Bryan signed two bills and vetoed two others on April 14

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. took action on four bills on April 14, signing two measures and vetoing two others, according to a transmittal letter to Senate President Novelle Francis Jr.

Bryan approved Bill No. 33-0287, authorizing the Virgin Islands government to issue up to $120 million in revenue anticipation notes for government operations tied to the COVID-19 response. The administration said the measure was intended to address cash-flow problems stemming from the economic effects of the coronavirus.

He also signed Bill No. 33-0278, which added provisions related to closing on a disaster-recovery-funding-based line of credit. In his letter, Bryan said amendments requested by bond counsel on February 27, 2020, remained necessary to properly structure the borrowing for hurricane disaster recovery projects.

Bryan vetoed Bill No. 33-0290, which would have reduced the period in which the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority could back-bill customers and redefined the utility's billing cycle. He said Act 7373 already limited back billing to three months and said a shorter period could hinder the correction of billing errors, including after disasters.

He also vetoed Bill No. 33-0289, which sought to add doctors of podiatric medicine to definition sections under the Board of Medical Examiners and physician assistant licensing provisions. Bryan said the bill would not achieve its stated goal of expanding podiatry services because Medicare does not reimburse for services performed by a physician assistant supervised by a podiatrist, and physician assistants are trained as medical generalists rather than in podiatry.

Bryan also acknowledged receipt of Resolution No. 1866, which petitioned Congress to include the U.S. Virgin Islands in federal aid packages and legislation related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/governor-bryan-takes-action-on-legislation/