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 letters transmitted to Senate President Novelle Francis Jr.

Bryan signed 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. In his transmittal letter, Bryan said the measure was intended to address liquidity problems resulting from the economic effects of the coronavirus.

He also signed Bill No. 33-0278, which added provisions related to closing a line of credit based on disaster-recovery financing. Bryan said amendments previously requested by bond counsel on Feb. 27, 2020, were still needed to properly structure the loans contemplated for financing hurricane disaster projects.

Bryan vetoed Bill No. 33-0290, which sought to reduce the time the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority could bill customers retroactively and to redefine the utility’s billing cycle. In his veto message, Bryan said existing law already imposed a three-month limit under Act 7373 and argued that shortening the period further could hinder the utility’s ability to correct billing errors and bill after disasters.

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

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/el-gobernador-bryan-toma-medidas-sobre-legislacion/