An Act to revise the Organic Act of the Virgin Islands of the United States
PL 83-517 (S.3378), enacted 07/22/1954

68 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 517-JULY 22, 1954 
Public Law 517 
CHAPTER 558 
AN ACT 
To revise the Organic Act of the Virgin Islands of the United States. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assemhled^ That this Act may 
be cited as the "Kevised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands". 
SEC. 2. (a) The provisions of this Act, and the name "Virgin Islands" 
as used in this Act, shall apply to and include the territorial domain 
islands, cays, and waters acquired by the United States through cession 
of the Danish West Indian Islands by the convention between the 
United States of America and His Majesty the King of Denmark 
entered into August 4, 1916, and ratified by the Senate on September 
7, 1916 (39 Stat, 1706), The Virgin Islands as above described are 
hereby declared an unincor])orated territory of the United States of 
America. 
(b) The government of the Virgin Islands shall have the powers set 
forth in this Act and shall have the right to sue by such name and in 
cases arising out of contract, to be sued : Provided^ That no tort action 
shall be brought against the government of the Virgin Islands or 
against any officer or employee thereof in his official capacity without 
the consent of the legislature constituted by this Act, 
The capital and seat of government of the Virgin Islands shall be 
located at the city of Charlotte Amalie, in the island of Saint Thomas. 
BILL OF RIGHTS 
SEC. 3. No law shall be enacted in the A'^irgin Islands which shall 
deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process 
of law or deny to any person therein equal protection of the laws. 
In all criminal prosecutions the accused shall enjoy the right to be 
represented by counsel for his defense, to be informed of the nature 
and cause of the accusation, to have a copy thereof, to have a speedy 
and public trial, to be confronted with the witnesses against him, and 
to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor. 
No person shall be held to answer for a criminal offense without due 
process of law, and no person for the same offense shall be twice put in 
jeopardy of punishment, nor shall be compelled in any criminal cause 
to give evidence against himself; nor shall any person sit as judge or 
magistrate in any case in which he has been engaged as attorney or 
prosecutor. 
All persons shall be bailable by sufficient sureties in the case of 
criminal offenses, except for first-degree murder or any capital offense 
when the proof is evident or the presumption great. 
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor 
cruel and unusual punishment inflicted. 
No law impairing the obligation of contracts shall be enacted. 
No person shall be imprisoned or shall suffer forced labor for debt. 
All persons shall have the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus and 
the same shall not be suspended except as herein expressly provided. 
No ex post facto law or bill of attainder shall be enacted. 
Private property shall not be taken for public use except upon 
payment of just compensation ascertained in the manner provided 
by law. 
The right to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures 
shall not be violated. 
497 
July 22,1954 
[S.3378] 
Revised Organic: 
Act of the Virgin 
Islands* 
Applicability. 
Government. 
P o w e r to sue, 
etc. 
Capital. 
39777 0 ~ 5 5 ~ i ) t . 1-
498 
PUBLIC LAW 517-JULY 22, 1954 
[68 ST A T . 
No warrant for arrest or search shall issue, but upon probable cause, 
supported by oath or aflSrmation, and particularly describing the 
place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized. 
Slavery shall not exist in the Virgin Islands. 
Involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof 
the party shall have been duly convicted by a court of law, shall not 
exist in the Virgin Islands. 
No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech or of the 
press or the right of the people peaceably to assembly and petition the 
government for the redress of grievances. 
No law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion or pro-
hibiting the free exercise thereof. 
No person who advocates, or who aids or belongs to any party, 
organization, or association which advocates, the overthrow by force 
or violence of the government of the Virgin Islands or of the United 
States shall be qualified to hold any office of trust or profit under the 
government of the Virgin Islands. 
No money shall be paid out of the Virgin Islands treasury except in 
accordance with an Act of Congress or money bill of the legislature 
and on warrant drawn by the proper officer. 
The contracting of polygamous or plural marriages is prohibited. 
The employment of children under the age of sixteen years in any 
occupation injurious to health or morals or hazardous to life or limb is 
prohibited. 
Nothing contained in this Act shall be construed to limit the power 
of the legislature herein provided to enact laws for the protection of 
life, the public health, or the public safety. 
FRANCHISE 
SEC. 4. The franchise shall be vested in residents of the Virgin 
Islands who are citizens of the United States, twenty-one years of age 
or over. 
Additional qualifications may be prescribed by the legis-
lature: Provided^ however^ That no property, language, or income 
qualification shall ever be imposed upon or required of any voter, nor 
shall any discrimination in qualification be made or based upon differ-
ence in race, color, sex, or religious belief. 
Legislature* 
Senators. 
Districts. 
Number. 
Election* 
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH 
SEC. 5. (a) The legislative power and authority of the Virgin 
Islands shall be vested in a legislature, consisting of one house, to be 
designated the "Legislature of the Virgin Islands", herein referred to 
as the legislature. 
(b) The legislature shall be composed of eleven members to be 
known as senators. The Virgin Islands shall be divided into three 
legislative districts, as follows: The District of Saint Thomas, com-
prising Saint Thomas, Hassel, Water, Savana, Inner Brass, Outer 
Brass, Hans Lollik, Little Hans Lollik, Great Saint James, Little 
Saint James, and Capella Islands, Thatch Cay and adjacent islets and 
cays; the District of Saint Croix, comprising Saint Croix and Buck 
Islands and adjacent islets and cays; and the District of Saint John, 
comprising Saint John and Flanagan Islands, Grass, Mingo, Lovango, 
and Congo cays and adjacent islets and cays. Two senators shall be 
elected by the qualified electors of the District of Saint Thomas; two 
senators shall oe elected by the qualified electors of the District of 
Saint Croix; and one senator shall be elected by the qualified electors 
of the District of Saint John. 
