36th Legislature sworn in; senators name committee chairs and press for hospital emergency, oversight and retroactive pay

Members of the 36th Legislature of the United States Virgin Islands were sworn in on Jan. 15 at Fritz Luebets Legislative Hall in St. Croix and immediately set out priorities that lawmakers said will shape the new session: declaring a hospital state of emergency, tightening oversight of recovery projects and addressing unpaid retroactive payments to retirees.

Senator Milton E. Potter, who introduced himself as president of the 36th Legislature, opened the session by thanking central staff and pledging to lead a body focused on improving quality of life for Virgin Islanders. "This is indeed a very special day," Potter said, calling on colleagues to work together on long-running territorial issues such as water and power, housing and health care.

The new legislature moved quickly to organize. A procedural motion limiting points of personal privilege to three minutes was made by Senator Kurt A. Viola and seconded by Senator Kenneth L. Gittens; the motion was adopted with "hearing no objections, so ordered." President Potter and other senators then announced committee chairs for the session.

Health care and hospital infrastructure featured as a top, specific demand. Senator Ray Fonseca urged immediate executive action, saying, "We need a health state of emergency right now so we can get the hospitals…