Lawmakers on the Senate Budget, Appropriations and Finance Committee seemed keen on investing in the territory’s athletes Wednesday and were less than pleased to learn that the V.I. Olympic Committee never received its 2025 allotment.
VIOC President John Abramson Jr. asked lawmakers to approve a $500,000 appropriation in 2026 — 67% more than the central government’s recommendation — to cover increasing operating expenses and help the committee add support staff. Abramson said the money is needed to fund athletic federations that can train athletes and for administrative costs.
After questions from Sen. Novelle Francis Jr., who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, testifiers acknowledged that the committee has yet to receive its $450,000 allotment for 2025. VIOC received its 2024 allotment in October, which is technically the start of the 2025 fiscal year.
“We have a reserve account and we’ve been using that as a holdover until we get the money,” Abramson explained. Responding later to questions from Sen. Marise James, Abramson said the committee had been using its restricted funds to continue operating.
“We got authority to use them as a layover, first thing, to be legal. We got authority. The Executive Branch has their own mindset. That’s why they said ‘$300,000.’ They have their own mindset. We put aside money to do just what we need to do,” he said, like fund athletes. “But in times of trouble, we have to use them.”
Francis noted that if the funds had been earmarked for athletes, then the nonpayment further jeopardized VIOC’s efforts.
“We’re asking a lot of questions,” Senate Majority Leader Kurt Vialet said, “But I mean … if this body’s going to be appropriating funds and it’s not going to be released to the entities, all the questions we were asking are in vain.”
Lawmakers appeared open to granting the committee’s requested funding increase. Francis said at the end of the hearing that they could see the central government’s recommendation “will not be adequate” and said the Legislature will consider funding VIOC at its previous levels.
“I see in your faces that y’all understand sports, because it takes money to be a good athlete,” Abramson said. “It takes money. And my heart sinks when I have to turn some people down — some federations down — because we don’t have enough money to give them.”
