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Committee deadlocks on bill pushing use of locally manufactured construction materials
Summary
Lawmakers and agency witnesses debated a proposal to require locally manufactured construction materials on government‑funded projects; concerns about federal grant rules, availability and cost led the committee to vote the measure down.
The Committee on Government Operations held a lengthy hearing on Bill No. 36‑0102 on Sept. 22, 2025 — a measure that would reenact section 23‑6(b) of the Virgin Islands code to require use of construction materials “manufactured in the Virgin Islands to the greatest extent practicable” for locally‑ or federally‑funded government contracts.
Why it mattered: Sponsors said the policy would retain public dollars in the territory, spur manufacturing jobs and strengthen supply‑chain resilience after the storms of recent years. Opponents warned it risks violating federal domestic‑preference rules attached to grants and could raise costs or cause delays on federally funded…
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