USVI Legislature vs Governor
Legislature vs. Governor
A timeline of veto overrides, public disputes, and institutional conflicts between the 35th and 36th Legislatures and Governor Albert Bryan Jr. — what happened, the vote counts, and what was at stake.
WAPA 35-Day Billing Cycle Override
After an 8-hour session, senators overrode Governor Bryan's veto of Bill No. 33-0290, which capped WAPA's billing cycle at 35 days and prohibited the utility's practice of issuing 60-day "double bills." Bryan argued the measure was effectively moot since WAPA's 60-day cycle had already ended, but senators said the law would prevent the practice from recurring. Senator Janelle Sarauw criticized the governor for vetoing the bill outright rather than requesting an amendment.
WAPA Audit & VI History Curriculum Overrides
The Legislature overrode two Bryan vetoes in the same session: Bill No. 35-0055, requiring Virgin Islands and Caribbean history curriculum in schools, and Bill No. 35-0061, mandating a $250,000 independent audit of WAPA. Bryan objected to the audit bill specifically, warning it set "a dangerous precedent" by pulling the Inspector General into a legislative oversight role rather than independent agency oversight.
Override on Honoring Former Governor Mapp
The 35th Legislature overrode Bryan's veto of a bill renaming a portion of Route 75 on St. Croix in honor of former Governor Kenneth Mapp, alongside a related $45,000 medal/honor appropriation. Bryan called it "kind of strange" for a majority-Democratic Legislature to honor a non-Democratic former governor amid revenue shortfalls. The same session also overrode his veto of Bill No. 35-0269, which created criminal penalties for perjury in legislative proceedings.
Senators Vote 14-0 to Rescind Governor & Lt. Governor Pay Raises
The 36th Legislature voted unanimously to rescind salary increases for the Governor and Lieutenant Governor — including a $42,000 raise for Bryan himself — following public criticism over the optics of executive pay increases. This set up the veto fight that would follow weeks later.
Senators Override Bryan's Veto of His Own Pay Cut
Senators voted unanimously, 15-0, to override Bryan's veto of two bills: one rescinding his own pay raise, the other raising the minimum salary for the lowest-paid government workers from $27,040 to $35,000. Bryan called the override "fiscal responsibility abandoned in favor of short-term political convenience," arguing it imposed unfunded mandates on agencies like WAPA and the territory's hospitals without financial analysis. Senator Kenneth Gittens called the override "a win for the people of the Virgin Islands."
Senate President Criticizes Governor Over Special Session Communication
Senate President Milton Potter publicly criticized Governor Bryan for what he characterized as a lack of communication before Bryan called for a special session to address his legislative proposals — a sign of growing friction between the two branches heading into the second half of 2025.
Senate Rejects Two Governor-Backed Special Session Measures
During the special session Bryan had called for, the Senate voted 13-0 to remove two measures he had put forward — a unanimous rejection of his own special session agenda items just weeks after the pay raise override fight.
Potter Responds to Bryan's Criticism Over Marina Permit
Senate President Potter publicly responded after Bryan criticized the legislative process amid the denial of a permit extension for the Summer's End Marina project — another instance of the two branches sparring publicly over a specific decision rather than resolving it through formal process alone.
A note on what this page is — and isn't
This is not a senator-by-senator "opposition scorecard." Most of the major conflicts documented here were resolved by unanimous or near-unanimous votes — when the Legislature pushes back on the Governor, it has typically done so as a bloc, not through individual senators standing out as consistently more or less opposed. We could not find a comprehensive, sourced dataset breaking down every senator's voting record against the Governor specifically, and we won't fabricate one. What follows are the documented, dated conflicts themselves.
Source: Virgin Islands Daily News, VI Consortium, Virgin Islands News Online, Wikipedia (36th Virgin Islands Legislature timeline), and official statements from the Office of the Governor. This timeline reflects documented public conflicts and is not exhaustive — we'll continue adding entries as new disputes occur.