The bills that constitute the United States Virgin Islands’ FY2027 now await the signature of Governor Albert Bryan Jr. after the full body of the 36th Legislature approved them on Friday.
Friday’s session was the final Legislative step in ensuring funds are appropriately shared amongs the various departments, statutory entities, semi-automous agencies and non-profits that depend on local funding. According to Senator Ray Fonseca, the budget is “honest and conservative.”
The recurring talking point among lawmakers is that the FY2027 budget is conservative and takes into account federal funding restrictions, lower than anticipated collections, and the need to generate new funding for the government of the Virgin Islands.
On Friday, Senator Kurt Vialet made a final plea for Virgin Islanders to pay their obligations to the GVI. “You can't fix anything unless taxes are collected. Government don't run on air and water. Government run on revenue, and you cannot expect for this government to be able to function if you're not paying your fair share of taxes,” he declared.
Senator Hubert Frederick, for his part, focused on prior year expenses that continue to burden several departments. He said that accounting for these debts in the FY2027 budget “caused a lot of pain.”
“We could have used that money to pay current bills going forward. Instead, we had to use current money to pay past bills. That that's a real no-no,” Senator Frederick said. He remained hopeful that department heads would “tighten that up” in the upcoming fiscal year, warning that it “hurts the whole system.”
Senator Frederick has also tasked the Legislature with increased vigilance, “so we make sure that these agencies are spending the federal funds that they have in a timely basis.”
Senator Marvin Blyden emphasized the focus on “quality of life issues” addressed in the budget. He referenced support for non-profit entities, who provide critical support. “They don't get a lot, but the gap they fill is huge,” Senator Blyden said.
Senator Clifford Joseph seemed unhappy with the composition of that section of the budget. “We have to take a serious look on the non-profit organizations that are that we are funding in the miscellaneous sections of the budget,” he advised. His comments seemed to suggest that the resources could be better distributed. “The fairer we are with each other, we're gonna see how this community start to respond with a lot more love,” Senator Joseph said.
For Senator Marise James, the Committee on Budget, Appropriations, and Finance was tasked with building a budget on “scarce” resources. “When you're in a situation like this, it's very difficult to offer additional programs and services that you could to your vulnerable populations, like children and seniors, and that's the difficult part of where we are right now,” she admitted.
Senator James is hopeful for a surplus.
Moving forward, lawmakers agree that heightened oversight will be necessary to ensure federal funds are spent, vendor payments are as close to current as possible, and revenue generation is prioritized.
The FY2027 budget bills are detailed below:
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Bill 36-0362 – An act providing an appropriation for the salaries and expenses of the University of the Virgin Islands for the fiscal year October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0363 – An act appropriating $4,240,574 from the Business and Commercial Properties Revolving Fund to the Virgin Islands Department of Property and Procurement for operating expenses during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0364 – An act appropriating $6,300,000 from the Anti-Litter and Beautification Fund to the Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority and the Virgin Islands Department of Public Works for operating expenses during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0365 – An act appropriating $6,000,000 from the Caribbean Basin Initiative Fund as a contribution to the General Fund of the Treasury of the Government of the Virgin Islands during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0366 – An act appropriating $500,000 from the Education Initiative Fund of the Government of the Virgin Islands to the Department of Education during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027, for final editing, proofing and printing of hardcover editions of the customized Virgin Islands History textbooks and for completion of kindergarten through eighth grade Social Studies curriculum.
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Bill 36-0367 – An act appropriating $1,500,000 from the Health Revolving Fund to the Virgin Islands Department of Health and a contribution to the General Fund of the Treasury of the Government of the Virgin Islands during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0368 – An act appropriating $3,110,096 from the Indirect Cost Fund during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027, for the operating expenses of the Office of Management and Budget, the Virgin Islands Division of Personnel, and the Virgin Islands Departments of Finance and Property and Procurement.
