Nellie 2024 Platform: A United Vision for a Stronger St. Croix

Nellie O'Reilly's priorities emphasize the urgent need for revitalization across key sectors on the island of St. Croix, focusing on civic engagement, economic development, healthcare, education, mental health, infrastructure, and quality of life. Nellie aims to create a stronger, safer, healthier, and more prosperous St. Croix by amending specific laws and establishing new initiatives.

Empowering Future Leaders

Key Issues: Disaffected voters, Political disengagement, Low voter turnout

Amend Existing Laws:

• Legislative Youth Advisory Council (Title 2 V.I.C. Chapter 9 Section 150): Appoints 16 young people ages 14-23 who advise the legislature on pending legislation, budget expenditures, and policy matters related to youth.
  • Expand the scope of the council by including outreach initiatives to address disconnected youth, supporting voter registration drives, and conducting legislative mock sessions at local high schools to promote civics education.

New Initiatives:

• Increase Voter Registration: Encourage greater participation in the election process.
• Increase Voter Turnout: Inspire the community to use voting as activism and as a pathway to change.
• Leadership Development: Establish a Civic Leadership Academy (CLA) to support the next generation of leaders through mentorship focused on governance, public policy, and community empowerment.

Resilient Infrastructure and Energy Security

Key Issues: Crumbling infrastructure, Unreliable and costly energy, Derelict historic districts and buildings

Amend Existing Laws:

• Public Service Commission (Title 30 Chapter 5 Section 104): Mandates the way WAPA is governed.
  • Elect board members instead of members being appointed by the governor.
• Public Service Commission (Title 30 Chapter 5 Section 103): Creation of WAPA.
  • Reintroduce legislation to allow for the privatization of power generation.
  • Force WAPA to bring in private sector efficiency, innovation, and investment to modernize and stabilize St. Croix’s power and water infrastructure.
  • Ensure the estimated $400 million from FEMA is not going to stop us from allowing the privatization of WAPA and support subsidies for renewable energy for homes.
  • Mandate that new government construction projects incorporate sustainable designs and materials that are resilient to environmental challenges like hurricanes and rising sea levels.
• Public Works Act (Title 31 V.I.C. Chapter 2): Governs the construction and maintenance of public infrastructure.
  • Separate the law so St. Croix would run its own Department of Public Works, manage its own district, its own funding, and address issues in a timely manner.

New Initiatives:

• Building Capacity: Direct UVI and/or CTEC to provide training in renewable energy, creating experts, a pool of jobs, and resources locally.
• Renewable Energy: Expanding access to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind offers a pathway to energy independence, economic savings, and environmental sustainability. Emphasizing renewable energy would not only lower costs for residents but also position St. Croix as a leader in sustainable development within the Caribbean.
  • Negotiate an agreement with the refinery to purchase power.
• Real Estate Development: Create a Revolving Loan Program to fund and revitalize derelict buildings in downtown areas with funding from the Community Development Trust Fund.
  • Set aside $1 million from the Tourism Revolving Fund to assist with probate administration of distressed properties.

Culturally Sensitive Population Growth for Economic Development

Key Issues: High unemployment, Limited economic growth, Brain drain

Amend Existing Laws:

• Economic Development Authority (Title 29 V.I.C. Chapter 12): Provides tax incentives for companies doing business in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
  • Scale back tax breaks so companies who receive benefits are required to contribute to the coffers after the first 10 years.
  • Strengthen the compliance arm to ensure these businesses hire locally.

• Customs Tax (Title 33 V.I.C. Subtitle 1, Chapter 12 Section 525): We pay 6% of duties on foreign items coming into the territory and the federal government keeps this money.
  • Negotiate better terms with the federal government to keep more money in the territory.
  • At least $15 million could be kept in the territory each year.

Transforming Healthcare into an Economic Driver

Key Issues: Insufficient healthcare services, Outdated facilities, Lack of specialized care

Amend Existing Laws:

• Health Care Provider Incentive Law (Title 22 V.I.C. Chapter 31): Provides tax incentives for healthcare providers accepting Medicare/Medicaid.
  • Make incentives available to entities who want to come here to offer medical services.
  • Expand the bill to facilities that provide 24-hour pediatric care, mental health care, assisted living, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers.
  • Provide less gross receipt taxes thus creating an incentive for providers to enter the market and compete.
  • Increase the scope of incentives to attract specialists in fields such as oncology, geriatrics, and behavioral health to St. Croix. This could include grants for setting up private practices or bonuses for high-demand specializations.

