St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands – Committee members and testifiers described Senator Samuel Carrion’s legislation to streamline and modernize the Government’s digital presence as forward thinking and intelligent during Monday’s meeting of the Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs & Consumer Protection.
Senator Carrion called the bill both practical and necessary.
“We will have to invest in our Bureau of Information Technology, however, we will save in the long run, while making all government interactions more efficient and user-friendly,” Senator Carrion said.
Bill 35-0236 creates the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act to improve websites and digital services throughout the Virgin Islands Government.
“We presently have each of our various agencies individually contracting out the design, hosting and maintenance of their websites at a tremendous cost,” Senator Carrion said. “Further, Government websites are not properly connected to each other. Meaning that to do any business with this Government from enrolling your child in school to paying various fees, you might have to visit multiple websites all using different platforms, some being more user friendly than others.”
The St. Croix Senator said his bill is about making local government more accessible and responsive to the needs of Virgin Islanders, including those with disabilities.
“My bill addresses both new and existing websites, ensuring they are up to the standards our citizens deserve,” Senator Carrion said. “Furthermore, it paves the way for the digitization of nearly all government services and forms, making our interactions simpler and more efficient. We can all remember during the COVID pandemic and how we had to make that considerable adjustment to how we do business, but there is much more work to be done.”
ViNGN President and CEO Stephan Adams agreed that the pandemic demonstrated both the V.I. Government’s need for digital services and its ability to make the transition. CEO Adams, and all
those testifying Monday, were in strong favor of Senator Carrion’s proposal. He said it would create a “common standard of accessibility, functionality and user-experience.”
“I fully support this bill,” CEO Adams said. “It is intelligent legislation that addresses modernization of government for the digital age.”
During the hearing, Senator Carrion recalled a time when websites for VITEMA and the Virgin Islands Police Department were taken down by a private party because of contractual disputes.
“We can’t allow any private company to hold our government hostage,” Senator Carrion said. “I envision our talented young people trained to build and maintain this Government’s digital infrastructure. I know that BIT is more than capable of this with the right resources.”
Bill 35-0236 also establishes a timeline for both the comprehensive analysis of the territory’s digital presence and the implementation of new standards. All committee members present voted in support of the legislation and it moves to the Committee on Rules & Judiciary for further consideration.