Jan. 30, 2007– While there has been much speculation as to why the Legislature has not yet scheduled any committee meetings or sessions since swearing-in ceremonies were conducted earlier this month, senators have said they are simply waiting for their bill requests to go through the drafting process, and for new department and agency heads to officially be appointed by Gov. John deJongh Jr.
"Once we get up and running, people are going to wonder when we're going to stop," Senate President Usie R. Richards said during a recent interview. Richards explained that several bill proposals have already been turned into the office of the Legislature's legal counsel and are currently going through the drafting process.
This includes reforms that call for the restructuring of various government departments and agencies, such as the Department of Education, along with new initiatives that address crime, agriculture and the government's tax collection system.
One proposal on the table, for example, seeks to replenish the ranks of the Police Department by adding 100 new officers each on St. Thomas and St. Croix, and 50 officers on St. John (See "Senate President Previews Legislative Agenda for Women's League").
Richards said that three government leases will soon be forwarded to the Senate's Finance Committee for consideration. "We have also gotten two CZM (Coastal Zone Management) permits that will be sent to the Committee on Planning and Environmental Protection," he added.
The Rules and Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Carlton Dowe, is also gearing up to consider the nominations of four government officials recently appointed by deJongh: Vincent Frazer, appointed as the territory's attorney general; Albert Bryan Jr., as head of the Department of Labor; Chris Finch, as head of the Department of Human Services; and Kenrick E. Robertson, appointed as head of the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs.
"Despite the fact that the governor made these announcements two weeks ago, no formal transmittals were sent to the Legislature until last Friday afternoon," Richards said. The appointees now have to go through the Senate's confirmation process, which begins in the Rules Committee and ends with a final vote cast by the full Senate body.
Packages containing questionnaires on the appointees' backgrounds and their future plans have already been mailed out to the four candidates, Dowe said Monday. "As soon as we get that information back, we'll be ready to get going," he added. "Additionally, we have also been forwarded some nominees to government boards and commissions, and we're working on getting those packages ready as well."
When contacted Tuesday, Jean P. Greaux Jr., spokesman for deJongh, said the governor waited until the candidates were "available" and ready to being working in their new positions before sending formal notice to the Legislature.
When contacted Monday, Sen. Liston Davis, head of the Senate's Committee on Education, Culture and Youth, added that some senators were waiting for deJongh to finish appointing permanent department and agency heads before formally introducing their bills. "When we draft a bill, it goes to the commissioners for review," he explained. "It's difficult to get that kind of input from individuals who are working in a temporary capacity."
On Tuesday, Greaux said "several" nominations are going to "be moving within the next couple of days."
According to the Legislature's rules, senators are required to call their first session by March. It is still unclear whether any committee hearings will be scheduled before that time.
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