Federal legislation sponsored by Delegate Donna Christensen to create an office of Chief Financial Officer for the U.S. Virgin Islands will be heard before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs at 2 p.m. Thursday, according to a release from Christensen’s office.
Although not a member of the subcommittee, Christensen will give an opening statement and ask questions of the witnesses. Scheduled to testify on her bill is Assistant Interior Secretary for Insular Affairs Anthony Babauta.
Christensen re-introduced CFO legislation last December, according to her office, and the delegate has proposed and promoted several versions of this measure since at least 2003. (See related links.) This bill differs from previous legislation in that it does not provide for the CFO to assume the powers of the Office of Management and Budget Director with the power to disapprove specific appropriations and items of spending, Christensen said.
“This bill is focused on providing greater transparency by creating an independent office to make the projections of revenue that is available for the government to spend during each fiscal year and it provides for the office to become a permanent part of the government by binding referendum after four years,” Christensen said in the statement.
“The new bill is modeled after the CFO in the District of Colombia which has served to provide credibility to the finances of D.C. for better than two decades now,” she said.
The hearing can be followed online by accessing http://naturalresources.house.gov/Calendar/List.aspx?Subcommittee=5063. Comments for the record can be submitted to the Subcommittee by calling 202-226-0200.