• Telemedicine and Healthcare Access Law (Title 19 V.I.C. Chapter 1): Regulates the use of telemedicine in the U.S. Virgin Islands, ensures CIGNA pays for telehealth practice, tears down barriers to licensing for doctors.
  • Enhance telemedicine laws to allow higher reimbursement rates for healthcare providers offering remote services. This will improve access to care for residents in remote or underserved areas.

New Initiatives:

• Enact the Medical Tourism Act: Position St. Croix as a healthcare destination by offering tax credits to international patients and creating incentives for foreign medical professionals to practice on the island.

Addressing Mental Health and Homelessness

Key Issues: Homelessness, Lack of mental health resources, High rates of untreated mental illness

Amend Existing Laws:

• Behavioral Health Act (Title 19 V.I.C. Chapter 45): Governs the treatment of individuals with mental illnesses.
  • Make lawful mental illness determinations automatically eligible for Medicaid, get an identification, and receive care. Legislate an ombudsman that would deal with these issues
  • Increase funding for mental health services, especially crisis intervention units.
  • Add provisions for early screening programs in schools to identify and address mental health issues at a young age.
  • Expand the scope of Involuntary Commitment Laws to include preemptive measures that allow healthcare providers to intervene before a person becomes a danger to themselves or others. This would reduce the number of untreated mental health cases escalating into crises

• Involuntary Commitment Law (Title 19 V.I.C. Chapter 31): Regulates the involuntary commitment of individuals with severe mental illness.
  • Make lawful determinations of individuals in need of mental health to be committed, evaluated, and treated.

New Initiatives:

• Mental Health Court: Regulate medication supplies, train judges presiding over mental health patients, and require the Department of Human Services and the Department of Health representation. Patients would have one place they go to and a judge who is familiar with mental health challenges and who prioritizes help over incarceration.
• Repurpose Anna’s Hope Detention Center: Revise the law to require the Department of Health to seek a partner to convert this facility into a state-of-the-art mental health center with comprehensive services, including crisis stabilization and long-term care with a mobile care unit for remote services.

Elevating Education for the 21st Century

Key Issues: Underfunded schools, Lack of modern educational opportunities.

Amend Existing Laws:

• Education Reform Act (Title 17 V.I.C. Chapter 5): Governs public education in the Virgin Islands.
  • Incorporate funding for after-school programs, weekend enrichment opportunities, and year-round schooling. Include mental health screening and intervention programs in schools to improve academic outcomes and reduce dropout rates.

• Education Reform Act (Title 17 Chapter 5 section 41a): Requires bilingual education.
  • Increase funding for the ESL program and hire more ESL teachers.

New Initiatives:

•  Community Schools: Changing the way we deliver education must be a priority. Establishing community schools collapses the current management of public education, placing decisions in the hands of school's principals, teachers and parents. Community schools can provide students with better educational opportunities and offer families more choice in their children’s education. Community schools can introduce innovative teaching practices, specialized programs, and individualized learning that can help improve academic outcomes and student engagement.
  • Direct UVI to conduct a community educational needs assessment.

Transparency and Accountability in Government

Key Issues: Wasteful spending, Lack of transparency, Limited accountability.

Amend Existing Laws:

• VI Accountability and Transparency Act (Title 3 V.I.C. Chapter 25): Requires the publication of public fund usage.
  • Require quarterly audits of government contracts and ensure that all financial reports are made available to the public in a timely manner
  • Develop a system based on performance metrics that is outcome-focused, goal-driven, and fiscally efficient.

• Public Finance Management Act: Introduce stricter controls on government spending and require all agreements involving public funds be scrutinized and ratified by the legislature.

New Initiatives:

• Sub-Districting: Drive accountability through instituting sub-districting thereby electing representatives who are committed to driving neighborhood revitalization and improvements.
• Restructure Legislature: Introduce legislation to create a part-time senate to foster cost efficiency in prioritizing peoples’ needs, prevent over-legislation, reduce excessive junkets, and encourage more public participation.