USVI Public Records

Document text

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY, JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY 07/10/2026-REPORTED OUT TO THE FLOOR 06/04/2026-REPORTED OUT TO THE COMMITTEE ON RULES AND JUDICIARY BILL NO. 36-0224 Thirty-Sixth Legislature of the Virgin Islands February 2, 2026 An act amending title 20 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 51, subchapter I, section 801 relating to the moving violations point system PROPOSED BY: Senator Avery L. Lewis Co-sponsor: Novelle E. Francis, Jr. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the Virgin Islands: 1 SECTION 1. Title 20 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 51, subchapter I, section 801 is 2 amended as follows: 3 (a) subsection (a) is amended in the third sentence by striking “upon petition to the 4 Court by the Director,” and inserting “Director of”; 5 (b) subsection (b) is amended as follows: 6 (1) by striking the first sentence and inserting the following: “If a person 7 accumulates points, those points remain on that person’s driving record; however, if a 8 person is not convicted of any moving violation during the next consecutive 12-month 9 period, the Director shall deduct three points from that person’s total point 10 accumulation.” 11 (2) In the second sentence by striking “calendar year” and inserting “consecutive 12 12-month period”; 13 2 (c) subsection (c) is amended by striking “$25.00” and inserting “$200”; by inserting 1 “mandatory” before “three (3) hour”; and by striking “$75.00”and inserting “$100”; 2 (d) subsection (d) is stricken, and the following new subsection (d) is inserted: 3 “(d) A person who voluntarily participates in the driver’s education course and 4 pays the associated $200 fee may, upon satisfactory completion of the course, have three 5 points deducted from the driver’s accumulated points, provided those points were not 6 accumulated because of an accident. A driver may only have three points deducted from 7 their record within a 12-month period.”; and 8 (e) by adding the following subsection (e): 9 “(e) Any person subject to the penalties imposed under this subchapter is entitled 10 to a hearing. The Director of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles shall preside over the hearing, 11 and any resulting imposed penalty is subject to review by the Superior Court of the Virgin 12 Islands.” 13 BILL SUMMARY 14 This bill amends 20 VIC § 801 by transferring the authority from the Superior Court to 15 the Director of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to suspend the use of a driver’s license when a 16 driver accumulates 12 or more points within 12-month period. It also gives the Director the 17 authority to deduct three points if a driver does not have any violations within a period of 18 twelve consecutive months and provides that the maximum number of points that can be 19 deducted within a twelve consecutive month period is three points. It increases the fine for a 20 moving violation from $25 to a $200 and provides for a mandatory three-hour drivers’ 21 education course. It also increases the per diem for instructors from $75 to $100. It adds a 22 new subsection (d) to section 801 that provides that persons who voluntarily participates in the 23 drivers’ education course and pay the $200 fee will have three points deducted from that 24 driver’s accumulated points, provided those points were not accumulated because of an 25 accident and limits the amount of points deducted to three point per 12-month period. Finally, 26 3 a subsection (e) is added that provides that persons subjected to penalties under section 801 are 1 entitled to a hearing, which is presided over by the Director of Motor Vehicles and any resulting 2 penalties imposed by the Director are reviewable by the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands. 3 BR25-0152/January 28, 2026/SLR 4