ST. CROIX — Senator Justin Harrigan, hailing from the island of St. Thomas, does not like a Sen. Kenneth Gittens-sponsored measure that aims to deter public officials from stealing government funds. First, the Democrat says the measure, only including top government officials, isn’t fair as it should cover all government employees. And even when Attorney General Claude Walker, invited to testify at the October 23 hearing at the\u00a0Fritz E. Lawaetz Legislative Hall here, said that the Senate should move forward with the measure so that it works as a deterrent to those with thoughts of committing such acts, Mr. Harrigan disagreed.<\/p>\n
“I don’t agree, but that’s your statement,” he said.<\/p>\n
But, what was most striking about the senator’s comments during the hearing, was the moment he suggested — as if it was okay to steal public funds — that any senator could take government funds with the intent of returning those funds the following day.<\/p>\n
“I have a very serious problem with this bill and the way it’s structured,” Mr. Harrigan said. “I don’t think it’s fair. Anyone of us could hit that bump in the road and decide we need to take some of the government’s money for the weekend and then we’re going to put it back the next day. So we must be very careful how we structure these pieces of legislation going forward.”<\/p>\n
Following Mr. Harrigan’s comments, Mr. Gittens bucked.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegardless of what bump in the road, leave government money alone,\u201d Mr. Gittens said. \u201cIf I hit a bump in the road, we live in a close-knit enough community to go to a family member to borrow money.\u00a0But there ain\u2019t no ifs or buts, public money is not an option.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Gittens went on: \u201cWe don\u2019t print money in the Virgin Islands, and our residents in public and private sectors work and pay taxes \u2014 known as public funds \u2014 which government officials are entrusted with. And when you put your trust in them, you don\u2019t expect them to take from you.\u201d Mr. Gittens said he agreed with Mr. Walker\u2019s position that officials should think of the consequences before acting.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you get caught with your hands in the cookie jar, then you should bear the consequences. We as policy makers are to be prudent in our decisions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While Mr. Harrigan’s comments stood out the most, a number of other senators also resisted the measure, including Senator Neville James, Senate president, and Senator Terrence “Positive” Nelson, a veteran lawmaker.<\/p>\n
Mr. Nelson, who\u00a0struggled to formulate words that would accurately represent his unease with the bill, said supporting the anti-corruption measure was difficult for him because it would not only affect the perpetrators, but also their families \u2014 including wife and children.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf one individual is guilty, should the whole family be persecuted?\u201d asked the veteran senator. \u201cThat\u2019s my concern \u2014 it\u2019s what happens to the family members. It\u2019s one of those things that weigh heavily on my actions. I weigh my actions; not only as a public official,\u201d Mr. Nelson said.<\/p>\n
And Mr. James contended that the bill went too far.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not in the business of setting the example from the top, I am in the business of justice. I\u2019m not in the business of doing things and passing legislation to give the public the impression that we\u2019re doing something,\u201d Mr. James said.<\/p>\n
Mr. James, who won the public\u2019s trust in the 2014 General Elections after being out of office for multiple years, added: \u201csometimes, we go too far.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEven this law,\u201d he went on, \u201csomeone could say we are overdoing it. You have to make room to give people another chance; and you can\u2019t pile on \u2014 after they\u2019ve gone to jail for five years, for example \u2014 you can\u2019t add to it by taking away everything else. You have to be careful with this type of legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amidst the dissent, however, the measure received support from some lawmakers, including Senators Novelle Francis and especially Sen. Nereida Rivera-O’Reilly, who said the measure should be implemented because public officials should be held to a higher standard.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are not 20-year-old young men or women who slip through the cracks and make a mistake. We are grown, so you know what\u2019s right and wrong. And some people make decisions knowing full well that if they get caught they would be landed in jail. All we are saying today is in addition to that, you would lose your pension \u2014 what the government pays; not your portion,\u201d Mrs. Rivera-O\u2019Reilly said.<\/p>\n
She went on: \u201cI get the concerns about piling on and whether we should suspend or forfeit completely and give room to rehabilitate, but I support the measure.\u00a0The question here today is not whether it should be from the top to the bottom or vice versa, but rather are we going to hold accountable those who hold public office.<\/p>\n
\u201cGovernment employees are hired through personnel, but we are elected through the votes of the people. And it\u2019s whether we are willing to hold ourselves to a higher standard \u2014 and we have to do so.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout 29 states have already passed similar legislation, and about 9 others are [considering], so the question of constitutionality has been put to rest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bill No. 31-0150 is an Act that would take away retirement benefits from government officials \u2014 including governors, lieutenant governors, commissioners, members of the Legislature, justices of the territory\u2019s Supreme Court, judges and magistrate judges of the Superior Court and other elected and appointed officials \u2014 who have been convicted of a crime or crimes involving public corruption.<\/p>\n
The measure was held in committee after a motion by Mr. Francis was successful. The motion was supported by\u00a0 Senator Jean Forde. Senators Francis, Forde, Harrigan, James and Gittens voted in the affirmative. Senators Rivera-O\u2019Reilly and Janette Millin Young were absent.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Feature Image: Senator Justin Harrigan, Sr.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Image Credit: 31st Legislature.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ST. CROIX — Senator Justin Harrigan, hailing from the island of St. Thomas, does not like a Sen. Kenneth Gittens-sponsored measure that aims to deter public officials from stealing government funds. First, the Democrat says the measure, only including top government officials, isn’t fair as it should cover all government employees. And even when Attorney […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31066,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[228,11,854,191,8,2474,147],"tags":[919,3790,3789,3788,3787],"yoast_head":"\n