ST. CROIX — With both Governor Albert Bryan Jr. and Lieutenant Governor Tregenza Roach out of the territory, Finance Commissioner Kevin McCurdy is acting as governor in accordance with the Virgin Islands Code, Government House announced today.
Additionally, since Senate President Novelle Francis Jr. and other senators are out of the territory, Senator Marise James is acting as both Senate president and lieutenant governor.
If both the governor and lieutenant governor are temporarily absent from the territory, the Revised Organic Act of 1954 states that the acting governor is determined by the laws of the Virgin Islands. Title 3, Section 29 of the VI Code gives the order of succession in such instances, beginning with the Finance commissioner.
If the lieutenant governor is temporarily absent from the territory, or during any period when the lieutenant governor is acting as governor, the Senate president shall act as lieutenant governor, according to the Revised Organic Act.
Since Francis and other senators are in Washington, D.C. attending a conference of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, James is acting as Senate president until Saturday. Given her role as acting Senate president, she is also the acting lieutenant governor.
“The Senate president asked me to act as the Senate president while he’s out, and that I would also be acting as the acting lieutenant governor because the governor was out and the lieutenant governor was acting as the governor,” James said.
James said Francis wrote her a letter informing her of her role as acting Senate president.
“I am pretty sure that the Senate president knows the succession and that everyone else is out of the territory, and so it falls on me,” she said.
Bryan is out of the territory until Sunday for a series of meetings with key members of Congress, officials in the administration of President Joe Biden, and officials in the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, Government House announced Sunday. The governor’s visit is part of the administration’s continued efforts to secure critical federal priorities for the Virgin Islands.
Bryan will focus on advocating for the extension of the rum cover-over excise tax, a vital revenue source for the territory, as well as the lifting of the Medicaid cap to ensure more equitable health care funding for residents. These meetings underscore the administration’s steadfast commitment to securing resources and policies that enhance the territory’s fiscal stability and improve the quality of life for residents.
“As we navigate the complexities of federal funding and policy, it is imperative that we maintain strong relationships with both current and incoming federal leadership to advance the Virgin Islands’ priorities,” Bryan said in a statement.
Roach is out of the territory until Saturday to attend the National Lieutenant Governor’s Association 2024 New Elect and Member Meeting in Washington, D.C., his office announced Tuesday. Plenary sessions, keynote presentations, and panel discussions from lieutenant governors and NLGA partners will include topics surrounding the U.S. post elections, Federal Emergency Management Agency updates, economic development and workforce strategies, infrastructure and intergovernmental priorities, and public service. Roach will moderate a panel on Economic Development and Workforce Strategies for States and Territories.
