Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. on Monday defended the controversial implementation of executive pay raises, insisted he did not personally authorize them, and announced a special legislative session within the next three weeks to address what he framed as long-overdue retirement reforms—specifically targeting a provision in Virgin Islands law that allows senators to collect both a government pension and a legislative annuity simultaneously.

At the heart of the governor’s remarks was a pointed rebuttal to public outcry over pay adjustments given to executive branch employees, including himself and Lieutenant Governor Tregenza Roach. The raises, Bryan said, were not his doing—but rather the result of legislation enacted by the 34th Legislature and implemented under the law.

Bryan addressed the controversy around his own compensation head-on, saying he never requested or authorized a raise and would be returning the difference.

“I took this job with a salary that’s been established for almost 20 years,” he said. “I didn’t ask for a raise, didn’t propose legislation to get a raise, didn’t sign any legislation to implement a raise, and I certainly didn’t give myself a raise.” He said his administration simply followed the law enacted by the 34th Legislature, which implemented the recommendations of the 2022 Public Officials Compensation Commission.

But with legislature’s override of his veto on Bill No. 36‑0085, which effectively rescinded the raises, Bryan acknowledged the political pressure and said he would take personal action. “So my salary is back to $150,000,” he said, adding he would return the excess funds. “I’ll write a check—as soon as one of you calculate that,” he said, adding that he wants to take himself out of the conversation. He emphasized that the other executive raises would remain in place, including retroactive payments. “The Legislature’s attack on me shouldn’t affect other government employees,” he said.

He also challenged critics who called for rescinding the raises, noting that “judges make $225k,” and that instrumentalities like the University of the Virgin Islands and V.I. Water and Power Authority pay executives well above the new gubernatorial salary, revealed last week to be a little more than $201,000.

What Bryan did not shy away from was one particular inequity that he said deserves immediate legislative attention: a provision in Virgin Islands law that allows sitting or former senators to draw both their government pension and a legislative annuity for life, even while collecting a paycheck from the government.

“If I run for delegate or legislature, I have to forfeit my retirement until I leave office. But senators? They get to keep their pension and collect a full paycheck. That’s a carve-out in the law just for them,” Bryan said.

Under Title 3, Chapter 27, § 714 of the Virgin Islands Code, any senator who serves at least six years is entitled to a lifetime legislative service annuity, starting at age 50, regardless of other government income. The law specifically states: “Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any member of the Legislature who becomes eligible for an annuity under this section may receive such annuity concurrently with any other annuity or salary to which such member is entitled.”

In plain terms: while other government employees must choose between their pension or a government paycheck during re-employment, senators get both.

Bryan said this long-standing double-dipping policy is part of the reason he is calling the Legislature into special session—though he was quick to clarify that the goal isn’t to target sitting senators, but rather to close loopholes, ensure fairness, and protect the long-term health of the GERS.

“This is not going to affect anyone’s access to government services or delay anyone’s paycheck,” Bryan said. “But we have to fix this. We can’t keep asking the public to sacrifice while these exceptions stay buried in the law.”

Bryan said the special session would also take up legislation to expand health insurance options for retirees—particularly those under age 65 who lose employer-sponsored coverage but aren’t yet eligible for Medicare.

One measure, he explained, would offer a government-sponsored insurance option to bridge that gap. “We’re looking at at least $17 million in additional funding for insurance,” he said. “This would allow us to support pre-65 retirees who currently have no viable coverage after leaving service.”

Bryan also wants lawmakers to revisit a policy that requires government employees to resign before seeking elected office—a rule that he said unfairly discourages public servants from participating in democracy.

“When you’re in the private sector, you can run and keep your job. But in government, you have to quit,” he said. “We want to give people the opportunity to run for office without risking their livelihood.”

He added that this proposal is part of a broader effort to make elections more accessible, particularly for younger candidates and those without independent wealth. “We want teachers, firefighters, and line staff to be able to step up and lead, just like anyone else,” Bryan said.

Base Salary Hike Tension and Legal Questions

Though not on the special session agenda, Bryan also pushed back on a separate law—Bill No. 36-0053, which he vetoed but senators overrode last week—that raises the base salary for government employees from $27,040 to $35,000. While Bryan said he supports higher wages, he criticized the measure for bypassing the negotiation process and lacking a funding source.

“It’s not that I don’t want people to get the money—they deserve it. But you have to do it responsibly,” he said. “When you place mandates like this during ongoing negotiations, it undercuts the process. We want everyone to get their step increases and fair raises, but we need to do it in partnership.”

He said his administration is already in active discussions with unions representing teachers, nurses, police officers, and other public workers, and that the FY 2026 executive budget includes appropriations to support wage increases and step raises across the board.

Bryan added that the government is now preparing to take the matter to court—arguing that lawmakers overstepped their authority by enacting compensation changes that traditionally fall under the executive’s jurisdiction.

“This isn’t about opinion anymore,” Bryan said. “All these issues will be decided by the court.”

He added that some of the legal questions involved—including whether senators can legally set their own salaries—may need to be resolved in federal court, not local court.

“We may have to file in District Court,” he said. “Some of these issues are conflicts for local judges—like who decides their pay, and can they legally set their own salaries?”

At the same time, the Government Employees’ Retirement System is scheduled to implement a 3 percent increase in the employer contribution rate on Oct. 1, 2025. Together with the salary hikes, Bryan warned, these mounting obligations could overwhelm the government’s financial capacity and undo the economic progress made during his tenure.

“We are taking on massive recurring costs without a clear plan for how to pay for them,” Bryan said. “That is a recipe for fiscal instability.”

In what may have been the most sobering portion of Monday’s briefing, Bryan warned that the territory is at risk of slipping back into a cycle of reckless spending followed by forced austerity.

“Every time things start to look good—more employment, more revenue—somebody pushes too far, and we end up with layoffs,” he said, referencing previous periods of government expansion followed by cuts. “I don’t want to go back there.”