June 25, 2009 — A bill appropriating $500,000 from the General Fund to Human Services to expand home- and community-based support services for senior citizens 60 years and older was one of seven bills signed into law Wednesday by Gov. John deJongh Jr.
Approved by the Senate during a session late last month, the bill also pulls $250,000 from the General Fund to cover the cost of dialysis equipment and services provided by the territory's two hospitals. An amendment tacked on by Sen. Michael Thurland during last month's session appropriates an additional $150,000 in fiscal year 2009 and $500,000 in FY 2010 from internal revenue matching funds — or the territory's rum revenues — as a grant to Wheel Coach Inc. to cover transportation costs for dialysis patients to and from the Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital and the V.I. Kidney Center.
The bill also allows money appropriated to the Health Department two years ago to cover the cost of "antiviral flu vaccine for the Bird Flu" to be used for antivirals, testing kits and other resources for such pandemic diseases as the swine flu.
In a letter to Senate President Louis P. Hill, deJongh said the appropriations cover a number of critical areas but cautioned that the money will not be doled out all at once.
"I caution that the entities slated to receive these funds will not receive them in a lump sum, as we continue to carefully manage our finances in these challenging times," he wrote. "However, I recognize the utmost need for these items and wanted to ensure the opportunity to provide the funding if the resources become available. I urge all of these agencies to work diligently with the Office of Management and Budget before making any commitments based on these appropriations."
The governor also approved bills:
— Limiting the liability for community members who open their property to the public for recreational purposes;
— Authorizing the Public Finance Authority to issue a loan guarantee of as much as $50 million for a major St. Thomas development, using any money available in the Internal Revenue Matching Fund or any other government fund. The government's loan guarantee would help Wintdots Development — a limited liability company owned by the Elskoe family — secure a lower interest rate on a construction loan and provide their lender, Connecticut-based Greenwich Financial Partners, with some financial re-enforcement in case of emergency. (See "Broke Or No, Senate OKs Raft Of Appropriations;")
— Creating the National Guard Youth Challenge Program, a voluntary, co-educational 17-month program for 16- to 18-year old high school dropouts, consisting of a five-and-a-half month quasi-military phase during which students would live on base or in National Guard dorms, followed by a full year of post-residential classes;
— Clarifying and expanding rules for safety belts and child restraints;
— Transferring about $2.27 million annually from the V.I. Lottery's net collections to fund a 3.5-percent pension bonus for almost 6,000 government retirees; and
— Appropriating $250,000 from the General Fund to the Witness Protection Program and banning license plates from being covered with tinted material
Echoing the sentiments of Sen. Wayne James, deJongh vetoed a bill banning passengers riding in the back of pickup trucks except during special circumstances such as parades. The bill also exempts taxi drivers. James, the bill's sponsor, has recently said the legislation was "diluted" as more and more amendments were added.
"While this measure purports to help persons, and in particular children, who ride in the rear of pickup trucks, the exemptions inserted into the proposal severely water down its effect," deJongh wrote in his recent letter to Hill. "Objections to the bill in its current form were submitted by the Police Department, Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the medical staff at Schneider Regional Medical Center and Sen. Wayne James, who had proposed a more stringent version of the bill."
The bill would also allow minors age 13 and younger to ride in the back of pickup trucks — an exception that would "undermine" the intent of the seatbelt bill that was also signed into law Wednesday, the governor wrote.
DeJongh also vetoed bills:
— Setting aside $250,000 from video lottery proceeds to fund a Youth Internship Program in the Department of Education. The money would fund a tax break for employers who hire students as part-time apprentices;
— Adding two local retirees to the Health Insurance Board's advisory committee;
— Appropriating $37,000 to the Police Department for three ammunition and firearm-sniffing dogs; and
— Authorizing the heads of the Health, Education, Justice and Police departments to offer incentive bonuses of as much as $10,000 to keep nurses, teachers, corrections or police officers from retiring, and allow them to stay on the job for up to an additional 3 1/2 years.
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