Joseph Cites Gross Receipts, Hemp and LBJ Gardens as First-Term Wins; Public Safety Results Remain Hard to Measure

Senator Clifford Joseph, chair of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, Justice and Public Safety, pointed to a broader legislative record during Monday night’s V.I. Consortium Election Cycle interview when asked what his committee has produced that residents can see on crime, reckless driving, emergency response, VIPD manpower, domestic violence and public trust. Joseph, a first-term senator, has become closely associated with his firearms bill, which is now before Governor Albert Bryan Jr. But when asked what he had delivered beyond that measure in the public safety space, he said his work as a senator is not limited to the committee he chairs. “Again working in the legislature. Yes, I’m the chairman of that committee, vice chair of others,” Joseph said. “I’m not only restricted to working on public safety issues.” His clearest example was Bill 36-0063, now law, which closed a gross receipts tax loophole affecting off-island contractors doing business with the Government of t...