Oct. 16, 2007 — A bill splitting the housing functions off from Housing Parks and Recreation and placing them under the Housing Finance Authority passed the Senate Rules and Judiciary Committee Tuesday in Charlotte Amalie, moving forward for a final debate and vote before the full Senate.
The committee passed six bills on an array of topics forward and held another two back by the end of the busy legislative day.
The bill moving housing functions to the Housing Finance Authority leaves behind a more functionally consistent department of Parks and Recreation. Oversight of federal community development block grant funds would move from the Department of Planning and Natural Resources to the expanded Housing Finance Authority.
The reorganization is designed to reduce redundant and overlapping functions between the two entities, said Clifford F. Graham, executive director of the Housing Finance Authority.
"The authority believes the best way to reduce the overlap is to create a one-stop-shop housing entity," Graham said.
An amendment appropriating $1.7 million to fund the transfer of functions was attached to the bill. That amendment also appropriated $3 million from the St. Croix capital improvement fund to Public Works for seven neighborhood road projects on the big island and increasing an appropriation in Act 6967 to $16 million. The purpose of this last appropriation was not discussed.
Another bill passed, the dropout prevention act of 2007, urges the Education Department to establish a variety of programs aimed at increasing high school graduation, including youth service, disciplinary and alternative-education programs. It is sponsored by Sens. Richards and Norman Jn Baptiste.
"Each district may establish one or more alternative programs for dropout prevention," the bill says. The Education Department is asked to present plans for such programs to the Legislature, along with funding requests. These would be in addition to existing programs. (See "Senate Committee Approves Programs Aimed at Curbing School Dropout Rates.")
Flemon Lewis, grant administrator for the Law Enforcement Planning Commission, testified in support of the bill, but asked that it be amended to include young fathers and students who have been in trouble already.
"We believe the language should include persons that need supervision," Lewis said. "We find this particular class of student — status offenders, who sometimes are in school displaying antisocial behavior — if we bring them in, we may be able to intervene before more serious charges are brought."
Another bill passed will rededicate St. Thomas’ Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park in honor of fallen veterans and provides for signs, plaques and a dedication ceremony. St. Croix already has a park honoring fallen veterans, Richards said: the Verne I. Richards Veterans Park in Frederiksted. He proposed an amendment altering the bill to read "one of the" rather than "the" official park in honor of veterans.
Two acts aimed at routing land toward affordable housing were passed forward. One earmarked undeveloped government land from the property formerly known as the V.I. Hotel and the V.I. Hilton to build affordable housing for veterans. The other would give the Housing Finance Authority the right of first refusal on any government-owned land being sold.
Lastly, the committee moved forward a bill to provide for voluntary self exclusion from licensed casinos. The bill would give legal weight to an existing self-exclusion program, letting casinos treat a self-excluded gambler as a trespasser.
Two bills were held in Rules or sent back to the originating committee.
A bill establishing the National Guard Youth Challenge Program and providing $1.9 million in matching funds was held in committee at the request of Adj. Gen. Renaldo Rivera of the V.I. National Guard.
Several senators expressed irritation that no one from the National Guard appeared to testify.
"He’s got the whole National Guard under him and he can’t find one person to send here to discuss the bill?" Hill said. "It is ridiculous and irresponsible for a military person."
Sens. Richards and Celestino White echoed that sentiment.
A bill setting speed limits in school zones was sent back to the Committee on Government Operations to be rewritten. One of the concerns was that V.I. law already gives the commissioner of police the power to set such speed limits and determine what sort of signs, lights and markers are placed on the territory’s roads.
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