FREDERIKSTED, ST. CROIX - May 8, 2013 

 

Senator Buckley attended the three day National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) Spring Forum 2013 last week from May 2-4 in Denver, Colorado. The NCSL conference provided State Legislators and their staff the opportunity to attend workshops on several topics.  With nine US Virgin Islands Senators attending, the plan agreed upon in advance was to "divide and conquer", allowing the Senators to collectively be exposed to as many topics and information as possible.  Five of the nine Senators who attended were freshman; the exposure to the information offered was invaluable to those who had never been in that type of political arena before. Senators learned about policies and solutions that other states are working on, and about issues that are trending nationally.

 

The first workshop Senator Buckley attended on Thursday morning was conducted by representatives from the EPA and the US Department of Agriculture; there was also a speaker from a company called Growers for Biotechnology who presented on the future of GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) in the United States.  Senator Buckley had hoped to hear that the US is moving toward mandatory labeling like many other countries around the world, but instead learned that is not the case; millions of dollars are being spent by companies, like Monsanto, who lobby the US Congress for the continued use of GMOs.

 

"I see that we -- consumers and farmers who believe in growing food from seeds that have not been genetically altered --  have to continue the fight for more organic and sustainable agriculture," observed Buckley.

 

The Senator also attended several  Law & Criminal Justice committee meetings, of which she is a member.  Particularly important to her was the meeting titled:  "Can Violence be Prevented?"  The focus was on school safety, however it delved into more than simply safety from violence.  While violence prevention was discussed, the focus of the workshop was on ways in which students can help their peers, who may be on a path of destruction, by reporting it anonymously to a tip line called Safe2Tell.  This non profit organization is modeled after Crime Stoppers, but is specifically for youth and there is no cash reward.  Students can call, email or text a tip about a peer who might be planning to commit a crime, may be suicidal, is bullying, having mental health issues, or anything else plaguing youth.  The information is taken, then disseminated to an authority at the school and/or other professionals who may need to intervene.  Senators Buckley and Sanes attended this workshop and agreed to look into starting a chapter in the Virgin Islands.  Senator Buckley's office has already been working on a "School Safety Act", and this workshop confirmed that school safety needs to be one of our territory's top priorities.  Attendees were given collateral including handouts and  recently prepared "best practices" reports. Senator Buckley plans to share this information with the Virgin Islands Department of Education. 

 

After the conference, Senator Buckley reflected on the violence in schools meeting stating, "We have much to learn from states that are further ahead than we are in this area".

 

Another  workshop attended was entitled "Feeding People, Not Landfills: Why Reducing Food Waste Matters".  The Senator learned about the volume of food in the US that goes uneaten (40%), and measures that can be taken to reduce waste, feed the hungry, and return inedible food to the earth through composting. Senator Buckley has already submitted a bill, along with Senator Sanes, for the Department of Agriculture and VI Waste Management to conduct a feasibility study (presumably utilizing professionals on staff to conduct this, avoiding additional costs) on starting a composting program. 

 

"The territory has a long way to go toward reducing waste, recycling and preserving the environment, and I am very committed to moving in this direction," she expressed. " I am also committed to exploring options for restaurants, grocery stores, farmers and wholesale food vendors to take unused food and use it to feed the hungry."

 

The Senator attended a workshop on Marijuana regulation for the state of Colorado. Since the state of Colorado recently legalized marijuana - following Washington State  - the federal government has all eyes on those two in order to see how they are regulating and taxing marijuana sales.  The Deputy Attorney General of Colorado shared many of the decisions the administration has had to make with regards to implementing the new law, and some of the problems they're encountering.  For example, under the current federal law, banks are not allowed to service customers/businesses who make their living from drug sales, nor can they issue loans - per FDIC rules.  Until President Obama and US Attorney General Eric Holder addresses this issue, it poses a huge problem for those who will either grow, produce and/or sell marijuana.  Until the FDIC regulations are changed, all of those businesses have to operate on a cash only basis  - creating a multitude of additional issues.

 

One of the last meetings the Senator attended was the Women's Legislative Summit, which was an informal meeting among  female legislators.  When it was the Senator's turn to introduce herself, she took a few moments to explain that the US Virgin Islands is one of only three unicameral legislatures under the US flag, including Nebraska and Guam, and that the Territory doesn't have numbered seats or districting - that every two years an unlimited number of candidates vie for one of seven seats each on St Croix and St Thomas, and one at-large on St. John.  Many were very surprised and fascinated to learn this fact.  Senator Buckley was interested to hear that many of the states' legislators are part-time, and some make "little to no money", according to a House Representative from Massachusetts. The freshman House Representative from Alaska said she just spent the last 100 days in session in Juno, a 1 ½ hour flight from her home.  She said only one plane ticket was provided, so she "moved" to Juno for 100 days.

 

The NCSL Spring Forum offered Senator Buckley the privilege and opportunity to hear from national experts, fellow Legislators and other government officials who will help further the development of effective policies in the Territory of the US Virgin Islands.