Rules Committee To Vote On Two Bills, Consider Public Works Commissioner-Nominee

The Senate Committee on Rules and Judiciary will take action on two bills and consider Governor Kenneth Mapp’s nomination for the Department of Public Works (DPW), Gustav James, during a meeting scheduled for Monday, March 9 at 9 a.m.

VI Consortium has reached out for information on the location of the meeting and will update the story when it becomes available.

Chaired by Sen. Kenneth Gittens, the committee will consider Bill No. 31-0021, an act appropriating $1,000,000 to the Office of the Governor for costs and legal fees directly related to the litigation between the Government and Hess Oil V.I. Corp., HOVENSA, LLC, and Petroleos de Venezuela, PDVSA V.I., Inc. and related entities.

In addition, Bill No. 31-0009, an act repealing and re-enacting with amendments title 29 Virgin Islands Code, Chapter 12 subchapter III relating to sustainable tourism through art-based revenue stream production, will come before the committee.

During his confirmation hearing, James will give testimony about the department he is currently leading, DPW, where it is expected that the current state of the department will be made known. James is also expected to offer his vision for the department.

“The Department of Public Works is another very important entity of the government and the committee is awaiting testimony from Mr. James so we can get a good picture of the direction he is hoping to take the department in, if he is so confirmed to the position,” Gittens said.

During that same meeting, the committee will take up the nomination of Mapp’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles nominee Lawrence Olive, after the same committee voted to hold his nomination in committee, citing a lack of “pertinent information” left out of the initial submitted questionnaire.

The Committee on Rules and Judiciary is expected to convene during the second week in March.

Mapp nominees who have already cleared the Rules and Judiciary Committee include, Finance Commissioner-Nominee Valdamier Collens; Tourism Commissioner-Nominee Beverly Nicholson-Doty; Education Commissioner-Nominee Sharon McCollum; Division of Personnel Director-Nominee Milton Potter; Agriculture Commissioner-Nominee Carlos Robles; Fire Director-Nominee Eugene Farrell; Licensing and Consumer Affairs Commissioner-Nominee Devin; Bureau of Internal Revenue Director-Nominee Marvin; Sports, Parks and Recreation Commissioner-Nominee Pedro Cruz and Police Commissioner-Nominee Delroy Richards.