Senate Panel Advances 17 Bills, Including Pension Cap, Custody Consent Reform, and Sanitation Law Overhaul

Rules and Judiciary approved 17 bills ahead of Friday's session, including legislation redefining consent in police custody, capping gubernatorial pensions, raising sanitation fines, and establishing a Virgin Islands Gun Violence Awareness Week.

Seventeen bills previously heard in their relevant committees of jurisdiction were vetted by members of the Committee on Rules and Judiciary on Wednesday. All seventeen measures were successful.

Among them was Bill 36-0024, which amends Virgin Islands Code to declare a person incapable of consent to sexual relations while the person is in police custody. An amendment to that bill, in part, changes the language from police officer to law enforcement official. “That would cover the full spectrum to cover individuals who are working in the penitentiary as well,” explained Senator Angel Bolques Jr., who made the amendment. Additions to the bill also speak to “traffic stops and questioning pursuant to an investigation after persons are detained.”

Bolques also made amendments to Bill 36-0043, which seeks to raise fines for sanitation offenses to as much as $900 in the first instance. “You'll notice that the amounts have lowered [from the bill's original language], so they're not as high as they were before,” Mr. Bolques stated. “It introduces a risk-based inspection framework. This measure ensures that violations are addressed fairly and proportionately based on the actual threat that they pose to public health,” he declared. The amendment gives the Department of Health “clear authority to act swiftly in the case of an imminent health hazard” as well.

Senator Ray Fonseca, meanwhile, has promised to introduce additional legislation to address “what could be sanitation violations” by the Government of the Virgin Islands.