The other six senators shall be senators 
at large and shall be elected by the qualified electors of the Virgin 
Islands from the Virgin Islands as a whole: Provided^ That in the 
election of senators at large, each elector shall be entitled to vote for 
two candidates, and the candidates receiving the largest number of 
S e n a t o r i a l im-
munity» 
68 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 517-JULY 22, 1954 
499 
votes shall be declared elected up to the number to be elected at that 
election. 
The order of names upon the ballot for each office shall be 
determined by lot among the candidates: Provided^ That the Govern-
ment Secretary or his designee is authorized to draw for a candidate 
who does not appear in person, or by authorized representative, at 
the drawing of lots. 
SEC. 6. (a) The term of office of each member of the legislature shall 
Term* of office, 
be two years. The term of office of each member shall commence on 
the second Monday in April following his election: Provided^ however. 
That the term of office of each member elected in November 1954 shall 
commence on the second Monday in January 1955 and shall continue 
until the second Monday in April 1957. 
(b) No person shall be eligible to be a member of the legislature qu^emlnts!**^ '"" 
who is not a citizen of the United States, who has not attained the 
age of twenty-five years, who is not a qualified voter in the Virgin 
Islands, who has not been a bona fide resident of the Virgin Islands 
for at least three years next preceding the date of his election, or who 
has been convicted of a felony or of a crime involving moral turpitude 
and has not received a pardon restoring his civil rights. 
Federal 
employees and persons employed in the legislative, executive or 
judicial branches of the government of the Virgin Islands shall not be 
eligible for membership in the legislature. 
(c) All officers and employees charged with the duty of directing n^eis Vtc.'*^ °'' 
the administration of the electoral system of the Virgin Islands and its 
representative districts shall be appointed in such manner as the 
legislature may by law direct. 
(d) No member of the legislature shall be held to answer before any 
tribunal other than the legislature for any speech or debate in the 
legislature and the members shall in all cases, except treason, felony, 
or breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attend-
ance at the sessions of the legislature and in going to and returning 
from the same. 
(e) Each member of the legislature shall be paid the sum of $600 
compensauon. 
annually, one-third on the second Monday in April, one-third on the 
second Monday in May, and one-third at the close of the regular 
session: Provided^ however^ That each member of the legislature shall 
be paid for the regular session commencing on the second Monday in 
January 1955, the sum of $600 annually, one-third on the second 
Monday in January, one-third on the second Monday in February, 
and one-third at the close of that session. 
Each member of the legis- 
^«' ^^^ 
lature who is away from the island of his residence shall also receive 
the sum of $10 per day for each day's attendance while the legislature 
is actually in session, in lieu of his expenses for subsistence, and shall 
be reimbursed for his actual travel expenses in going to and returning 
from each session, or period thereof, for not to exceed a total of eight 
round trips during any calendar year. The salaries, per diem, and 
travel allowances of the members of the legislature shall be paid by the 
Government of the United States. 
(f) No member of the legislature shall hold or be appointed to any 
LimitaUons. 
office which has been created by the legislature, or the salary or emolu-
ments of which have been increased, while he was a member, during 
the term for which he was elected, or during one year after the 
expiration of such term. 
(g) The legislature shall be the sole judge of the elections and 
Powers, 
qualifications of its members, shall have and exercise all the authority 
and attributes, inherent in legislative assemblies, and shall have the 
power to institute and conduct investigations, issue subpena to wit-
nesses and other parties concerned, and administer oaths. The rules of 
the Legislative Assembly of the Virgin Islands existing on the date of 
T r a v e l a l l ow-
ance* 
500 
PUBLIC LAW 517-JULY 22, 1954 
[68 S T A T . 
Vacancies* 
Sessions* 
approval of this Act shall continue in force and effect for sessions of 
the legislature, except as inconsistent with this Act, until altered, 
amended, or repealed by the legislature. 
(h) The Governor of the Virgin Islands shall fill any vacancy in 
the office of a member of the legislature by appointment. 
If the vacant 
office is that of a senator from a district, the person appointed shall 
be a resident of the district from which the member whose office is 
vacant was elected. 
If the vacant office is that of a senator at large 
the person appointed may be a resident of any part of the Virgin 
Islands. 
In any case, the person appointed shall serve for the remain-
der of the unexpired term. 
SEC, 7. (a) Regular sessions of the legislature shall be held annu-
ally, commencing on the second Monday in April, and shall continue 
in regular session for not more than sixty consecutive calendar days 
in any calendar year: Provided^ however^ That the annual session for 
1955 shall commence on the second Monday in January 1955, and shall 
continue in regular session for not moi^ than sixty consecutive calendar 
days. 
The Governor may call special sessions of the legislature at 
any time when in his opinion the public interests may require it, but no 
special session shall continue longer than fifteen calendar days, and 
the aggregate of such special sessions during any calendar year shall 
not exceed thirty calendar days. No legislation shall be considered at 
any special session other than that specified in the call therefor or in 
any special message by the Governor to the legislature while in such 
session. 
(b) Sessions of the legislature shall be held in the capital of the 
Virgin Islands at Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas. 
Scope of powers. 
SEC. 8. (a) The legislative authority and power of the Virgin 
Islands shall extend to all subjects of local application not inconsistent 
with this Act or the laws of the United States made applicable to the 
Virgin Islands, but no law shall be enacted which would impair rights 
existing or arising by virtue of any treaty or international agreement 
entered into by the United States, nor shall the lands or other property 
of nonresidents be taxed at a higher rate than the lands or other prop-
erty of residents. 
(b) The legislature of the government of the Virgin Islands may 
cause to be issued on behalf of said government bonds or other obliga-
tions for a specific public improvement or specific public undertaking 
authorized by an act of the legislature, which bonds or obligations shall 
be payable solely from the revenues directly derived from and attrib-
utable to such specific public improvement or public undertaking. 
The total amount of such revenue bonds which may be issued and out-
standing for all such improvements or undertakings at any one time 
shall not be in excess of $10,000,000. Bonds issued pursuant to this 
subsection may bear such date or dates, may be in such denominations, 
may mature in such amounts and at such time or times, not exceeding 
thirty years from the date thereof, may be payable at such place or 
places, may carry such registration privileges as to either principal and 
interest, or principal only, and may be executed by such officers and in 
such manner as shall be prescribed by the government of the Virgin 
Islands. 
