Meyers proposes “Ryan Gumbs Law,” says Parliament should consider cutting travel budget to fund legislative work

GREAT BAY--Member of Parliament Franklin Meyers has called on all 15 Members of Parliament to work together on legislation addressing gaps exposed by recent fatal traffic cases, proposing that the measure be developed as the “Ryan Gumbs Law” in memory of the young father whose death has fueled public concern over road safety and the handling of the justice process.

During deliberations with Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling on Tuesday, Meyers began by extending condolences to the Gumbs family and apologizing that the family has had to confront questions surrounding the justice process while already dealing with grief. Meyers spoke of his longstanding personal relationship with the family and said his professional experience as a mortician has repeatedly placed him alongside families on some of the worst days of their lives.

He said his approach to the parliamentary discussion would therefore focus on finding a way forward rather than allowing the circumstances surrounding Gumbs' death to become consumed by political arguments.

Meyers told Parliament that he had before him proposed legislation (by former MP Claude Peterson who contested the last Parliamentary election as part of Meyers SAM party) concerning driving under the influence and called on his parliamentary colleagues to work collectively on that measure and any other legislation needed to address shortcomings identified through the case.

He proposed linking that legislative effort directly to Gumbs' memory. “Let's get together, make a law, call it the Ryan Gumbs law,” Meyers said. The MP said legislation would come too late to change what happened to Gumbs, but could help prevent another family from facing similar circumstances.

He appealed for all 15 MPs to support the initiative and said Parliament should identify the legal shortcomings revealed by the case and close those gaps together. Meyers' call followed Tackling's disclosure that St. Maarten's current road traffic legislation does not provide the modern framework needed for breath testing, legal alcohol limits and several other forms of traffic enforcement.

The Minister also revealed that a previous effort to modernize the Road Traffic Ordinance had produced a draft, but the work was never released after the responsible company was not paid. Meyers asked Tackling to state the year in which the legislation was drafted and the year in which the invoice went unpaid, noting that the Minister's presentation could leave the impression that the issue had arisen recently.

He also questioned the procedures surrounding deportation and the role of the Prosecutor's Office when a person is involved in a criminal case but is also subject to immigration enforcement. Meyers asked Tackling to explain the deportation process for persons found residing illegally in St. Maarten and the process that applies when a person previously held legal residency but allowed those documents to expire.

Turning to the recent case, Meyers said he understood that once the person involved had been released from pre-trial detention and turned over to Immigration, the Minister faced an immigration decision because the person's residency documents had not been renewed since 2021. He said he understood that the available choices included allowing the person a period to regularize his status or proceeding with deportation.

Meyers acknowledged the public perception created by the deportation and said he understood the anger and hurt experienced by the Gumbs family. At the same time, he questioned the exact role of the Prosecutor's Office in the sequence of decisions and asked Tackling to explain the procedures that apply when criminal and immigration processes overlap.

The MP said the issue is especially difficult for him because of his relationship with the Gumbs family and the political responsibility of the party connected to the Justice portfolio. He stressed that his intention was not to diminish the family's grief or the seriousness of the questions surrounding the case.

Meyers also raised the unpaid invoice connected to the unfinished traffic legislation and suggested that Parliament could consider its own spending priorities if funding is required to move the legislation forward. He proposed cutting Parliament's travel budget and potentially redirecting a portion of those funds toward the legislative work.

Meyers said MPs have repeatedly expressed a willingness to assist the Justice Ministry and argued that Parliament should now demonstrate that support through collective action.

He called for the amount required to complete the traffic legislation to be clearly established and for MPs to consider how the necessary financing can be secured. The MP said his objective is to ensure that the country has stronger laws and procedures in place should another serious traffic case arise.

He urged Parliament to move beyond disagreement and establish a legislative framework in which Government, Justice authorities and Parliament understand their respective responsibilities when fatal accidents, suspected impaired driving, criminal investigations and immigration proceedings intersect.

Meyers' proposal also received immediate support during the meeting from MP Sjamira Roseburg, who indicated during an interruption that she was prepared to work with him on the legislative initiative. He also received support for the initiative from MP Darryl York.

Meyers said he ultimately wants all 15 MPs involved so the proposed legislation can be treated as a national response rather than a factional initiative. The proposed “Ryan Gumbs Law,” as outlined by Meyers during the meeting, has not yet been presented as finalized legislation.

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