{"id":26165,"date":"2015-07-29T10:17:58","date_gmt":"2015-07-29T10:17:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viconsortium.com\/?p=26165"},"modified":"2015-07-29T10:19:32","modified_gmt":"2015-07-29T10:19:32","slug":"territorys-senators-to-attend-legislative-summit-in-seattle-next-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=26165","title":{"rendered":"Territory’s Senators To Attend Legislative Summit In Seattle Next Month"},"content":{"rendered":"

VI legislators will defend a resolution that seeks to give territory’s residents the right to vote in U.S. General Elections, among other important rights.<\/em><\/p>\n

ST. CROIX \u2013 Members of the 31st Legislature will be out of the territory next month to attend the\u00a0National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Legislative Summit in Seattle, Washington from August\u00a03 to August 6, 2015. The Annual Conference, dubbed \u201cSenate Summer School\u201d, will host state legislators\u00a0and staff members from all 50 States including commonwealths and territories, according to a press release Senate President Neville James’ office issued on Tuesday.\u00a0The bipartisan annual\u00a0meeting assists lawmakers with improving the quality and effectiveness of their respective state\u00a0legislatures.<\/p>\n

NCSL also serves as a lobbying body to the US. Congress and enables state legislators to come together\u00a0to have a strong, cohesive voice on several issues that helps state governments better serve their\u00a0constituencies. Issues are voted on at the NCSL Summit and then taken to Congress on \u201cLobby Day\u201d as\u00a0part of the annual Fall Forum in Washington DC. This year several Resolutions have been introduced and\u00a0are set to be given a floor vote during 2015 Summit in Seattle. Introduced resolutions this year include\u00a0State Sovereignty in Online Gaming and The Marketplace Fairness Act, among others.<\/p>\n

One particular\u00a0Resolution on the docket at the upcoming Summit has piqued the interest of many local lawmakers, and\u00a0if passed by a majority of Senators at NCSL, can potentially play a huge role in the helping the US Virgin\u00a0Islands gain a stronger voice in gaining the right to vote for Presidential Candidates in the United States\u00a0presidential elections.<\/p>\n

Last August, following the initial introduction of the USVI Citizenship Resolution, seen here<\/a><\/span>, St.\u00a0Thomas Senator Tregenza Roach was tapped to defend the merits of the proposal. At that meeting\u00a0Roach explained to lawmakers from across the country, that US Virgin Islanders are unable to elect the\u00a0President of the United States of America and an unfair, imbalance of rights occurs when Virgin Islanders\u00a0are mandated to register for the selective service and can be drafted by the same Commander in Chief\u00a0they cannot vote for. A vote at last year\u2019s meeting placed the USVI Citizenship Resolution under the\u00a0jurisdiction of the NCSL Law, criminal and Public Safety Committee. Without a vote to move it out of\u00a0committee and unto the Floor at this Summit, the language will expire on August 15, 2015. Lawmakers\u00a0embarking to this year\u2019s Summit have all stated their eagerness to participate and show their support\u00a0for the Resolution.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Virgin Island residents, we can go to war and defend our country, even die for our country\u2026 But, we\u00a0cannot vote for our President. I simply do not agree with this. By having the ability to vote for\u00a0President, Virgin Islanders will then possess the ability to positively influence decisions and policies\u00a0which affect our daily lives\u2026.A vote is a powerful tool,\u201d said Majority Leader Sammuel Sanes.<\/p>\n

Senate Public Safety, Homeland Security and Justice Chairman Senator Novelle Francis Jr said, \u201cAs a\u00a0freshman senator, I am looking forward to networking with legislators from around the country. Many\u00a0of the territory\u2019s issues are not unique, and I welcome the opportunity to glean best practices from my\u00a0counterparts, particularly in the areas of economic development, agriculture, and education reform.\u201d<\/p>\n

Francis said he is also honored to join his colleagues in supporting the USVI Citizenship Resolution.\u00a0In addition to the resolution, Senators will also participate in their respective Standing Committees at\u00a0the NCSL Conference. Senators from the Virgin Islands, based on their strengths and preferences serves\u00a0on at least one or two of Eight Standing Committees, composed of legislators and legislative staff. Each\u00a0Committee provides a means by which state legislators can share experience, information, and advice\u00a0on a variety of state issues ranging from policy to management<\/p>\n

Freshman Senator Jean A. Forde, who has been appointed to serve on NCSL\u2019s Education Committee,\u00a0says he welcomes the opportunity to learn and to exchange information and ideas that can benefit the\u00a0people of the territory.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously this will be my first time attending, but from everything I have read\u00a0and heard this is the one conference that no state legislator should miss,\u201d Forde said. \u201cOn issues ranging\u00a0from education and health care to energy and economic development, we will be receiving briefings\u00a0from some of the most renowned policy experts in the country. In addition, we will be sharing\u00a0experiences and representing the territory\u2019s interests in our meetings with state legislators from around\u00a0the nation,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

“I’m looking forward to networking with other senators from different states, and learning how they\u00a0dealt with issues similar to the ones we now face in the Virgin Islands, and to bring back that knowledge\u00a0to help me propose legislation that will make a difference to the residence of the U.S. Virgin Islands.” –\u00a0Senator Marvin A. Blyden \u201c<\/p>\n

Senate President Neville James, who has been appointed to serve on NCSL\u2019s Executive Committee said\u00a0it\u2019s important for lawmakers to continue their advancement of knowledge in seeking educational\u00a0opportunities that will broaden their scope of understanding, and help them be more effective\u00a0legislators.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe exposure to the information offered this year will be invaluable to those who have\u00a0never been in this type of political arena before. I\u2019m looking forward to serving on the executive\u00a0committee this term, I\u2019m also eager to learn about policies and solutions that other states are working\u00a0on, and about issues that are trending nationally.\u201d James said.<\/p>\n

The National Conference of State Legislatures is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and\u00a0staffs of the nation’s 50 states, its commonwealths and territories. NCSL provides research, technical\u00a0assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues\u00a0federal agencies. The leadership of NCSL is composed of legislators and staff from across the country.\u00a0The NCSL Executive Committee provides overall direction on operations of the Conference.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Image Credit: NCSL<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VI legislators will defend a resolution that seeks to give territory’s residents the right to vote in U.S. General Elections, among other important rights. ST. CROIX \u2013 Members of the 31st Legislature will be out of the territory next month to attend the\u00a0National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Legislative Summit in Seattle, Washington from August\u00a03 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":26167,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[191,8,147],"tags":[1346,2764,2765,800],"yoast_head":"\nTerritory's Senators To Attend Legislative Summit In Seattle Next Month - V.I. Consortium<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"ST. 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