VI News Reporter 3 years ago
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Senator Francis Heyliger looking forward to Legislative Session scheduled for Tuesday, August 3, 2021

United States Virgin Islands – On Monday, August 2, 2021, freshman senator, Alma Francis Heyliger, took to the airwaves on a local flagship station AM 1000 to voice her enthusiasm and optimism for the 34th Legislature’s upcoming Legislative Session. This session is scheduled for the Earle B. Ottley Legislative Hall on St. Thomas at 10 a.m. on Tuesday August 2, 2021. Most of the senator’s enthusiasm was aimed at legislation she sponsored in the name of Bill No. 34-0037 an Act amending title 15 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 3, section 89 subsection (b) and (c) relating to decedents estates and payment of certain debts without administration to increase the aggregate amount that a surviving spouse may receive from debtor upon the death of the creditor and to increase the amount the debt a debtor must pay the survivors of a decedent creditor not less than thirty days after the creditor’s death from not more that $5,000 to not more than $10,000. This bill would mark the first solely sponsored legislation that has advance to the floor as Francis Heyliger hopes for the support of her colleagues. “I am hopeful that enough of my fellow senators will be fit to advance this legislation forward,” Heyliger said. “This bill bring relief and avoids the hassle of families having to go through probate, and we all know how difficult and long that process can be.” There are other bills on the agenda that Senator Francis Heyliger supports as listed on the agenda. Bill No. 34-0060 seeks to enact the First-Time Homebuyers Program Act; making an appropriation of $ 4,000,000 from the Internal Revenue Matching Fund to the Homestead and Home Loan Fund and making a $2,000,000 appropriation from the Internal Revenue Matching Fund to the Department of Public Works to construct The Leonardo “Nardo” Trotman Drive. On the agenda that Senator Heyliger expressed support is 34-0076 an Act amending title 5, subtitle 1, part 1 chapter 3, to grant seniors and the terminally ill preference in civil actions. During the committee process the judiciary was concerned about the Legislative Branch encroaching on the day-to-day operations of the judges and magistrates’ authority to set their schedules and run their courtrooms.

Senator Francis Heyliger prefaced her support for Bill 34-0077 with, “the Director of the Office of Management testified before the committee on Finance and pledged that collection and the government accounts were on the upswing and surpassing projections, Heyliger said. “Armed with that knowledge the the legislature put forward legislation to pay back the 8 percent by December 31, 2021”

The act amends Act No.8365, the Fiscal Year 2021 Executive Budget, and Act No. 8348, the Legislature’s Fiscal Year 2021 Budget, to restore the 8% reduction in salaries to the employees of the Government of the Virgin Islands and for other related purposes. 

Bill No. 34-0058 is on the agenda as an Act amending title 17 Virgin islands Code, chapter 34 by adding a subchapter III to establish the Virgin islands Catalyst Fund to provide loans to eligible entities to promote economic resiliency, and to support the retention or creation of jobs, to provide for the University of the Virgin Islands Research and Technology Park Corporation to administer the program and the fund, and to provide criteria for making loans; and making $ 2,000,000 appropriation the Virgin Islands Catalyst Fund and $1,000,000 appropriation to the Economic Development Authority Enterprise Zone Program.

Senator Francis Heyliger made it clear about her nonsupport of this measure as presented. “While I am all for Catalyst Funds the presentation of the program presented already had predetermined beneficiaries of the program and the funds were already earmarked to selected participants,” Francis Heyliger said. “That raised a red flag to me when testimony was given.”

The legislative session will feature the consideration of nominees for various boards and commissions headlined by Ms. Bosede A. Bruce, MBA to lead the Virgin Islands Department of Finance.

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