July 23, 2001 — Two majority bloc senators are floating legislation that aims to undo efforts by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull to cut costs through eliminating three government holidays.
Sens. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen and Celestino White are seeking to revive Organic Act Day (observed on the third Monday in June), Hurricane Supplication Day (the fourth Monday in July) and Hurricane Thanksgiving Day (the third Monday in October) as official territorial holidays.
In December 1999, Turnbull approved legislation sponsored by the majority bloc in the 23rd Legislature that changed all three holidays to Sunday observances. Hansen and White’s bill would "extinguish" the governor’s discretion over holidays that fall on a Sunday and move their observance to Monday.
In October of 1999, Turnbull and then-Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt signed a memorandum of understanding that aimed to guide the territory back to economic health. One thing the memorandum called for was the elimination of five V.I. holidays.
The post auditor then, Campbell Malone, estimated that eliminating the five paid holidays would save V.I. taxpayers $2 million a year. While Turnbull dropped the Monday Organic Act Day, Hurricane Supplication Day and Hurricane Thanksgiving Day observances, he kept Easter Monday and Transfer Day as paid days off.
