Senators Move to Include Firefighters and EMS in Heroes Act Following Public Backlash

Less than 24 hours after V.I. Consortium reported that frontline firefighters were excluded from the proposed Virgin Islands Heroes Act, Senator Avery Lewis, chairman of the Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Protection, said Tuesday that he has put forward an amendment to include firefighters and emergency medical services personnel. Lewis said bill sponsor Senator Milton Potter agreed to support the expanded coverage following a conversation between the two lawmakers. Mr. Potter initially advocated a narrower approach focused on law enforcement personnel because of concerns about the government's potential financial obligations. “I did speak with him today, and he confirmed. He said yes,” Mr. Lewis told The Consortium when asked whether Mr. Potter had agreed to support the inclusion of firefighters and EMS personnel. The committee chairman said he had already taken steps to advance the change rather than waiting for the bill sponsor to introduce it. ...