After hours of public debate followed by similarly lengthy closed-door deliberations, the House of Assembly passed a bill on Tuesday that would legalise the production and use of medical marijuana …
July 3, 2020
July 3, 2020
Food security, sustainability bill in works
Sustainable food production in the Virgin Islands has been a hot topic since long before the emergence of Covid-19, and legislators are crafting a new bill to comprehensively address it. …
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July 1, 2020
JVD ferry terminal nears completion
Visitors to and from Jost Van Dyke should soon be able to travel in greater comfort with the anticipated opening of the Dog Hole ferry terminal by July 31. “The …
July 1, 2020
Community centres to be rebuilt in Brewers, Cane
Plans are in the works to rebuild the community centres in Brewers Bay and Cane Garden Bay that sustained damage in the 2017 hurricanes, according to Deputy Premier Carvin Malone. …
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June 26, 2020
House of Assembly bumps liquor licensing law again
Business owners hoping to sell liquor currently must contend with a process that allows them an extremely limited number of days to seek a licence in the Magistrates’ Court, according …
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June 26, 2020
Free shuttle service to start Monday in Road Town
In a continued effort to alleviate traffic congestion in Road Town, a free park-and-ride shuttle service will be launched next week to offer rides between the Port Purcell and Prospect …
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June 26, 2020
Repairs to Jost Van Dyke buildings hit delays
Preliminary efforts to repair the hurricane-damaged Public Works Department building and Water and Sewerage Department building on Jost Van Dyke are making progress, but the process is taking longer than …
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June 26, 2020
Government mulls bill to legalise marijuana
Companion bills designed to legalise medicinal marijuana and expunge criminal records of those charged with carrying small amounts of the drug were introduced for a first reading on June 19 …
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June 26, 2020
House okays gambling
Despite concerns raised by some community leaders and members of the House of Assembly, legislators unanimously voted to legalise gambling in the territory, paving the way for lotteries, casinos, horse-race …
June 26, 2020
HOA passes 9 laws in 12 days, 2 sittings
Liquor, gambling and marijuana were some of the topics legislators debated over the past two weeks as they worked at an unusually fast past to consider 13 pieces of legislation …
June 25, 2020
Willock firm gets government security contract
The House of Assembly on Monday granted permission for a firm linked to Speaker of the House Julian Willock to provide security services at an hourly rate of $18 in …
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June 24, 2020
Teams turn to Virgin Gorda for hazard review
Virgin Gorda is the latest target of vulnerability assessments that research teams are conducting in the territory to better understand the challenges facing each community. Teams will assess both natural …
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June 24, 2020
Virtual exhibits open window to VI history
Though the pandemic threw a wrench into the Department of Culture’s plans to produce an exhibition at the Ralph T. O’Neal Administration Building and several satellite locations, the agency got …
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April 3, 2020
New laws rushed through HOA to help with coronavirus response
During a Friday sitting at Save the Seed Energy Centre in Duffs Bottom, the House of Assembly rushed through two laws that legislators said will help the territory respond to …
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July 23, 2019
May 23, 2019
Ministers explain board revocations
Opposition Leader Marlon Penn grilled Cabinet members on the revocations of the boards of various statutory bodies and government committees, which ministers said was part of a new policy under …
May 23, 2019
Opposition grills premier on Willock legal battle
Lawmakers at the House of Assembly on Friday grilled Premier Andrew Fahie about the cost to taxpayers of the legal battle between Speaker of the House Julian Willock and Mark …
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May 16, 2019
Opposition to grill government at HOA
Opposition members are set to ask government ministers a series of hard-hitting questions at the third sitting of the House of Assembly tomorrow. Premier Andrew Fahie also has several bills …
February 21, 2019
New liquor licence rules take step towards becoming law
Before dissolving the House of Assembly last month, lawmakers introduced the Liquor Licences Act, 2018, which if passed would grant liquor vendors longer licensing periods but also institute higher rates. …
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December 13, 2018
House of Assembly to debate ‘economic substance’ law
During a House of Assembly sitting scheduled for today, lawmakers plan to fast-track and debate the Economic Substance (Companies and Limited Partnerships) Act, 2018. On Dec. 4 Premier Dr. Orlando …
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December 11, 2018
HOA rescheduled after ‘illegal’ sitting
This article originally appeared in the Beacon’s print edition on Dec. 6. A House of Assembly sitting has been officially rescheduled after concerns were raised last week over alleged violations …
October 18, 2018
Deputy Speaker Delores Christopher dies at 70
Three-time legislator and Fifth District representative Delores Christopher died on Tuesday. She was 70. Ms. Christopher, the third woman ever elected to the territory’s legislature, was known as a fierce …
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October 18, 2018
Lawmakers punt on human rights law
The establishment of the long-delayed Human Rights Commission has been postponed once again. Last week, after debating a bill designed to bring forward the commission, House of Assembly lawmakers broke …
October 12, 2018
House of Assembly overhauls prison laws
Lawmakers unanimously passed the Correctional Facilities Act, 2018 on Tuesday morning, overhauling the policies governing Her Majesty’s Prison. The act — passed with yet-to-be-publicised amendments — repealed and replaced the …
October 4, 2018
HOA mulls law to modernise prison rules
The policies governing Her Majesty’s Prison are likely to be overhauled soon as lawmakers tinker with comprehensive legislation designed to outline prisoners’ rights and regulate the responsibilities of prison guards. …