Speaker brings attention to bills stuck at Governor’s office
Speaker of the House of Assembly Julian Willock yesterday brought attention to the fact that government is still awaiting word on three bills that have long been sent to the Governor’s Office for approval.
Willock gave the reminder in the House Of Assembly before Governor Augustus Jaspert stood to deliver his final Speech from the Throne.
“Honourable members, I must also bring to your attention once more that we have three Bills still not assented to by the Governor, and I have still to be given a plausible reason from His Excellency as to why,” Willock said.
The three outstanding bills are:
1. The Advance Passenger Information Act, 2020, which was passed in the House on June 16, 2020 and sent to the Governor’s Office on July 1, 2020.
2. The Virgin Islands Cannabis Licensing Act, 2020, passed on June 30, 2020 and sent to the Governor’s Office on July 27, 2020.
3. The Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) (Amendment) Act, 2020, passed on July 2, 2020 and sent to the Governor’s Office on July 27, 2020.
“I will say no more on that for now,” Willock said after outlining the three bills.
Government members, as well as residents, are anxiously waiting for Governor Jaspert’s decision on the three bills, especially the Cannabis Licensing Act which the Fahie administration said would bring in much-needed revenue to the BVI.
Recently, Agriculture Minister Dr Natalio Wheatley said orders are already flowing in from interested persons seeking to cash in on the BVI’s medicinal marijuana industry.
“It’s hurting us. I’ve had persons contact me and tell me how many litres of distillate from the marijuana that they want to order from the BVI and how much they are willing to pay for it. So we already have orders ready,” Dr Wheatley said on the October 23 airing of the Honestly Speaking radio programme.
The constitution has not outlined any specified timeframe in which a governor must assent to a bill.
Governor Jaspert will demit office in early 2021.
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
Hats off to this speaker
The Governor doesn’t report to any of them…
Neither the Governor nor the Government should have this much power where they can do what they want and stop what they want without any due process from anyone. This is dictatorship.
The lame duck Jonah Governor won’t sign the cannabis law because he is worried that it will impact his career prospects of obtaining a national security role when he goes back to the UK.
You mean wig off!
What about the consumer protection act?
That pass long time
Are two activities which are illegal for US banks to assist with. None of the BVI Banks can therefore operate the government accounts for these. Clearly not considered by the VIP cabinet..
Where is the AG on this?
I am so disappointed in the Governor.
The governor aint going to pass that cannabis act he dont care for it.
If he had stop the plane and wall money this same way then we would had ten million more in the Treasury now. This is foolishness what he’s doing.
How could he have stopped it? Please explain.
Was the wall and the fence a piece of legislation? Dumb no f**k….
Put up or shut up! Yuh deaf!
This governor thinks that he is above the law. This is wrong from all angles.
Keep on him esteemed
The Governor has the constitutional authority to assent to bills as he sees fit (and of course under the directive of the UK). Accordingly, he cannot be faulted here. The government can blame him for the delay but its futile since it is within his rights to do so.
Hope a statement on the reason(s) for the delay can be released soon to appease our curious minds.
He forgot to put on the wig
Lame duck Augustus J.U. Jaspert continues to thwart the will of the people’s elected government. The people elected a government to act on its behalf yet the unelected governor is thwarting the will of the people. Jaspert is using the anachronistic assent device to hold bills approved by the people’s elected government hostage. Shameful!
tyhe governor has rge power people learn sense the governor has the power. go and learn the law if the bvi does not keep wuiet and go along you think that jaspert is not doing nothing and cannot do nothing well you all think again. the next goverbor us going to be the fish in bvi tamk. just wait and see the speaker think he is bull he will soon see who is the butcher in the butcher shop. You all betr be care full the navy will walk in do not trust the power of rngland they donmot do like americans big stick no noise
The Governor is right to withhold these bills, they were not debated substantivly in the house, they did not discuss the ramifications of passing these acts.
There was lengthy discussion to which several ministers spoke and no one opposed.
The Governor is holding up the Bills that the House has passed, which would bring in much-needed revenue. The Government is holding up payment of bills for services rendered, which would enable vendors to bring in much-needed income. Who to blame? What goes around comes around.
I tiyad seeing this u**y man on my screen. Never has anything of substance to contribute. Tiyad!
Funny how all kind of new legislation can just spring up out of nowhere and get passed in the house and the ones we actually need like proper consumer protection, freedom of information and protection for whistleblowers can’t see the light of day. The cannabis licensing act is nonsense the way they say they plan to go about it. The “secret Investor” who is the only customer the farmers will be allowed to sell to will dictate what they paying for it cause they know you cant sell it to nobody else. Just seem like you setting up farmers to get screwed and not make much off of their hard work. Its gonna be just like them chicken farmers in the states who barely make anything and doing all the work while the big company like tyson and dem make all the eat off of their hard work.