Bryan’s Special Session Ends Without Vote as Senate Seeks More Review of Horse Racing Deal

ST. CROIX — The Senate declined Tuesday to vote on the revised agreement between the Government of the Virgin Islands and Southland Gaming, with eight of the 15 senators instead sending the measure to an Aug. 19 Committee of the Whole hearing and scheduling a Legislative Session for Aug. 21. The decision prevented the special session called by Governor Albert Bryan Jr. from producing the immediate up-or-down vote he had sought on the agreement, which is intended to support the restoration of horse racing at the Randall “Doc” James Racetrack on St. Croix. The special session began well after its advertised time, a delay lawmakers attributed to the V.I. Water and Power Authority and another electrical outage on St. Thomas. No testifiers were seated in the legislative well when the session convened, confirming Mr. Bryan’s earlier concern that stakeholders had not been invited to testify. Representatives including the commissioner of the Department of Sports, Parks and Recreation were p...