After the House of Assembly passed the last of five bills to reform statutory bodies last Thursday, Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley boasted this week that his government has completed …
October 3, 2024
September 19, 2024
House tackling last COI reform
The House of Assembly began tackling its final Commission of Inquiry reform this week as legislators debated the first of five bills designed to improve the governance of five statutory …
September 12, 2024
EDITORIAL: COI reforms must be finished, then followed
We are disappointed that the government and the governor missed their Aug. 31 deadline to complete the Commission of Inquiry reforms, but the delay does not detract from the extensive …
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August 29, 2024
Governor signs off on public aid reform
Struggling residents will have new ways to get help under a law that received assent from Governor Daniel Pruce on Aug. 22, government announced. An amendment to the Public Assistance …
August 20, 2024
EDITORIAL: Opposition should stop resisting COI reforms
For decades, successive Virgin Islands governments have shamelessly wasted the public’s money by awarding pork-barrel contracts to cronies and other unqualified bidders. Last month, a divided House of Assembly barely …
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July 22, 2024
EDITORIAL: Recent assistance reforms a good starting point
Kudos to the House of Assembly for passing legislation this month to help reform social assistance in the territory. But leaders must not stop now. The Public Assistance (Amendment) Bill, …
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April 11, 2024
HOA votes to change Register of Interests
House of Assembly members voted this week to make changes to their Register of Interests, but the extent of those changes is not clear because a bill they passed Tuesday …
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March 25, 2024
Bill keeps restrictions on interests register
When lawmakers voted in July 2022 to make the Register of Interests public as advised by the Commission of Inquiry, they also added several viewing restrictions that drew strong criticism …
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March 15, 2024
QEII Park roadwork at standstill
The Public Works Department spent $180,743 on roadwork alongside the Queen Elizabeth II Park before workers discovered shallow utility lines and a high water table that have stalled the project, …
March 11, 2024
Immigration Policy keeps 20-year rule the COI deemed ‘unlawful,’ but law could change soon to match it
The government’s new Immigration Policy keeps in place a 20-year residency requirement for belongership applicants that the Commission of Inquiry previously deemed “unlawful” under the Immigration and Passport Act. However, …
February 29, 2024
Money laundering report brings threat of ‘grey list’
A major international report released Monday raises serious concerns about the territory’s ability to deal with money laundering and other financial crime, leading one expert to warn that “red lights” …
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February 2, 2024
Ex-minister says United Kingdom fell ‘short’ on overseas territories
LONDON — Britain has “fallen short” in the way it deals with the Virgin Islands and other overseas territories, former United Kingdom OT Minister Lord Zac Goldsmith has warned. In …
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January 11, 2024
Premier fumes as governor seeks new powers
Governor John Rankin drew the ire of elected leaders last week when he announced plans to seek additional powers to push through delayed Commission of Inquiry reforms. Premier Dr. Natalio …
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November 11, 2023
Premier: 24 of 50 COI recs complete
Works to implement the Commission of Inquiry reforms are still progressing steadily, according to Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley. As of September, 24 of 50 recommendations from last year’s COI …
October 5, 2023
Guv upbeat on COI reforms, but says more work needed
Important progress has been made on governance reforms recommended last year by the Commission of Inquiry, but much more work is needed to ensure that they will “take root” by …
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July 27, 2023
Premier defends progress of COI reforms
Despite the recent change in overseas territory ministerial leadership and the pending change of governor early next year, Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley said on July 25 that progress on …
June 15, 2023
Rankin: COI reform progress ‘still too slow’
Virgin Islands leaders will have to speed up governance reforms to meet an important May 2024 deadline, Governor John Rankin said on June 9 while giving an update on his …
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February 17, 2023
COI reforms ‘slower than expected,’ governor says
Despite substantive progress in completing the ongoing reforms recommended by the Commission of Inquiry, the “overall pace of the process is slower than expected,” Governor John Rankin said this week …
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December 16, 2022
13 Commission of Inquiry reforms complete as of unit’s latest report
Thirteen of the 50 reform measures government promised following the Commission of Inquiry were complete by the end of October, with 35 more in progress and two scheduled to start …
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August 11, 2022
Governor: Commission of Inquiry reforms still on track
Despite a few delays in recent weeks, Governor John Rankin said yesterday that he has “no major concerns” with the government’s progress toward its commitment to implement a series of …
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June 16, 2022
Reform proposal includes dozens of deadlines
Along with the broader governance reforms laid out in the proposal, the National Unity Government committed to an extensive list of deadlines for carrying out recommendations included in the Commission …
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