Constitutional Convention Delegates Review 2009 Draft as First Step to Final Document

Elected members of the Sixth Constitutional Convention joined in a day-long plenary session on Saturday. It was the second session since the group formally convened in late January.

The latest attempt to replace the act created by Congress with the Virgin Islands’ own constitution takes place 60 years after the first constitutional convention began in 1964. Under the direction of convention President Usie Raymond Richards, three working groups reviewed sections of the draft created by the fifth convention in 2009.

After each team presented their analysis, convention members voted to adopt three standing committees to reshape the 19 articles that made up the previous document. Converting the working groups into standing committees was a formal step towards completing a finalized constitution by October.

Passage of the measure came with modifications proposed by convention Secretary Imani Daniel to move two provisions from Standing Committee No. 3 addressing Human Rights to Standing Committee No. 1 — Finance and Public Service.