Said bonds shall be sold at public sale and shall be redeem-
able after five years without premium. 
In case any of the officers 
whose signatures appear on the bonds or coupons shall cease to be 
such officers before delivery of such bonds, such signature, whether 
manual or facsimile shall, nevertheless, be valid and sufficient for all 
purposes, the same as if such officers had remained in office until such 
delivery. 
The bonds so issued shall bear interest at a rate not to exceed 
5 per centum per annum, payable semiannually. 
All such bonds 
shall be sold for not less than the principal amount thereof plus accrued 
I s s u a nc e 
bonds* 
of 
Limitation* 
Sale* 
Signatures 
68 
S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 517-JULY 22, 1954 
501 
interest. 
All such bonds issued by the government of the Virgin 
Islands or by its authority shall be exempt as to principal and interest 
from taxation by the Government of the United States, or by the 
government of the Virgin Islands, or by any State, Territory, or pos-
session or by any political subdivision of any State, Territory or 
possession, or by the District of Columbia. 
Sucn bonds shall under no 
circumstances constitute a general obligation of the Virgin Islands 
or of the United States. The legislature shall have no poAver to incur 
any indebtedness which may be a general obligation of said 
government. 
(c) The laws of the United States applicable to the Virgin Islands 
on the date of approval of this Act, including laws made applicable to 
the Virgin Islands by or pursuant to the provisions of the Act of 
June 22, 1936 (49 Stat. 1807), and all local laws and ordinances in 
force in the Virgin Islands, or any part thereof, on the date of approval 
of this Act shall, to the extent they are not inconsistent with this Act, 
continue in force and effect until otherwise provided by the Congress: 
Provided^ That the legislature shall have power, when within its 
jurisdiction and not inconsistent with the other provisions of this Act, 
ito amend, alter, modify, or repeal any local law or ordinance, public 
or private, civil or criminal, continued in force and effect by this Act, 
except as herein otherwise provided, and to enact new laws not incon-
sistent with any law of the United States applicable to the Virgin 
Islands, subject to the power of Congress to annul any such Act of the 
legislature. 
(d) The President of the United States shall appoint a commission 
of seven persons, at least three of whom shall be residents of the 
Virgin Islands, to survey the field of P'ederal statutes and to make 
recommendations to the Congress within twelve months after the date 
of approval of this Act as to which statutes of the United States not 
applicable to the Virgin Islands on such date should be made appli-
cable to the Virgin Islands, and as to which statutes of the United 
States applicable to the Virgin Islands on such date should be declared 
inapplicable. The members of the commission shall receive no salary 
for their service on the commission, but under regulations and in 
amounts prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior, they may be paid, 
out of Federal funds, reasonable per diem fees, and allowances in 
lieu of subsistence expenses, for attendance at meetings of the com-
mission, and for time spent on official business of the commission, 
and their necessary travel expenses to and from meetings or when 
upon such official business, without regard to the Travel Expense 
Act of 1949. 
(e) The Secretary of the Interior shall arrange for the preparation, 
at Federal expense, of a code of laws of the Virgin Islands, to be 
entitled the "Virgin Islands Code", which shall be a consolidation, 
codification and revision of the local laws and ordinances in force in 
the Virgin Islands. When prepared, the Governor shall submit it, 
together with his recommendations, to the legislature for enactment. 
Upon the enactment of the Virgin Islands Code it and any supple-
ments to it shall be printed, at Federal expense, by the Government 
Printing Office as a public document. 
SEC. 9. (a) The quorum of the legislature shall consist of seven of 
its members. No bill shall become a law unless it shall have been 
passed at a meeting, at which a quorum was present, by the affirmative 
vote of a majority of the members present and voting, which vote 
shall be by yeas and nays. 
(b) The enacting clause of all acts shall be as follows: "Be it enacted 
by the Legislature of the Virgin Islands". 
Tax exenption. 
Applicability o f 
U. S. statutes. 
4 8 u s e 
1 4 0 5 -
1406in. 
Local laws, etc. 
C o mmi ssion to 
survey statutes. 
63 Stat. 166. 
5 u s e 835 note. 
V i r g i n Islands 
eode. 
Legislative quo-' 
mm. 
Enacting clause. 
502 
PUBLIC LAW 517-JULY 22, 1954 
[68 S T A T . 
Appropriations. 
mMMgT'a'nd*bud- 
(^) "^^? Goveriior shall submit at the opening of each regular session 
get. 
of the legislature a message on the state of the Virgin Islands and a 
budget of estimated receipts and expenditures, which shall be the basis 
of the appropriation bills foi* the ensuing fiscal year, which shall 
commence on the first day of July. 
di^^app°r^vaf "o1 
(^) ^very bill passed by the legislature shall, before it becomes a 
buis. 
law, be presented to the Governor. 
If the Governor approves the 
bill, he shall sign it. 
If the Governor disapproves the bill, he shall, 
except as hereinafter provided, return it, with his objections, to the 
legislature within ten days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been 
presented to him. 
If the Governor does not return the bill within 
such period, it shall be a law in like manner as if he had signed it, 
unless the legislature by adjournment prevents its return, in which 
case it shall be a law if signed by the Governor within thirty days after 
it shall havt been presented to him; otherwise it shall not be a law. 
When a bill is returned by the Governor to the legislature with his 
objections, the legislature shall enter his objections at large on its 
journal and proceed to reconsider the bill. 
If, after such reconsidera-
tion, two-thirds of all the members of the legislature agree to pass the 
bill, it shall be presented anew to the Governor. 
If he then approves 
it, he shall sign it; if not, he shall within ten days after it has been 
presented to him transmit it to the President of the United States. 
