ST. CROIX — In a move to challenge recent pay increases for public officials, Senate Minority Leader Dwayne DeGraff circulated a petition via email to his colleagues today that calls for the Senate president to convene a special session at 10 a.m. Friday on St. Thomas so the lawmaking body could consider repealing two acts that created the Virgin Islands Public Officials Compensation Commission, according to the senator.
If a majority of eight senators sign the petition, DeGraff said Senate President Novelle Francis Jr. would be required to convene the special session.
“If I don’t get the majority, then it doesn’t go through,” he said.
DeGraff is calling for the special session so his colleagues could consider repealing and rescinding Act Nos. 7878 and 8384, the laws that created the Public Officials Compensation Commission.
The Compensation Commission recommended salary increases for various public officials including the governor, lieutenant governor, and senators that took effect January 1.
Friday would be the last opportunity for a special session during the 35th Legislature considering the elected members of the 36th Legislature will be sworn in on Monday. Friday, however, is only three days away and the rules of the Legislature require a seven-day notice ahead of session. DeGraff said he is planning to offer a motion to waive the rules if he successfully petitions his colleagues to meet in special session.
During the body’s last legislative session on December 18, 2024, DeGraff said he was approached by members of the majority caucus to support wage increases for senators that he opposed, citing that elected officials should not receive raises after the budget has been passed, especially in a tight budget. He said his colleagues asked him to leave the conference room to allow the proposal to be presented without his objection. After he refused, the amendment was never offered.
“If you add it as a nongermane amendment to a bill, once it’s presented and there isn’t no objection, it moves forward out of vote,” DeGraff said. “Once someone objects, it has to go to a vote. Then, everyone can see which senator is voting for that, for or against.”
Although the Senate did not approve pay raises for its members at that time, the Compensation Commission recommended senators receive a salary of $95,000, representing a $10,000 raise. The Commission’s report was transmitted on August 13, 2024 to Governor Albert Bryan Jr., Senate President Novelle Francis Jr., and Chief Justice Rhys Hodge via email. The Commission’s recommendations were automatically approved 90 days later because the Legislature failed to act upon them.
Repealing the two acts that created the Commission would prevent the pay increases from going forward during a time when a balanced budget has already been passed for government operations in fiscal year 2025, according to DeGraff. He said now is not the proper time for public officials to receive raises, noting a decline in the population in 2020 to 89,000 from 110,000 has had a negative impact on revenue collections.
“When some of these projects come online and we start to generate that extra revenue and stuff, maybe then we can see a way forward,” he said.
In a statement released today, DeGraff highlighted issues the territory is facing that he said should be addressed before public officials get paid more. He pointed out nonpayment of income taxes for several years, nonpayment of owed retroactive pay, utilization of public funds to accommodate the energy state of emergency, potential shortfall of the Government Employees’ Retirement System from the rum cover-over monies, millions of dollars in nonpayment to vendors, and delayed salary increases for government employees.
DeGraff stressed that any recommended pay increases should not become effective before the fiscal year 2026 budget is passed so they can be properly funded, clarifying that public officials should be paid appropriately.
“I’m not saying they’re not working hard, and they don’t deserve a raise,” he said. “I’m saying look at all the factors now that I presented in my press release and tell me if you think it’s fair across the board to the people to take a wage increase at this time. And I don’t think it’s fair based on all the factors put out.”
