Senate committee debates bill to let government employees run for office without mandatory leave

The Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs, and Consumer Protection of the 30th Legislature held a lengthy hearing Oct. 27 on bill 36-0134, which would repeal and reenact Title 18, Virgin Islands Code, chapter 1, section 2 to allow government employees to be nominated and run for elective office while remaining actively employed unless federal law or other applicable U.S. regulations prohibit their candidacy.

Sponsor Sen. Maurice C. James said the measure "rests on a simple but powerful idea" that removing financial barriers will broaden participation and make elections more representative. He told the committee the bill "does not remove accountability. It simply ensures that employees can remain employed while they exercise their constitutional right to run for office."

The bill would remove the current automatic leave requirement that begins on filing nomination papers and ends after election while retaining prohibitions on campaigning during working hours, use of government time or resources for campaign purposes, and exclusions for judicial officers and law clerks governed by judicial codes of conduct. The text also notes employees paid wholly or in part with federal funds remain subject to…