If 
the President approves the bill, he shall sigh it. If he disapproves 
the bill, he shall return it to the Governor, so stating, and it shall not 
be a law. If the President neither approves nor disapproves the bill 
within ninety days from the date on which it is transmitted to him by 
the Governor, the bill shall be a law in like manner as if the President 
had signed it. 
If any bill presented to the Governor contains several 
items of appropriation of money, he may object to one or more of such 
items, or any part or parts, portion or portions thereof, while approv-
ing the other items, parts, or portions of the bill. In such a case he shall 
append to the bill, at the time of signing it, a statement of the items, or 
parts or portions thereof, to which he objects, and the items, or parts or 
portions thereof, so objected to shall not take effect. 
(e) If at the termination of any fiscal year the legislature shall have 
failed to pass appropriation bills providing for payment of the obliga-
tions and necessary current expenses of the government of the Virgin 
Islands for the ensuing fiscal year, then the several sums appropriated 
in the last appropriation bills for the objects and purposes therein 
specified, so far as the same may be applicable, shall be deemed to be 
reappropriated item by item. 
(f) The legislature shall keep a journal of its proceedings and 
publish the same. 
Every bill passed by the legislature and the yeas 
and nays on any question shall be entered on the journal. 
(g) Copies of all laws enacted by the legislature shall be transmitted 
within fifteen days of their enactment by the Governor to the Secretary 
of the Interior and by him annually to the Congress of the United 
States. 
SEC. 10. The next general election in the Virgin Islands shall be held 
on November 2, 1954. At such time there shall be chosen the entire 
membership of the legislature as herein provided. 
Thereafter the 
general elections shall be held on the first Tuesday after the first 
Monday in November, beginning with the year 1956, and every two 
years thereafter. 
The Municipal Council of Saint Thomas and Saint 
John, and the Municipal Council of Saint Croix, existing on the date 
of approval of this Act, shall continue to function until January 10, 
1955, at which time all of the functions, property, personnel, records, 
and unexpended balances of appropriations and funds of the govern-
ments of the municipality of Saint Thomas and Saint John and the 
Journal. 
Transmission of 
laws to I n t e r i o r 
and Congress. 
G e n e r a l 
tions. 
e l e c 
68 
S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 517-JULY 22, 1954 
503; 
municipality of Saint Croix shall be transferred to the government of 
the Virgin Islands. 
EXECXJTIVE BRANCH 
SEC. 11. The executive power of the Virgin Islands shall be vested in 
an executive officer whose official title shall be the "Governor of the 
Virgin Islands", and shall be exercised under the supervision of the 
Secretary of the Interior. 
The Governor of the Virgin Islands shall 
be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of 
the Senate, and shall hold office at the pleasure of the President and 
until his successor is chosen and qualified. 
The Governor shall main-
tain his official residence in the Government House on Saint Thomas 
during his official incumbency, free of rent, and while in Saint Croix 
may reside in Government House on Saint Croix free of rent. 
He 
shall have general supervision and control of all the departments, 
bureaus, agencies, and other instrumentalities of the executive branch 
of the government of the Virgin Islands. 
He may grant pardons and 
reprieves and remit fines and forfeitures for offenses against the local 
laws, and may grant respites for all offenses against the laws of the 
United States applicable in the Virgin Islands until the decision of 
the President can be ascertained. 
He may veto any legislation as pro-
vided in this Act. 
He shall appoint all officers and employees of the 
executive branch of the government of the Virgin Islands, except as 
otherwise provided in this or any other Act of Congress, and shall 
commission all officers that he may be authorized to appoint. 
He 
shall be responsible for the faithful execution of the laws of the Virgin 
Islands and the laws of the United States applicable in the Virgin 
Islands. 
Whenever it becomes necessary he may call upon the com-
manders of the military and naval forces of the United States in the 
islands, or summon the posse comitatus, or call out the militia, to 
prevent or suppress violence, invasion, insurrection, or rebellion; and 
he may, in case of rebellion or invasion, or imminent danger thereof, 
when the public safety requires it, suspend the privilege of the writ 
of habeas corpus, or place the islands, or any part thereof, under 
martial law, until communication can be had with the President and 
the President's decision thereon made known. 
He shall annually, 
and at such other times as the President or the Congress may require, 
make official report of the transactions of the government of the Virgin 
Islands to the Secretary of the Interior, and his said annual report 
shall be transmitted to the Congress. 
He shall perform such addi-
tional duties and functions as may, in pursuance of law, be delegated 
to him by the President, or by the Secretary of the Interior. 
He shall 
have the power to issue executive regulations not in conflict with any 
applicable law. 
He may attend or may designate another person to 
represent him at the meetings of the legislature, may give expressions 
to his views on any matter before that body, and may recommend bills 
to the legislature. 
SEC. 12. The President shall appoint a Government Secretary for the 
Virgin Islands. 
He shall have custody of the seal of the Virgin 
Islands and shall countersign and affix such seal to all executive 
proclamations and all other executive documents. He shall record and 
preserve the laws enacted by the legislature. He shall promulgate all 
proclamations and orders of the Governor and all laws enacted by 
the legislature. 
He shall have such executive powers and perform 
such other duties as may be assigned to him by the Governor. 
SEC. 13. The Governor may appoint an administrative assistant wTio 
shall reside in Saint Croix and an administrative assistant who shall 
reside in Saint John. These administrative assistants shall perform 
such duties as may be assigned to them by the Governor. In making 
Governor. 
Appointment. 
Residence. 
Powers. 
Reports. 
Delegated duties. 
Secretary. 
A dm i n i strative 
assistant. 
504 
PUBLIC LAW 517~JULY 22, 1954 
[68 S T A T . 
P e r s o n s to act 
for Governor. 
G o V e r nment re-
organization, etc. 
Commissioners. 
E x e c u t i v e de-
partment heads. 
Comptroller. 
Duties. 
such appointments, preference shall be given to qualified residents of 
the Virgin Islands. 
