VI News Reporter 3 years ago
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Senator Francis Heyliger sponsors legislation to repay Government Workers 8% wrongful salary cut

ST. THOMAS, USVI - Senator Alma Francis Heyliger sponsors Bill No. 34-0077 that aims to repay the 8% reduction in salary to Government employees in the 2021 fiscal year. The bill will make employees whole from a wrongful deduction ruling made by the 3rd Circuit Court.

Senator Alma Francis Heyliger made a conscious effort to settle a long-standing battle between the Government workforce and the Central Government of the Virgin Islands. She sponsored an Act amending Act 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. In previous weeks the Governor of the Virgin Islands sent down similar legislation to repay the amount of approximately $38 million to government workers spreading over two fiscal years. Francis Heyliger pointed out the differences, "The Governor wanted to spread it out over two fiscal years and use the excise tax as the funding source. A source that is just coming back online as we are just beginning to collect as it has been in litigation." The Twenty-Ninth Legislature of the Virgin Islands enacted the Virgin Islands Economic Stability Act of 2011. Act No. 7261 reduced by 8% the salaries of all Government employees in the executive and legislative branches. Francis Heyliger explained, "according to words from the executive branch and its representatives, the Government has exceeded revenue collection projections for the Fiscal Year 2021. These are their own words, not mine." With this knowledge, members of the 34th Legislature found it appropriate to utilize the excess revenue collected over the projected amount to be used for FY2021 for repayment of the 8% debt to government employees. "I will be happy when all employees that are owed this debt receive it directly in hand," Senator Francis Heyliger exclaimed. "It will be well deserved as it was deemed an inappropriate thing to do in the first place." Ultimately, the bill will appropriate $36,279,008 to the Office of Management & Budget and $1,720,992 to the Legislature of the Virgin Islands for the repayment of the Virgin Islands Economic Stability Act's debt owed to government employees and requires that the payments be made by December 31, 2021. Monies will be directed to OMB as they handle members of the executive branch while the legislative branch handles payments for its own employees.

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