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Bryan signs housing, veterans and health measures; vetoes gun-law package — WelcomeToVI article cover
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Bryan signs housing, veterans and health measures; vetoes gun-law package

Eight bills became law, including measures for homeownership funding, displaced LBJ Gardens residents, student immunizations and a women veterans coordinator; three bills were vetoed.

Governor Albert Bryan Jr. signed eight measures passed during the Legislature's August 26 session and vetoed three others, including an omnibus bill containing major changes to Virgin Islands gun law.

The approved measures redirect earlier appropriations to the Williams Delight Community Homeownership Program and VI Slice, require compensation for qualifying LBJ Gardens homeowners displaced by demolition activity, and establish student-immunization requirements with exemptions and electronic compliance reporting.

Another new law creates a Women Veterans Coordinator within the V.I. Office of Veterans Affairs. The governor also signed changes involving GERS member loans, the moving-violations point system, a St. Croix road renaming and a St. Thomas access easement.

Bryan vetoed Bill 36-0344 in full. He said its single appropriation prevented a line-item veto and objected that nine unrelated sections—including substantial gun-law revisions—advanced without a public hearing or stakeholder testimony. A veto does not necessarily end a proposal; the Legislature may reconsider it under the territory's override process.

The governor also rejected zoning changes for Estate Richmond on St. Croix and Estate Adrian on St. John, citing neighborhood impacts and insufficient land-use protections.

SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENT

Government House and the Legislature should publish one accessible action table linking every bill, final text, fiscal note, signing or veto message, effective date and any override deadline so residents can see precisely what changed.

ORIGINAL SOURCEVirgin Islands Consortium, reporting Government House transmittals

Source published September 9, 2026. Read the original reporting or release for the complete record.

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