Committee Advances Bill Assembling the Sixth Constitutional Convention

Though five failed attempts precede it, the Government Operations and Consumer Affairs Committee forwarded legislation Wednesday in hopes of establishing a Sixth Constitutional Convention of the Virgin Islands for the purpose of drafting a U.S. Virgin Islands Constitution.

“Yes, we have had five failed conventions. But to learn from the past failures is to embrace the complexity,” said non-committee member Sen. Janelle Sarauw, who sponsored the bill with Sen. Genevieve Whitaker.

The last attempt Virgin Islanders took at writing their own constitution was nearly ten years ago in 2012, with the largest push towards the effort happening predominantly in the 70s — 1965, 1972, 1978 and 1980. Should the legislation be signed into law, it stipulates the Constitutional Convention would be required to draft a proposed constitution by the end of October 2023, and if the constitution is adopted it would be enacted on March 31, 2025.

While the endeavor has been marred over the years by the failed attempts, Virgin Islanders have not changed their minds about wanting a constitution specific to the territory – the legislation itself reading “that the people of the Virgin Islands continue to favor a constitution for the territory as a significant step forward in internal self-government.”

Upon adoption of the law, the convention would have both the duty and authority to draft and finalize a proposed Constitution of the Virgin Islands and if accepted by Congress, put to rest a decades-old undertaking. But they don’t have to do it all from scratch.

The bill dictates the ability to “use, revise, modify, substitute, or delete parts” of both the Revised Organic Act of 1954 and the 5th Constitutional Convention draft document.