year, according to Hill.
Hill expressed pride in many appropriations, such as $40 million earmarked for the Government Employee's Retirement System and $10 million to set up the government's "rainy-day fund."
During the budget markup process Aug. 24 to Sept. 6, Hill said, a majority of senators took time to prioritize the budget, adding new appropriations for health care and capital projects, among other things. Departments and agencies across the board received additional funds to pay utility bills, he said.
"I'm also pleased with the appropriations we included in the miscellaneous section of the budget, which targets various social and youth programs," Hill said.
According to the Legislature's post-audit staff, the miscellaneous section has a final total of approximately $192.1 million.
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