VI Government

Washington, D.C. – This week, Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett reintroduced her legislative priorities to improve economic conditions in the territory for the 118th Congress:

“The introduction of these new bills is part of our legislative strategy toward improving the economy of the U.S. Virgin Islands. These bills, along with others to come, will improve the Virgin Islands’ economic development authorities under the Internal Revenue Code. Aside from improving economic development in the Virgin Islands by attracting more businesses and visitors, this legislative package addresses transportation and infrastructure needs, as well as the need for greater access to education and healthcare for Virgin Islands residents,” Plaskett said.

“Creating a special visa waiver program for the Virgin Islands will open up more opportunities for us to host more participants in regional sporting activities like the ‘Rolex Regatta,’ and the St. Croix International Triathlon, as well as opportunities to open our medical facilities to patients in the Caribbean region. All of these bills, if passed, will protect jobs and the livelihood of our small business owners and increase the amount of revenue generated in the Virgin Islands,” Plaskett added.

“For the 118th Congress, I was appointed by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries as the Ranking Member of the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government and as a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. This is the first time a Member from a U.S. territory has been appointed to these posts. I look forward to leveraging my national profile to advocate for the equity of all Virgin Islanders.  The U.S. territories and their residents are equally American.

The legislation reintroduced by Congresswoman Plaskett for the 118th Congress includes:

“Full Rum Cover Over – This bill repeals the limit on the amount of distilled spirits excise taxes rebated to the treasuries of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

“Territorial Economic Recovery Act – This bill would restore favorable tax treatment of investment in U.S. territories, including the Virgin Islands. It would treat such investment as domestic rather than foreign investment and require investors to have an active trade or business in a U.S. territory with a certain percentage of income derived from such territory.  

“Territorial Tax Parity Act – This bill modifies the income source rules that apply with respect to the taxation of resident businesses in U.S. territories. This would make the Virgin Islands more attractive to businesses and investment and would create more jobs in the territory. 

“Territorial Tax Equity and Economic Growth Act – This bill modifies the residence and income source rules involving U.S. territories to provide for economic recovery in the territories. 

“Territorial Tax Parity and Fairness Act – This bill would amend the Internal Revenue Code to apply the exemption that currently exists for U.S. territory residents from the law’s definition of a United States shareholder to include bona fide residents of the Virgin Islands, like the existing treatment for bona fide residents of Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories.  This will bring tax parity to investments in the Virgin Islands. 

“Territorial Tax Parity and Clarification Act – The bill would specifically create parity between the way capital gains income in the Virgin Islands is treated and the way that it is treated in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories. 

“Fuel Tax Cover Over Bill – This bill would amend the Internal Revenue Code to cover over (pay) to the Virgin Islands revenue from U.S. excise taxes on fuel produced in the Virgin Islands and transported to the United States mainland from the Virgin Islands, like the existing cover over program that exists for distilled spirits and other articles of manufacture.

“Virgin Islands Visa Waiver Act – This bill authorizes a nonimmigrant visitor visa waiver program for nationals of certain countries to enter the U.S. Virgin Islands for up to 45 days (as currently provided to other U.S. territories).  Under this visitor tourism program, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may provide a waiver admitting a nonimmigrant visitor from a DHS-approved country into the Virgin Islands for up to 45 days.

“Insular Areas College Access Act – This bill would establish a college access grant program for students in the small U.S. territories. The program would be administered by the Department of Education to cover the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition for students who attend a public institution of higher education elsewhere in the United States. 

“Resiliency Enhancement Act – This bill extends the special provision of disaster assistance enacted under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 for infrastructure providing critical services to also include solid waste management, stormwater management, public housing, transportation infrastructure, and medical care infrastructure.  Such assistance would be extended to capture any major disaster declared in Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands after Hurricane Irma or Hurricane Maria and before September 30, 2022.

“Territories Health Equity Act – This bill provides equitable federal funding and treatment under Medicaid, Medicare, and other federal health programs for Americans living in U.S. territories. 

“Extend Basic Allowance for Housing to servicemembers in the Virgin Islands – This bill authorizes the basic allowance for housing for members of the uniformed services in the Virgin Islands (instead of the overseas housing allowance).

“Dictionary Act amendment to define Territories as a State in Federal programs – This bill creates a rule of construction in the U.S. Code to include U.S. territories in the definition of the term “State” for purposes of federal programs (except where special treatment has been explicitly provided). 

“Trade Adjustment Assistance Parity – This bill extends the trade adjustment assistance for workers program to the U.S. territories of Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

“I look forward to continue working with my Democratic colleagues to put people over politics, work to lower costs, create better paying jobs, and make our communities safer by working with whomever to support and advocate for everyday Americans.”

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS – Governor Albert Bryan Jr. has named former Senator Allison DeGazon to take the position of Director of the Division of Economic Research effective Monday, February 15, 2021.

