Bryan signs and vetoes measures from June 27 session of 36th Legislature

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. signed several bills and vetoed others from the 36th Legislature's June 27, 2025, session, according to a July 14, 2025, Government House statement.

Bryan signed Bill No. 36-0012 on disability annuities through the Government Employees Retirement System; Bill No. 36-0024 on consent by people in police custody; Bill No. 36-0031 on liability for 911 emergency service providers; Bill No. 36-0035 to implement the federal ABLE Act; and Bill No. 36-0043 increasing penalties for sanitation-law violations.

He also signed Bills No. 36-0050 and 36-0051 on regulation of the social work profession and creation of a licensing board for social workers; Bill No. 36-0064, except for Section 9; Bill No. 36-0090 establishing Virgin Islands Gun Violence Awareness Week during the first week of June; and Bills No. 36-0062 and 36-0098 approving leases tied to NOAA operations on St. Thomas and helicopter services on St. John.

Government House said Bill No. 36-0064 included funding for educational planning, aviation scholarships, library services, street lighting on St. Thomas and sports development on St. Croix. Bryan vetoed Section 9 of that bill, which would have extended early-retirement benefits to psychiatric technicians, citing the lack of an actuarial study and dedicated funding.

Bryan also approved Resolution No. 1916 honoring James Sasso, Resolution No. 1917 posthumously honoring Sonya Hough, and Resolution No. 1918 commending the National Conference of State Legislatures on its 50th anniversary.

He vetoed Bill No. 36-0027, known as Jah’niqua’s Law, which would have required child-maintenance payments from defendants convicted of certain vehicular offenses; Bill No. 36-0032, which sought to reduce the salary used to calculate retirement annuities for the governor and lieutenant governor; and Bill No. 36-0057, which proposed automatic expungement of arrest records after an acquittal.

In a transmittal letter to Senate President Milton Potter, Bryan said the vetoes were based on concerns about fairness, enforceability and financial sustainability.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/governor-bryan-takes-action-on-legislation-from-june-27-session-of-the-36th-legislature/