The Government of the Virgin Islands has been praised for being considered one of the most productive legislatures in the history of BVI politics with the passage of 101 legislations since taking office in March 2019.
His Excellency Governor John Rankin highlighted the work of the government during his annual Speech from the Throne this morning in the House of Assembly.
“During the First Session of the Fourth House of Assembly, which commenced in March 2019, six pieces of legislation were passed and enacted. During the Second Session, 30 pieces of legislation were passed. During the Third Session, 47 pieces of legislation were passed. During the Fourth Session, 18 pieces of legislation were passed,” he said.
“With the Fourth House of Assembly having considered and successfully passed 101 pieces of legislation in a single term and in extenuating circumstances such as the COVID-19 global pandemic, which began in 2020, it is fair to say that this has been one of the most productive terms of any legislature in the Virgin Islands – if not the most productive term,” he added.
Governor Rankin said the achievement is one that the government should be proud of with 96 of the 101 passed legislations enacted.
“This is something the elected government and all honourable members should be proud of, and citizens should note how their legislature has functioned in addressing its responsibility to the people’s business. It would not be practical to list all 101 pieces of legislation that were passed or the 96 that were enacted, but certainly, there are a few that stand out and are worth mentioning,” he said.
The governor also spoke on some of the legislation that was passed to strengthen good governance, transparency and accountability in the territory during the more than 3-years.
He said many were undertaken on the initiative of the government and do coincide with several of the recommendations made in the Commission of Inquiry Report.
“These included the Integrity in Public Life Act, 2021, which aims to ensure ethical conduct of public officers, statutory boards and elected officials in the carrying out of their public sector responsibilities; and the Register of Interests (Amendment) Act, 2021 which deals with the declaration of interests of Members of the House of Assembly. The government remains committed to continuing to strengthen the good governance systems and will pursue further amendments, as necessary.”
In addition, the governor also listed the Contractor General Act 2021, the Whistleblower Act 2021 and the Public Procurement Act 2021.