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Bill 36-0369 – An act appropriating $20,000,000 from the Virgin Islands Insurance Guaranty Fund as a contribution to the General Fund of the Treasury of the Government of the Virgin Islands during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0370 – An act appropriating $1,100,000 from the Virgin Islands Lottery as a contribution to the General Fund of the Treasury of the Government of the Virgin Islands during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0371 – An act appropriating $45,950,000 from the Tourism Advertising Revolving Fund to the Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority, the Office of the Governor, the Virgin Islands Department of Education, the Virgin Islands Department of Public Works, the Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture, the Virgin Islands Department of Sports, Parks and Recreation, the Virgin Islands Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs, the Virgin Islands Public Broadcasting System and the Virgin Islands Department of Tourism during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0372 – An act appropriating $12,000,000 from the Transportation Trust Fund as a contribution to the General Fund and for the operating expenses of the Virgin Islands Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Public Works during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0373 – An act appropriating $2,750,000 for salaries and expenses of the Virgin Islands Board of Elections and the Office of the Supervisor of Elections during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0374 – An act appropriating $2,137,697 from the General Fund of the Treasury of the Government of the Virgin Islands for the operating expenses of the Virgin Islands Board of Education during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0375 – An act appropriating $689,681 from the General Fund of the Treasury of the Government of the Virgin Islands for the operating expenses of the Virgin Islands Career and Technical Education Board during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0376 – An act appropriating $66,500,000 for the operating expenses of the Virgin Islands Hospital and Health Facilities Corporation from the General Fund of the Treasury of the Government of the Virgin Islands during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0377 – An act appropriating $49,534,620 for the operation of the Judicial Branch of the Government of the Virgin Islands, the Judicial Council and the Office of the Territorial Public Defender during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0378 – An act appropriating $26,121,131 to the Legislature of the Virgin Islands during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0379 – An act appropriating $3,198,392 for the operating expenses of the Office of the Virgin Islands Inspector General from the General Fund of the Treasury of the Government of the Virgin Islands during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0380 – An act appropriating $1,971,910 for the operating expenses of the Public Employees Relations Board and the Virgin Islands Labor Management Committee during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0381 – An act appropriating $2,395,129 for the operating expenses of the Public Services Commission during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0382 – An act appropriating $554,637 to the Virgin Islands Taxicab Commission during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0383 – An act appropriating $32,500,000 for the operating expenses of the Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority from the General Fund of the Treasury of the Government of the Virgin Islands during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0384 – An act appropriating $739,218,837 from the General Fund of the Treasury of the Government of the Virgin Islands for the operation of the Government of the Virgin Islands during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0386 – An act appropriating $1,500,000 from the General Fund of the Treasury of the Government of the Virgin Islands to the St. John Capital Improvement Fund during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0387 – An act appropriating $1,500,000 from the General Fund of the Treasury of the Government of the Virgin Islands to the St. Thomas Capital Improvement Fund during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0388 – An act appropriating $2,000,000 from the General Fund of the Treasury of the Government of the Virgin Islands to the St. Croix Capital Improvement Fund during the fiscal year October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
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Bill 36-0390 – An act amending Act No. 9035 by reprogramming the appropriated funds to the Department of Education to pay current and prior year obligations for the Department of Education and the Bureau of School Construction and Maintenance.
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Bill 36-0391 – An act amending title 33 Virgin Islands Code, subtitle 3, part II, chapter 111, section 3039a by revising the allocation of the monies deposited into the Virgin Islands Water and Power Generating and Infrastructure Fund.
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Bill 36-0389 – An act ratifying the First Renewal of Group Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance; First Renewal of Group Vision Insurance; Third Renewal of Group Medical Health Insurance; and the Second Renewal of Voluntary (Employee-Paid) Critical Illness Insurance, Voluntary (Employee-Paid) Accidental Injury Insurance, and Voluntary (Employee-Paid) Hospital Care Insurance
