The 36th Legislature voted 14-0 Wednesday to rescind raises for the governor, lieutenant governor and other high-ranking government employees recommended by the V.I. Public Officials Compensation Commission.
Sen. Carla Joseph was counted as absent.
The vote came two days after lawmakers convened a Committee of the Whole to consider the measure, which was introduced by Sen. Alma Francis Heyliger Monday as a response to the territory’s financial struggles and the need “to make sure that when you decide to give individual raises, they’re actually tied to performance as opposed to doing things because people feel they’re entitled to them.” Though none of the invited testifiers from the executive branch of the Virgin Islands government attended the hearing, most lawmakers stated their intent to pass the measure when it came up in session.
On Wednesday, Francis Heyliger introduced an unopposed substituting amendment declaring the VIPOCC’s recommendations “null and void” and rescinding any raises that have been implemented. Further, any funds already paid to government officials pursuant to the commission’s recommendations must be returned to the territory’s General Fund within 30 days of the bill being enacted.
As amended, the bill also cited Section 20 of the Revised Organic Act.
“The Legislature of the Virgin Islands has the exclusive authority to prescribe the laws of the salaries and travel allowances of the governor, lieutenant governor and heads of the Executive departments, other officers and employees of the Government of the Virgin Islands and members of the Legislature,” Francis Heyliger read.
Sens. Clifford Joseph, Avery Lewis, Franklin Johnson, Marvin Blyden, Marise James, Ray Fonseca, Senate President Milton Potter, Senate Majority Leader Kurt Vialet, Senate Minority Leader Dwayne DeGraff, and Senate Vice President Kenneth Gittens cosponsored the measure.
Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. has repeatedly defended the commission’s work and the legality of the raises’ implementation. On Tuesday, Government House released a statement noting that the Legislature failed to act on the VIPOCC’s findings for months and instead “has taken a reactionary and punitive stance towards its own legislative mandate, unnecessarily creating a political spectacle.”
Bryan called Monday’s hearing “a total waste of the community’s time and an unnecessary distraction,” according to the statement.
“It is very disappointing to see members of the Legislature capitalizing on public sentiment for political gain. Tell the people the truth — you excluded the governor from the process and then failed to execute the procedure created by your own branch,” he said.