SEC. 14. In case of a vacancy in the office of Governor or the dis-
ability or temporary absence of the Governor, the Government Secre-
tary shall have all the powers of the Governor. 
SEC. 15. The Secretary of the Interior may from time to time 
designate the head of an executive department of the government of 
the Virgin Islands to act as Governor in the case of a vacancy in the 
offices, or the disability or temporary absence, of both the Governor 
and the Government Secretary, and the person so designated shall 
have all the powers of the Governor for so long as such condition 
continues. 
SEC. 16. (a) The Governor shall, within one year after the date of 
approval of this Act, reorganize and consolidate the existing executive 
departments, bureaus, independent boards, agencies, authorities, com-
missions, and other instrumentalities of the government of the Virgin 
Islands or of the municipal governments into not more than nine 
executive departments except for independent bodies whose existence 
may be required by Federal law for participation in Federal programs. 
The head of each executive department shall be designated as the 
Commissioner thereof, and the Commissioner of Finance shall be 
bonded. 
No other department, bureau, independent board, agency, 
authority, commission, or other instrumentality shall be created, organ-
ized, or established by the Governor or the legislature, without the 
prior approval of the Secretary of the Interior, unless required by 
Federal law for participation in Federal programs. 
(b) The Governor shall, from time to time, after complying with 
the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, examine the organ-
ization of the executive branch of the government of the Virgin 
Islands, and shall make such changes therein, subject to the approval 
of the legislature, not inconsistent with this Act, as he determines are 
necessary to promote effective management and to execute faithfully 
the purposes of this Act and the laws of the Virgin Islands. 
(c) The heads of the executive departments created by this Act 
shall be appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the 
legislature. 
Each shall hold office during the continuance in office 
of the Governor by whom he is appointed and until his successor is 
appointed and qualified, unless sooner removed by the Governor. 
Each shall have such powders and duties as may be prescribed by the 
legislature. 
SEC. 17. (a) The Secretary of the Interior shall appoint a govern-
ment comptroller who shall receive a salary of not to exceed $12,500 
per annum. 
The government comptroller shall hold office for a term 
of ten years and until his successor is appointed and qualified unless 
sooner removed by the Secretary of the Interior for cause. The gov-
ernment comptroller shall not be eligible for reappointment. 
(b) The government comptroller shall audit and settle all accounts 
and claims pertaining to the revenues and receipts from whatever 
source of the government of the Virgin Islands and of funds derived 
from bond issues; and he shall audit and settle, in accordance with 
law and administrative regulations, all expenditures of funds and 
property pertaining to the government of the Virgin Islands including 
those pertaining to trust funds held by the government of the Virgin 
Islands. 
(c) It shall be the duty of the government comptroller to bring to 
the attention of the proper administrative officer failures to collect 
amounts due the government, and expenditures of funds or property 
which in his opinion are extravagant, excessive, unnecessary, or 
irregular. 
68 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 517-JULY 22, 1954 
505 
(d) It shall be the duty of the government comptroller to certify to 
the Secretary of the Interior the net amount of government revenues 
which form the basis for Federal grants for the civil government of the 
Virgin Islands. 
(e) The decisions of the government comptroller shall be final A
^
'
^
^
a
V
L
*
!
^
* 
except that appeal therefrom may be taken by the party aggrieved 
or the head of the department concerned within one year from the date 
of the decision, to the Governor, which appeal shall be in writing and 
shall specifically set forth the particular action of the government 
comptroller to which exception is taken with the reasons and the 
authorities relied upon for reversing such decision. 
(f) If the Governor confirms the decision of the government comp-
troller, then relief may be sought by appeal to the legislature or suit 
in the District Court of the Virgin Islands if the claim is otherwise 
within its jurisdiction. 
(g) The government comptroller is authorized to communicate ^^^^'^^ communi-
directly with any person having claims before him for settlement, or 
with any department officer or person having official relation with his 
office. 
He may summon witnesses and administer oaths. 
(h) As soon after the close of each fiscal year as the accounts of 
Fiscal report, 
said fiscal year may be examined and adjusted, the government comp-
troller shall submit to the Governor of the Virgin Islands an annual 
report of the fiscal condition of the government, showing the receipts 
and disbursements of the various departments and agencies of the 
government. 
(i) The government comptroller shall make such other reports as 
may be required by the Governor of the Virgin Islands, the Comptrol-
ler General of the United States, or the Secretary of the Interior. 
(j) The office of the government comptroller shall be under the g^^J^P^'^^^^^^o' 
general supervision of the Secretary of the Interior, but shall not be *'^'* "^* 
a part of any executive department in the government of the Virgin 
Islands. 
SYSTEM OF ACCOUNTS 
SEC. 18. The Governor shall establish and maintain systems of 
accounting and internal control designed to provide— 
(a) full disclosure of the financial results of the government's 
activities; 
(b) adequate financial information needed for the government's 
management purposes; 
(c) effective control over and accountability for all funds, 
property, and other assets for which the government is responsible, 
including appropriate internal audit; and 
(d) reliable accounting results to serve as the basis for prepara-
tion and support of the government's request for the approval of 
the President or his designated representative for the obligation 
and expenditure of the internal revenue collections as provided in 
section 26, the Governor's budget request to the legislature, and 
for controlling the execution of the said budget. 
SEC. 19. The office and activities of the Government Comptroller of ^J^^ review and 
the Virgin Islands shall be subject to review annually by the Comp- "'^° 
troller General of the United States, and report thereon shall be made 
by him to the Governor, the Secretary of the Interior, and to the 
Congress. 
SEO. 20. (a) The Governor shall receive an annual salary at the rate 
salaries. 
provided for Governors of Terrritories and possessions in the Execu-
tive Pay Act of 1949. 
Jl s^au 880^^_^^ 
(b) The Government Secretary, the heads of the executive depart-
ments, and the members of the immediate staffs of the Governor and 
506 
PUBLIC LAW 517-JULY 22, 1954 
[68 ST A T . 