The Division of Economic Research provides reliable and quality statistics to enhance the social and economic development of U.S. Virgin Islands through statistical analysis and reports in support of public-sector and private-sector decision-making. The Division, formerly known as the Bureau of Economic Research, was under the Office of Management and Budget before becoming a division under the Office of the Governor.

“It is imperative that we build a unit in the Virgin Islands that generates, complies, analyzes and distributes data to support our public and private sector,” Dr. DeGazon said. “I intend to lead the charge in ensuring that our local data is accurate and accessible so that our policymakers can drive effective public policy and spur economic growth.”

Before being elected as a member of the 33^rd Legislature where she served as Chairwoman of the Senate’s Economic Development, Regulations and Agriculture Committee, Dr. DeGazon served as Assistant Director at the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency from 2015-2017 and as Territorial Director of Unemployment Insurance at the Virgin islands Labor Department from 2012-2015. She holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of the Virgin Islands and a Ph.D in Creative Leadership, Innovation and Change from the University of the Virgin Islands and Buffalo State College.

In addition, Dr. DeGazon is a member of a number of economic research groups in the Caribbean, United States and Canada, and she is a representative of the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Agri-Economic Society. Dr. DeGazon also is the owner of Cruzan Organix Farm, Inc. and Business Strategies, Inc.

The Bryan-Roach Administration is committed to transparency, stabilizing the economy, restoring trust in the government and ensuring the disaster recovery is completed as quickly as possible.

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (D-VI) and Congressman David Joyce (R-OH) today introduced legislation, the Air Carrier Worker Support Extension Act of 2020, to extend the airline worker Payroll Support Program through March 2021:

The aviation industry has been hit hard by the global pandemic. Within days, hundreds of thousands of aviation jobs, and flight connections all across the United States, were put at risk due to the public health emergency caused by COVID-19. Through passage of the CARES Act, Congress moved quickly to keep airline workers on the job, with their benefits, and off the unemployment lines. As an example, the air travel to the Virgin Islands was reduced by weeks into months at the beginning of COVID-19. It did pick up in the summer, but we have had to recently limit leisure travel. In my District tourism accounts for 60% of the Virgin Islands GDP.

“The Payroll Support Program for aviation industry employees, included in the CARES Act, has been very successful in keeping hundreds of thousands of U.S. aviation workers—including pilots, flight attendants, customer service agents, and mechanics—on payroll. However, because this program is set to expire on October 1st, and air travel demand remains at historic lows, tens of thousands of job losses are possible within a matter of days,” said Congresswoman Plaskett.  “The PSP must be extended for another six months to make sure hardworking men and women in the air transportation sector are not left out in the cold through no fault of their own. We need to make sure these workers, some of whom undergo security clearances and cannot be replaced quickly, remain on payroll once airline demand returns.”

“When Congress passed the CARES Act back in March, we created several programs to protect American workers, including the Payroll Support Program,” said Congressman Dave Joyce. “This program has successfully kept hundreds of thousands of pilots, flight attendants, airline customer service agents, and aviation mechanics on payroll throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. But with air travel remaining at historic lows and the Payroll Support Program expiring on October 1st, immediate action must be taken to prevent tens of thousands of those workers from being laid off. I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation with Congresswoman Plaskett to ensure the hardworking Americans in the aviation industry can keep the lights on and provide for their families as we continue to navigate the ongoing pandemic.”

“We are grateful for the support of Rep. Plaskett and Rep. Joyce for extending the Payroll Support Program an effort to save the jobs of thousands of U.S. airline employees – flight attendants, pilots, mechanics, gate agents and others.  In just seven days, U.S. airlines will be forced to make very difficult business decisions, including announced furloughs and significant reductions in service, without additional federal aid. We are running out of time,” said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. “These are dire times for the U.S. airline industry. Passenger volumes remain down approximately 70 percent, a third of the U.S. fleet is still idled and U.S. carriers continue to collectively burn $5 billion in cash per month. We are grateful for the strong bipartisan, bicameral support from Congress – including a large group of senators who wrote a letter saying, ‘[W]e must take swift action to extend CARES Act payroll support for passenger air carrier employees to prevent furloughs and provide certainty for workers ahead of October 1, 2020,’ as well as the more than 250 House members who wrote that ‘Without further relief from Congress, mass layoffs among airline industry workers are inevitable-and their magnitude will eclipse those of any furloughs the industry has ever seen.’Congress needs to act now to protect the jobs of tens of thousands of U.S. employees, who continue to provide essential services and are truly the backbone of the U.S. airline industry.”

The Air Carrier Worker Support Extension Act of 2020 would extend PSP for six months, through March 2021, help frontline employees continue to receive their current paychecks, and require airlines to maintain flights to the communities they serve. The House of Representatives remains committed to ensuring that all facets of our transportation network have the resources they need to survive the current economic crisis.  I will continue to support an extension of the PSP lifeline for air transportation workers in the next economic stimulus package.