During Thursday’s Budget, Appropriations, and Finance Committee meeting, lawmakers received the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget for the Virgin Islands Career and Technical Board and considered a bill to raise the maximum judgment amount for damages awarded against the government of the Virgin Islands.
Joann Murphy, chair of the VI Career and Technical Board, presented the board’s proposed budget of $689,681. The allocation includes $289,667 for personnel, $140,371 for fringe benefits, $6,000 for supplies, $249,743 for other services and charges, $3,400 for utilities, and $500 for capital projects. The board currently consists of an executive director and three administrative staff members, according to a press release from the V.I. Legislature.
Murphy raised concerns about the reallocation of $55,000 in scholarship funds previously administered by the Education Department. Now deducted from the board’s budget, the shift has reduced available operational funds by over 8%, bringing them down to $204,643. She also cited $45,566.83 in outstanding vendor payments due to delays tied to the centralized ERP system, along with $51,000 in office lease costs and $15,000 in insurance premiums, the press release stated.
Highlighting the critical state of career and technical education programs, Murphy noted that many have vanished since 2000 and warned that some are “one instructor away from permanent closure.” Of the 89 instructors currently working in the territory, only 40 are certified, 24 are awaiting recertification, and 25 are employed without certification. Ten more are pursuing credentials through various programs. Murphy called for a $600,000 appropriation to establish the Lena Schulterbrandt CTE Fund, which would support instructional capacity, technology, internships, and apprenticeships, the release stated.
The committee also removed Bill No. 36-0025 from the agenda. Sponsored by Sen. Ray Fonseca, the bill proposed a $90,000 appropriation to the Human Services Department to purchase and maintain mobile health and safety devices for senior citizens and other vulnerable residents, the release stated.
Senators then turned to Bill No. 36-0042, introduced by Sen. Alma Francis Heyliger. The bill would amend the Virgin Islands Code to increase the maximum judgment amount allowed for damage claims against the government, it said.
Attorney General Gordon C. Rhea testified that while the current Tort Claims Act caps damages in exchange for waiving sovereign immunity, court interpretations have expanded government liability by allowing multiple judgments in a single lawsuit. While the Justice Department did not object to the measure, it raised concerns about increased financial exposure and suggested amending the bill to include an aggregate cap on claims arising from a single incident, the release stated.
Rhea also recommended aligning the local statute with the Federal Tort Claims Act by ensuring that government employees are shielded from personal liability for intentional misconduct by others. He further proposed reinstating the public duty doctrine to protect the government from general public liability and suggested a more moderate increase to the cap, between $50,000 and $100,000, to preserve the government’s financial stability and claims management efficiency, it said.
Following discussion, the committee held the bill for further consideration, it said.
Present at the hearing were Sens. Novelle E. Francis Jr., Marvin A. Blyden, Angel L. Bolques Jr., Dwayne M. DeGraff, Ray Fonseca, Hubert L. Frederick, Marise C. James, Carla J. Joseph, Avery L. Lewis, and Kurt A. Vialet.