63 Stat. 954. 
5 u s e 1071 note. 
the Government Secretary, shall receive annual salaries at rates estab-
lished by the Secretary of the Interior in accordance with the standards 
provided in the Classification Act of 1949. 
(c) The salaries of the Governor, the Government Secretary, and the 
members of their immediate staffs shall be paid by the United States. 
The salaries of the government comptroller and the heads of the 
executive departments shall be paid by the government of the Virgin 
Islands; and if the legislature shall fail to make an appropriation for 
such salaries, the salaries theretofore fixed shall be paid without the 
necessity of further appropriations therefor. 
District Court. 
Jurisdiction. 
Inferior courts. 
Jurisdiction. 
Appointment 
o f 
D i s t r i c t 
C o u r t 
judge, etc. 
JUDICIAL BRANCH 
SEC. 21. The judicial power of the Virgin Islands shall be vested in 
a court of record to be designated the "District Court of the Virgin 
Islands", and in such court or courts of inferior jurisdiction as may 
have been or may hereafter be established by local law. 
SEC. 22. The District Court of the Virgin Islands shall have the 
jurisdiction of a district court of the United States in all causes arising 
under the Constitution, treaties and laws of the United States, regard-
less of the sum or value of the matter in controversy. 
It shall have 
general original jurisdiction in all other causes in the Virgin Islands, 
exclusive jurisdiction over which is not conferred by this Act upon the 
inferior courts of the Virgin Islands. 
When it is in the interest of 
justice to do so the district court may on motion of any party transfer 
to the district court any action or proceeding brought in an inferior 
court and the district court shall have jurisdiction to hear and deter-
mine such action or proceeding. 
The district court shall also have 
appellate jurisdiction to review the judgments and orders of the 
inferior courts of the Virgin Islands to the extent now or hereafter 
prescribed by local law. 
SEC. 23. The inferior courts now or hereafter established by local 
law shall have exclusive original jurisdiction of all civil actions 
wherein the matter in controversy does not exceed the sum or value of 
$500j exclusive of interest and costs, all criminal cases wherein the 
maximum punishment which may be imposed does not exceed a fine of 
$100 or imprisonment for six months, or both, and all violations of 
police and executive regulations, and they shall have original juris-
diction, concurrently with the district court, of all actions, civil or 
crirTTTTTnl, jurisdiction of which may hereafter be conferred upon them 
by local law. 
Any action or proceeding brought in the district court 
which is within the jurisdiction of an inferior court may be transferred 
to such inferior court by the district court in the interest of justice. 
The inferior courts shall hold preliminary investigations in charges of 
felony and charges of misdemeanor in which the punishment that may 
be imposed is beyond the jurisdiction granted to the inferior courts by 
this section, and shall commit offenders to the district court and grant 
bail in bailable cases. The rules governing the practice and procedure 
of the inferior courts and prescribing the duties of the judges and 
officers thereof, oaths and bonds, the times and places of holding court, 
and the procedure for appeals to the district court shall be as may 
hereafter be established by the district court. 
The rules governing 
disposition of fines, costs and forfeitures, enforcement of judgments, 
and disposition and treatment of prisoners shall be as established by 
law or ordinance in force on the date of approval of this Act or as may 
hereafter be so established. 
SEC. 24. The President shall, by and with the advice and consent 
of the Senate, appoint a judge for the District Court of the Virgin 
Islands, who shall hold office for the term of eight years and until his 
successor is chosen and qualified, unless sooner removed by the Presi-
68 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 517-JULY 22, 1954 
507 
62 Stat. 910. 
J u d i c i a l 
divi-
sions. 
dent for cause. The salary of the judge of the district court shall 
be at the rate prescribed for judges of the United States district courts. 
Whenever it is made to appear that such an assignment is necessary 
for the proper dispatch of the business of the District Court the Chief 
Judge of the Third Judicial Circuit of the United States may assign 
a circuit or district judge of the Third Circuit, or the Chief Justice 
of the United States may assign any other United States circuit or 
district judge with the consent of the judge so assigned and of the 
chief judge of his circuit, to serve temporarily as a judge of the Dis-
trict Court of the Virgin Islands. The compensation of the judge 
of the district court and the administrative expenses of the court shall 
be paid from appropriations made for the judiciary of the United 
States. 
The Attorney General shall, as heretofore, appoint a marshal 
and one deputy marshal for the Virgin Islands to whose office the pro-
visions of chapter 33 of title 28, United States Code, shall apply. 
SEC. 25. The Virgin Islands consists of two judicial divisions; the 
Division of Saint Croix, comprising the island of Saint Croix and 
adjacent islands and cays and the Division of Saint Thomas and Saint 
John, comprising the islands of Saint Thomas and Saint John and 
adjacent islands and cays. The district court shall hold sessions in 
each division at such time as the court may designate by rule or order, 
at least once in three months in each division. 
The rules of practice 
and procedure heretofore or hereafter promulgated and made effective 
by the Supreme Court of the United States pursuant to section 2072 of 
title 28, United States Code, in civil cases, section 2073 of title 28, 
United States Code, in admiralty cases, and section 30 of the Bank-
ruptcy Act in bankruptcy cases, shall apply to the District Court of 
the Virgin Islands and to appeals therefrom. 
All offenses shall con-
tinue to be prosecuted in the District Court by information as hereto-
fore except such as may be required by local law to be prosecuted by 
indictment by grand jury. 
SEC. 26. In any criminal case originating in the district court, no 
person shall be denied the right to trial by jury on the demand of either 
party. 
If no jury is demanded the case shall be tried by the judge of 
the district court without a jury, except that the judge may, on his own 
motion, order a jury for the trial of any criminal action. 
The legis-
lature may provide for trial in misdemeanor cases by a jury of six 
qualified persons. 
