HoA passes Register of interests’ bill with amendments

ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- After a marathon session in a Committee of the whole House, the Virgin Islands Legislature- called the House of Assembly (HoA)- voted last week to approve the controversial Register of Interests Bill.

Premier and Minister of Finance Dr the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7), who sponsored the bill, reported out of committee that the Bill had been amended.

However, the extent of those changes is unclear, as the Bill is yet to be signed by the United Kingdom-appointed Governor Daniel Pruce and gazetted.

It was on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at the continuation of the Ninth Sitting of the First Session of the Fifth HoA, that the final version was passed.

There was a debate over a proposal for two major changes; lifting a $15 fee currently required to view each HoA member’s interests, and adding a private register for senior public officers including department heads, deputy secretaries and other employees in grades 19 through 21.