Anyone who does "any act" that "hampers or impedes" a police officer, firefighter or other first responder, or intentionally interferes with radio and other communications, will risk up to a year in jail and $1,000 in fines, if the governor signs a bill approved by the Legislature Monday.
The Legislature passed an array of bills, nominations and resolutions honoring various Virgin Islanders, including a ballot question on medical marijuana (See Related Links below)
Sens. Judi Buckley and Sammuel Sanes sponsored the measure, which was approved unanimously.
Hotel development on Water Island will be able to benefit from special tax breaks passed in 2011 to help St. Croix hotel development, due to another bill passed Monday. The 2011 Hotel Development Act allowed developers on St. Croix, St. Thomas or St. John to pledge future hotel and casino taxes as loan collateral to help spur development by making it easier to get loans.
Gov. John deJongh Jr. requested legislation to expand the benefits to development on outlying cays and private islands within the U.S. Virgin Islands. In committee hearings, administration officials said the legislation was motivated in part in hopes of enabling a planned hotel on Water Island.
Sen. Nereida “Nellie” Rivera-O’Reilly said she objected to expanding the 2011 act, because it was intended to help St. Croix get investment. She said St. Thomas and St. John already have plenty of hotels and that expanding the previous law weakens its power to help St. Croix.
"There is a reason the Hotel Development Act was passed and I bet you another hotel is build on St. Thomas before a single brick is laid on St. Croix," Rivera-O’Reilly said.
Sen. Clifford Graham proposed an amendment that the Senate approved, adding only Water Island to the original act. "The only island being added is Water Island, which is the only island that has a hotel" proposed right away, Graham said.
Voting for the expansion of the Hotel Development Act of 2011 to include Water Island were Graham, Sens. Donald Cole, Myron Jackson, Shawn-Michael Malone, Clarence Payne and Tregenza Roach. Voting no were O’Reilly, Sanes, Sens. Diane Capehart, Kenneth Gittens and Terrence “Positive” Nelson. Sen. Janette Millin Young abstained. Buckley and Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen were absent.
The Senate passed a bill sponsored by Gittens to abolish pension payments to spouses of deceased governors and lieutenant governors. The Legislature enacted such pensions in 2012, as a late night amendment to an omnibus bill containing an array of unrelated legislative provisions. (See: Senate Increases Tobacco Excise Taxes in ‘Thanksgiving Bill’ in Related Links below)
Also approved was legislation modernizing the language of the law establishing the Board of Dental Examiners and regulating dentistry. Legislation to authorize the government to issue a quitclaim deed for an easement on a 435 square foot piece of property adjacent to Parcel No. 40 CB Estate Taarneberg was also approved. The quitclaim enables a new owner of the adjacent property to have clear and unambiguous road access to their property.