SEC. 27. The President shall, by and with the advice and consent of 
"• ^'o^/n^t^^^jt 
the Senate, appoint a United States attorney for the Virgin Islands, termfetc." "*" ' 
who shall hold office for the tf rm of four years and until his successor 
is chosen and qualified, unless sooner removed by the President for 
cause. The United States attorney, by himself or the assistant United 
States attorney, shall conduct all legal proceedings, civil and criminal, 
to which the Government of the United States or the government of the 
Virgin Islands is a party in the District Court of the Virgin Islands 
and in the inferior courts of the Virgin Islands. 
Offenses against 
the laws of the Virgin Islands shall be prosecuted in the name of the 
government of the Virgin Islands. 
The United States attorney shall 
perform his duties under the supervision and direction of the Attorney 
General of the United States. 
The Attorney General may appoint one 
assistant United States attorney. 
The Attorney General may author-
ize the employment of necessary clerical assistants. 
The compensa-
tion of the district attorney and his assistant and employees shall be 
fixed by the Attorney General and their salaries and the other necessary 
expenses of the office shall be paid from appropriations made to the 
Department of Justice. 
In the case of a vacancy in the office of the 
district attorney, the District Court of the Virgin Islands may appoint 
a district attornev to serve until the vacancy is filled. The order of 
appointment by the court shall be filed with the clerk of the court. 
62 Stat. 961. 
30 StaU 554. 
11 u s e 53. 
Trial by jury. 
Assistant, etc. 
Salaries. 
Vacancy^ 
508 
PUBLIC LAW 517-JULY 22, 1954 
[68 S T A T , 
FISCAL PROVISIONS 
F u n d s 
for ex-
penditure. 
68A S t a t . 906, 
§7651. 
6 8 A S t a t . 907, 
§7652(b). 
S h i p m e n t s 
to 
U. S. 
T r a n s f e r 
of 
moneys. 
Emergencies and 
public projects. 
Unexpended bal-
ance. 
Limitation. 
SEC. 28. (a) The proceeds of customs duties, the proceeds of the 
United States income tax, the proceeds of any taxes levied by the Con-
gress on the inhabitants of the Virgin Islands, and the proceeds of all 
quarantine, passport, immigration, and naturalization fees collected 
in the Virgin Islands, less the cost of collecting all of said duties, 
taxes, and fees, shall be covered into the treasury of the Virgin Islands, 
and shall be available for expenditure as the Legislature of the Virgin 
Islands may provide: Provided^ That the term "inhabitants of the 
Virgin Islands" as used in this section shall include all persons whose 
permanent residence is in the Virgin Islands, and such persons shall 
satisfy their income tax obligations under applicable taxing statutes of 
the United States by paying their tax on income derived from all 
sources both within and outside the Virgin Islands into the treasury of 
the Virgin Islands: Pro'vided further^ That nothing in this Act shall 
be construed to apply to any tax specified in section 3811 of the 
Internal Revenue Code. 
(b) Subchapter B of chapter 28 of the Internal Revenue Code is 
amended by adding to section 3350 thereof the following subsection: 
"(c) 
DISPOSITION or INTERNAL REVENUE COLLECTIONS.—Beginning 
with the fiscal year ending June 30,1954, and annually thereafter, the 
Secretary of the Treasury shall determine the amount of all taxes 
imposed by, and collected during the fiscal year under, the internal 
revenue laws of the United States on articles produced in the Virgin 
Islands and transported to the United States. 
The amount so deter-
mined less 1 per centum and less the estimated amount of refunds or 
credits shall be subject to disposition as follows: 
"(i) There shall be transferred and paid over to the government of 
the Virgin Islands from the amounts so determined a sum equal to the 
total amount of the revenue collected by the government of the Virgin 
Islands during the fiscal year, as certified by the Government Comp-
troller of the Virgin Islands. 
The moneys so transferred and paid 
over shall constitute a separate fund in the treasury of the Virgin 
Islands and may be expended as the legislature may determine: Pro-
vided^ that the approval of the President or his designated representa-
tive shall be obtained before such moneys may be obligated or 
expended. 
"(ii) There shall also be transferred and paid over to the govern-
ment of the Virgin Islands during each of the fiscal years ending June 
30,1955, and June 30,1956, the sum of $1,000,000, or the balance of the 
internal revenue collections available under this subsection (c) after 
payments are made under the preceding paragraph (i), whichever 
amount is greater. 
The moneys so transferred and paid over shall be 
deposited in the separate fund established by the preceding paragraph 
(i), but shall be obligated or expended for emergency purposes and 
essential public projects only, with the prior approval of the President 
or his designated representative. 
"(iii) Any amounts remaining shall be deposited in the Treasury 
of the United States as miscellaneous receipts. 
"If at the end of any fiscal year the total of the Federal contribution 
made under (i) above at the beginning of that fiscal year has not been 
obligated or expended for an approved purpose, the balance shall 
continue available for expenditure during any succeeding fiscal year, 
but only for approved emergency relief purposes and essential public 
projects as provided in (ii) above. The aggregate amount of moneys 
available for expenditure for emergency relief purposes and essential 
public projects only, including payments under (ii) above, shall not 
exceed the sum of $5,000,000 at the end of any fiscal year. Any unobli-
68 
S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 517-JULY 22, 1954 
509 
gated or unexpended balance of the Federal contribution remaining 
at the end of a fiscal year which would cause the moneys available for 
emergency relief purposes and essential public projects only to exceed 
the sum of $5,000,000 shall thereupon be transferred and paid over to 
the Treasury of the United States as miscellaneous receipts.*' 
(c) Section 42 of the Trade Mark Act of 1946 (60 Stat. 440, 15 
U. S. C , 1952 edition, sec. 1124), and section 526 of the Tariff Act of 
1930 (46 Stat. 741,19 U. S. C, 1952 edition, sec. 1526), shall not apply 
to importations into the Virgin Islands of genuine foreign merchan-
dise bearing a genuine foreign trade-mark, but shall remain applicable 
to importations of such merchandise from the Virgin Islands into the 
United States or its possessions; and the dealing m or possession of 
any such merchandise in the Virgin Islands shall not constitute a vio-
lation of any registrant's right under said Trade Mark Act. 
