After approving the Legislature’s budget bills earlier this week, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. on Thursday officially released his list of actions, confirming which measures from the Sept. 15 session he has signed into law and which he has vetoed. The announcement came two days after the close of fiscal year 2025 on Sept. 30, marking the start of the new budget year.
The governor’s approvals secure a little more than $1 billion in funding — inclusive of General Fund appropriations, along with federal funds, and transfers — for government operations across education, health, public safety, and infrastructure, while his vetoes targeted two judiciary-related measures and certain appropriations for animal welfare programs.
“Budgets are promises, not wish lists,” Bryan said in his statement Tuesday. “I signed what keeps classrooms open, clinics running and communities safe. I vetoed what weakens checks and balances or risks the General Fund.”
What’s Funded
The FY 2026 package — encompassing more than 25 appropriations bills — supports salaries and operating costs across education, health, infrastructure, and public safety. Highlights include:
- Education: $341,460 from the Education Initiative Fund for special education evaluations (Bill 36-0120), $1 million into the School Construction and Maintenance Fund (36-0169), and repairs funded through 36-0164.
- Health and Safety: Operating funds for the Health Department (36-0154), V.I. Fire and EMS (36-0155), hospitals (36-0171), and the Office of the Inspector General (36-0172).
- Infrastructure: Appropriations to Public Works from the District Public Road Fund (36-0158), the Transportation Trust Fund (36-0178), and capital improvement funds for all three islands (36-0160, 36-0176).
- Other Agencies: $25.5 million for the Legislature (36-0161), $20 million from the Insurance Guaranty Fund into the General Fund (36-0162), and operating funds for UVI (36-0167), the Board of Education (36-0177), the Career and Technical Education Board (36-0179), the Taxicab Commission (36-0180), and the Waste Management Authority (36-0182).
- Employee health coverage was also renewed through agreements with Cigna and UnitedHealthcare (36-0189), while a major coastal zone permit for Lime Out 2 was ratified, supporting small marine business under new regulatory safeguards.
Meanwhile, the governor rejected two measures passed by lawmakers, including Bill 36-0101, which would have allowed the judiciary to fill prolonged judicial vacancies with its own appointees for renewable terms, was vetoed on constitutional grounds. Bryan argued the measure undermined the separation of powers by removing the elected branches from the appointment process, potentially allowing indefinite service without accountability.
Bill 36-0112, which raised Superior Court filing fees and redirected those funds into a new Judicial Branch Capital Improvement Fund, was also vetoed. Bryan said diverting existing General Fund revenues without a replacement risked fiscal imbalance. He further objected to the bill’s changes to post-judgment and prejudgment interest, cautioning that it could incentivize delays in litigation and raise costs for families and small businesses.
The governor also exercised a line-item veto in the General Appropriations Act (36-0174), striking items related to animal care and population control, which he said were inconsistent with Act 8922, the law governing use of those funds.
St. Croix Source
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