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Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesSENATE TO CONSIDER JACKSON NOMINATION MONDAY

SENATE TO CONSIDER JACKSON NOMINATION MONDAY

After an idle week when the one scheduled meeting was canceled, the 23rd Legislature gets into gear again Monday with a full Senate session on St. Thomas that is scheduled to extend into Tuesday.
Highlights on the agenda are a confirmation vote on the nomination of Rafael Jackson to serve as Tourism commissioner and the final consideration of a bill reallocating the territory's share of national tobacco settlement funds solely to health programs.
The territory has not had a Tourism commissioner since Gov. Charles W. Turnbull took office nearly 18 months ago. The first nomination, that of Clement "Cain" Magras, failed to get Senate approval, and the second, of Michael Bornn, was withdrawn by the governor, who cited irreconcilable differences.
The lawmakers will also consider nominations of:
– Audrey Louis Thomas-Francis for judge of the Territorial Court.
– Malcolm Plaskett and Mary Ann Pickard for the Industrial Development Commission.
– Wallace W. Phaire Sr. for the St. Croix Hospital Governing Board.
– Rupert N. Peele for a St. Croix seat on the Historic Preservation Commission.
– Hugo Dennis Jr. for the Public Employees Relations Board.
Also on the agenda are bills to:
– enact the Emergency Management Assistance Compact Act providing for the Virgin Islands to become part of a cooperative association of states and territories for mutual support in times of disaster.
– increase the mandatory penalty for armed robbery to seven years from three.
– enact the V.I. Uniform Anatomical Gift Act.
– change the effective date of the 911 Emergency Services Fund tax to April 1 of this year from Jan. 1. At the direction of the government, the tax is collected by the V.I. Telephone Corp. as a monthly $1 surcharge on telephone bills; this is a housekeeping measure, as the billings did begin April 1.
The only other Senate activity scheduled for the week is a Rules Committee meeting Thursday on St. Croix.

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