(d) There shall be levied, collected, and paid upon all articles com-
ing into the United States or its possessions from the Virgin Islands 
the rates of duty which are required to be levied, collected, and paid 
upon like articles imported from foreign countries, and the internal 
revenue taxes imposed by section 3350 of title 26, United States Code: 
Provided^ That all articles, the growth or product of, or manufactured 
in, such islands, from materials grown or produced in such islands or 
in the United States, or both, or which do not contain foreign materials 
to the value of more than 50 per centum of their total value, upon 
which no drawback of custom duties has been allowed therein, coming 
into the United States from such islands shall be admitted free of 
duty. 
In determining whether such a Virgin Islands article contains 
foreign material to the value of more than 50 per centum, no material 
shall be considered foreign which, at the time the Virgin Islands 
article is entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption, may 
be imported into the continental United States free of duty generally. 
T r a d e mark in-
fringement. 
Ante, p. 
Duty. 
1140. 
68A S t a t . 907, 
§7652(b). 
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 
SEC. 29. All officials of the government of the Virgin Islands shall be 
citizens of the United States. Every member of the Legislature of the 
Virgin Islands and all officers and employees of the government of the 
Virgin Islands shall before entering upon the duties of their respective 
offices, or, in the case of persons in the employ of the government of the 
Virgin Islands on the effective date of this Act, then within sixty days 
of the effective date thereof, make a w ritten statement in the following 
form: 
"I, 
, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will sup-
port, obey, and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States 
applicable to the Virgin Islands and the laws of the Virgin Islands, and 
that I will discharge the duties of 
with fidelity. 
"And I do further swear (or affirm) that I do not advocate, nor am I 
knowingly a member of any organization that advocates, the overthrow 
of the Government of the United States or of the Virgin Islands by 
force or violence or other unconstitutional means, or seeking by force 
or violence to deny other persons their rights under the Constitution 
and laws of the United States applicable to the Virgin Islands or the 
laws of the Virgin Islands. 
"And I do further swear (or affirm) that I will not so advocate nor 
will I knowingly become a member of such organization during the 
period that I am an employee of the Virgin Islands." 
SEC. 30. All reports required by law to be made by the Governor to 
any official of the United States shall hereafter be made to the Secretary 
of the Interior, and the President is hereby authorized to place all 
matters pertaining to the government of the Virgin Islands under the 
jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior, except matters relating to 
U. S. citizensULp 
requirement. 
L o y a l t y state-
ment. 
Reports. 
510 
PUBLIC LAW 517-JULY 22, 1954 
[68 S T A T . 
Public property. 
Lease or sale. 
Control. 
Di s e a s e d an* 
imals. 
Importation pro-
hibited. 
Exception. 
Penalty. 
Disease preven-
tion. 
Live poultry. 
Effective date. 
Appropriations . 
Separability. 
the judicial branch of said government which on the date of approval 
of this Act are under the supervision of the Director of the Adminis-
trative Office of the United States Courts, and the matters relating to 
the United States Attorney and the United States Marshal which on 
the date of approval of this Act are under the supervision of the 
Attorney General. 
SEC. 31. (a) The Secretary of the Interior shall be authorized to 
lease or to sell upon such terms as he may deem advantageous to the 
Government of the United States any property of the United States 
under his administrative supervision in the Virgin Islands not needed 
for public purposes. 
(b) The government of the Virgin Islands shall continue to have 
control over all public property that is under its control on the date of 
approval of this Act. 
SEC. 32. Section 6 of the Act of August 30,1890 (26 Stat. 414, 416), 
as amended (21 U. S. C, 1946 edition, sec. 104) is further amended by 
inserting the words "and the admission into the Virgin Islands" imme-
diately following the word "Texas", so that such section will read as 
follows: 
"The importation of cattle, sheep, and other ruminants, and swine, 
which are diseased or infected with any disease, or which shall have 
been exposed to such infection within sixty days next before their 
exportation, is prohibited: Provided, That the Secretary of Agricul-
ture, within his discretion and under such regulations as he may pre-
scribe, is authorized to permit the admission from Mexico into the 
State of Texas and the admission into the Virgin Islands of cattle 
which have been infested with or exposed to ticks upon being freed 
therefrom. 
Any person who shall knowingly violate the foregoing 
provision shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and shall, on con-
viction, be punished by a fine not exceeding $5,000, or by imprisonment 
not exceeding three years, and any vessel or vehicle used in such unlaw-
ful importation within the knowledge of the master or owner of such 
vessel or vehicle that such importation is diseased or has been exposed 
to infection as herein described, shall be forfeited to the United 
States." 
SEC. 33. Section 2 of the Act of February 2,1903 (32 Stat. 791,792), 
as amended (21 U. S. C , 1946 edition, sec. I l l ) , is hereby further 
amended by striking out the period and adding at the end thereof the 
following: ": Provided, That no such regulations or measures shall 
pertain to the introduction of live poultry into the Virgin Islands of 
the United States.". 
SEC. 34. This Act shall take effect upon its approval, but until its 
provisions shall severally become operative as herein provided, the cor-
responding legislative, executive, and judicial functions of the exist-
ing government shall continue to be exercised as now provided by law 
or ordinance, and the incumbents of all offices under the government 
of the Virgin Islands shall continue in office until their successors are 
appointed and have qualified unless sooner removed by competent 
authority. 
The enactment of this Act shall not affect the term of office 
of the judge of the District Court of the Virgin Islands in office on 
the date of its enactment. 
SEC. 35. There are hereby authorized to be appropriated annually 
by the Congress of the United States such sums as may be necessary and 
appropriate to carry out the provisions and purposes of this Act. 
SEC. 36. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, or part of this Act, or 
the application thereof to any person, or circumstances, is held invalid, 
the application thereof to other persons, or circumstances, and the 
remainder of the Act, shall not be affected thereby. 
Approved July 22, 1954.