Legislators celebrated the allocation of funds to several delayed capital projects before passing the 2023 budget on Dec. 21, but they also called attention to other stalled work and took …
December 22, 2022
December 6, 2022
Penn: Joes Hill project ‘substantially complete’
The Joes Hill affordable-housing development that originally broke ground in April 2017 is nearing completion, and the application process for prospective buyers is under way, according to Health and Social …
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December 6, 2022
930 take part in health training
Ahead of the holiday season, the Virgin Islands is preparing to join a regional programme that aims to set standards for public health management in the tourism sector across the …
October 28, 2022
House passes Jury Act
The House of Assembly passed the Virgin Islands Jury Act, 2022 with amendments after coming out of committee on Oct. 25, according to HOA Public Relations Officer Linton Leonard. However, …
October 24, 2022
Bill is another step toward deposit insurance
An amendment before the House of Assembly would bring the territory one step closer to setting up a long-promised system of deposit insurance in the territory. The amendment to the …
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October 21, 2022
House considers widening jury pool
Finding enough impartial jurors to hear court cases in the territory has proved challenging in recent years, but a solution may be on the horizon as legislators this week debated …
October 17, 2022
Bill includes framework for deposit insurance
An amendment currently before the House of Assembly seeks to give the Financial Services Commission more tools to handle banking crises and would set a long-awaited framework to bring into …
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September 30, 2022
Financial crimes council gets more members
Two new members will be added to the National Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Coordinating Council if a recently passed bill gets the governor’s assent. The House of Assembly passed …
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September 30, 2022
New HOA committee to push COI reforms
Legislators created a special select Reform Committee on Sept. 27 to help ensure that the House of Assembly meets its law-making obligations under the National Unity Government’s framework for implementing …
September 23, 2022
House of Assembly okays updates to nonprofit organisation rules
Legislators are aiming to find a better balance in regulating non-profit organisations based in the Virgin Islands, they said this week as they debated a proposed amendment to the Non-Profit …
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August 22, 2022
Jury reform is back on table after COI
Hoping to address long-standing issues with the territory’s jury pool that resulted in legal action in 2019, Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley recently introduced a bill in the House of …
August 18, 2022
Water, sewerage authority in works
Legislators gave the green light last week to create a new statutory body to oversee water and sewerage, claiming the move will help rectify longstanding infrastructure problems that have plagued …
August 12, 2022
HOA agrees to cut remittance tax
Cabinet’s July 20 decision to reduce the remittance tax — often criticised for targeting the territory’s poorest residents — got the green light from the House of Assembly on Tuesday. …
July 29, 2022
Premier says COI reforms still on track
The framework for carrying out Commission of Inquiry recommendations includes a deluge of deadlines for July, but Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley said last week that his National Unity Government …
July 29, 2022
VI, neighbours collaborate on environment
The Virgin Islands is working with its Caribbean neighbours to help ensure the long-term health of key ecosystems, Natural Resources and Labour Minister Mitch Turnbull said on July 21 in …
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July 29, 2022
HOA okays public Register of Interests
On June 30, legislators missed their deadline to make the Register of Interests public and establish penalties for violating declaration rules. On July 21, however, they passed a bill to …
July 27, 2022
HOA officially ‘rejects’ direct UK rule
More than a month ago, the new National Unity Government agreed to work with the United Kingdom to carry out reforms recommended by the Commission of Inquiry — thereby avoiding …
July 27, 2022
Government withdraws register bill
Government recently withdrew a bill that would have opened the Register of Interests to the public and required senior civil servants to join House of Assembly members in declaring their …
July 27, 2022
Speaker declines to excuse Fahie’s absence
Former premier Andrew Fahie came one step closer to losing his First District seat in the House of Assembly on July 19 when Speaker Corine George-Massicote refused to excuse his …
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July 19, 2022
Speaker silent on Fahie’s seat
After missing at least part of three consecutive sittings of the House of Assembly while awaiting trial in Miami, former premier Andrew Fahie may be in danger of losing his …
July 18, 2022
EDITORIAL: Andrew Fahie should resign
First District Representative Andrew Fahie should resign his seat in the House of Assembly without further ado. If he refuses, he should be removed as soon as possible. Mr. Fahie, …
July 4, 2022
Premier defends biz licensing law
After business stakeholders raised concerns about several aspects of the Business Licensing Act passed two weeks ago in the House of Assembly, Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley defended the bill …
June 25, 2022
HOA passes trade licence bill
A bill aimed at making the Virgin Islands business climate more competitive by updating and streamlining the licensing process passed with amendments in the House of Assembly last Thursday as …
June 3, 2022
House of Assembly green-lights 2021 supplementary spending
Unanticipated expenses including security, arbitration, infrastructure, and public servant increments required legislators to approve supplementary spending for 2021 and 2022, Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley said on May 26 in …
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June 3, 2022
Commission of Inquiry cost government more than $8 million
The Virgin Islands government has paid out more than $8 million in responding to the United Kingdom-led Commission of Inquiry, most of which went toward covering legal fees, Premier Dr. …
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