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Senate reprograms funds to finish Randall "Doc" James racetrack; approves multiple amendments including small community appropriations and casino-fund formulas
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Summary
Bill 36‑0119, to reprogram appropriated funds to the Department of Sports, Parks and Recreation to complete the Randall "Doc" James racetrack on St. Croix, passed after a flurry of floor amendments that added targeted appropriations (including $20,000 for a Von Benjamin Monument) and a set of formula allocations for casino-revenue uses.
The Senate on Oct. 30 approved Bill No. 36‑0119, which reprograms appropriated funds to the Department of Sports, Parks and Recreation for completion of the Randall "Doc" James racetrack on Saint Croix, after adopting a series of floor amendments that broadened the bill's scope and added targeted appropriations.
Senator Kenneth L. Gittens offered the first amendment (36‑602), followed by additional amendments that reallocated text in Title 3 and Title 14 of the V.I. Code. Senator Novelle Francis Jr. offered several amendments adding appropriations and programmatic direction, including Amendment 36‑604 that inserted a $20,000 appropriation in FY2026 from the Tourism Advertising Revolving Fund to the Department of Sports, Parks and Recreation for the Ethiopian World Federation Local 5 Inc. to support design and construction of the Von Benjamin Monument, and Amendment 36‑614 that appropriated $15,000 from the Tourism Advertising Revolving Fund to the Department of Sports, Parks and Recreation for the Virgin Islands Baseball Federation to support the national team's participation in a regional tournament.
Another amendment (36‑630 series) proposed allocations from the casino revolving fund by percentage: 23% to the Virgin Islands Casino Control Commission, 15% to the Department of Education for youth extracurricular activities, 10% to the Department of Justice Division of Gaming Enforcement, 10% to the Department of Health, 10% to the Department of Sports, Parks and Recreation for territorial youth sport leagues, 10% to the Virgin Islands Police Department, 10% to the Department of Labor youth program, 5% to the Department of Agriculture, 4% to government hospitals and health facilities, and 2% to the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority for reconstruction and rehabilitation of historic district towns. Several numeric revisions were discussed and some withdrawn by sponsors during floor consideration.
During floor debate, Senator Alma Francis Heiliger raised concerns about language in an amendment that would make a $100,000,000 reallocation immediately available for operating expenses; legal counsel advised the amendment, as worded, allowed such availability, and senators disagreed about the drafter’s intent. After roll-call votes on amendments and on the amended bill, the clerk announced the final recorded count for Bill 36‑0119 as 11 yeas, 2 absent, 2 not voting. The Chair declared the bill favorably voted upon and said it would be forwarded to the governor for further consideration and action.
The adopted amendments add both project-specific appropriations (monument funding and sport federation support) and broader formula-driven allocations that will affect multiple territorial agencies; the transcript records the text and vote counts but not the governor's subsequent actions.
