US Virgin Islands Senate approves $958M fiscal year 2027 budget

The US Virgin Islands Legislature has approved the government's Fiscal Year 2027 budget, clearing the final legislative hurdle before the spending plan reaches Governor Albert Bryan Jr.'s desk.

Senators voted Friday to pass the $739.2 million General Fund appropriation, which funds core government operations beginning October 1. When combined with special funds, Budget Committee Chairman Novelle E. Francis Jr. said the full package totals nearly $958 million, close to the $954 million the governor originally proposed.

The budget comprises 27 separate appropriations bills covering everything from university operations to hospital funding, waste management, and capital improvements across the three main islands. The University of the Virgin Islands received $34.1 million, while the Hospital and Health Facilities Corporation was allocated $66.5 million.

Senator Angel Bolques Jr. told colleagues that residents experience budgets not as numbers but as the programs and services they depend on. "The people of the Virgin Islands do not experience a budget as a list or a number of bills," he said during debate.

The budget process included 21 committee hearings over the summer. One bill underwent a floor amendment for language cleanup in its miscellaneous section, though the total remained unchanged.

Senators also approved a 7 percent increase in employee insurance premiums, with Senator Hubert Frederick attributing the rise to declining participation in the health plan paired with higher-cost claims. Senator Kurt Vialet stressed the importance of tax collection, noting that roughly half the vacant positions the Legislature funds annually, including revenue-generating offices, remain unfilled.

In related action, the Senate voted 11-2 to override the governor's veto of a separate bill addressing pedestrian bridge repairs, UVI funding, and other matters. The Legislature also confirmed four board nominees and approved five land and lease agreements, including arrangements for food court and auto repair operations at the Submarine Base.