reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 181 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 1 - Community Development and Renewal; Slum Clearance and Housing|Subchapter VIII - Miscellaneous Provisions|§ 181. Testimony admissible in eminent domain proceedings to fix compensation

 In any proceedings in eminent domain to fix or assess just compensation, evidence or testimony bearing upon the following matters shall be admissible, in addition to evidence or testimony otherwise admissible, and shall be considered in fixing such compensation: (1) Any use, condition, occupancy, or operation of such property, which is unlawful or violates, or is subject to elimination, abatement, prohibition or correction, under any law, or regulatory measure, in the Virgin Islands, as being unsafe, substandard, insanitary or otherwise contrary to the public health, safety, morals or welfare. (2) The effect on the value of such property of any such use, condition, occupancy, or operation, or of the elimination, abatement, prohibition, or correction of any such use, condition, occupancy or operation. (3) Testimony or evidence that any public agency or officer charged with the duty so to do has rendered, made, or issued any judgment, decree, order, determination, or finding, for the abatement, prohibition, elimination, or correction of any such use, condition, occupancy, or operation, which official action shall be prima facie evidence of the existence and character of such use, condition, occupancy, or operation, but shall not be a condition precedent to the admissibility of the evidence or testimony described in subsections (1) and (2) of this section.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 183 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 1 - Community Development and Renewal; Slum Clearance and Housing|Subchapter VIII - Miscellaneous Provisions|§ 183. Expenditures; accounting for funds

 The Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority shall make administrative, maintenance and operating expenditures in accordance with an annual budget, and shall account to the Government of the United States Virgin Islands, in accordance with applicable law, for any funds that may have been furnished to it or appropriated to its use by the Legislature, by any political subdivision of the Virgin Islands, or by any other public body, agency, or instrumentality of the Government of the United States Virgin Islands. The Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority shall account to the Federal Government at such times as the Federal Government may require, for funds provided by the Federal Government, or derived from the proceeds of any sale of bonds or other obligations secured by a pledge of annual contributions or other financial assistance of the Federal Government, or derived from receipts from its Federally-aided projects or operations, or otherwise derived from or through, or with the cooperation or assistance of the Federal Government. The Federal Government shall, for the purposes of audit and examination, have access to any books, documents, papers, and records of the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority pertinent to its operations with respect to financial assistance furnished by the Federal Government.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 184 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 1 - Community Development and Renewal; Slum Clearance and Housing|Subchapter VIII - Miscellaneous Provisions|§ 184. Public notices or publications not required

 Any action of a governing body in carrying out the purposes of this chapter shall be deemed administrative in character, and no public notice or publication need be made, or public hearing held, with respect to such action, except as may be otherwise specifically required in this chapter.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 185 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 1 - Community Development and Renewal; Slum Clearance and Housing|Subchapter VIII - Miscellaneous Provisions|§ 185. Reports and recommendations to Governor and Legislature

 Once a year, at such time as the Governor may determine, the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority shall file with the Governor and the Legislature a report of its activities for the preceding year, and shall submit recommendations concerning such additional legislation or other action as it may deem necessary in order to carry out the purposes of this chapter.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 186 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 1 - Community Development and Renewal; Slum Clearance and Housing|Subchapter VIII - Miscellaneous Provisions|§ 186. General validating provisions

 (a) There are validated, ratified, confirmed, approved, and declared legal in all respects, the following: (1) The creation and establishment of the Virgin Islands Housing and Urban Renewal Authority (or of its predecessor agencies), together with all proceedings, acts and things undertaken, performed or done with reference thereto (including the appointment of commissioners, officers and employees). (2) All bonds and other obligations of the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority (or of its predecessors) heretofore issued with the approval of the Federal Government for the purpose of financing or assisting in carrying out housing or urban renewal or urban redevelopment projects. (3) All contracts, agreements, and undertakings of the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority (or of its predecessors) heretofore entered into with the approval of the Federal Government relating to the financing or assistance for the development, construction, maintenance, operation, and carrying out of any housing or urban renewal or urban redevelopment projects, or to obtaining Federal aid therefor, including, without limitation, loan and annual contributions contracts, loan and grant contracts, leases and contracts with the Federal Government, agreements with municipalities or other public bodies (including agreements that are pledged or to be pledged) for the protection of the holders of any bonds or other obligations of the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority, or which are otherwise made a part of the contracts with such holders of bonds or other obligations, relating to cooperation, contribution, grants, or other local participation in aid of housing or urban renewal or urban redevelopment projects, payments (if any) in lieu of taxes, furnishing of community services and facilities, and the elimination of unsafe and insanitary dwellings and of slums, and the contracts for the construction or operation of housing or urban renewal or urban redevelopment projects. (4) All proceedings, actions, and things undertaken, carried out, or performed by the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority (or its predecessors) for the purpose described in this section, including all proceedings, acts and things undertaken, carried out, or performed by any municipality of the Virgin Islands or any other public or governmental agency of the Virgin Islands for the same purposes, and to facilitate cooperation with and assistance by the Federal Government. (b) The validation effected by this section shall be in full force regardless of any want of statutory authority or administrative or procedural irregularity, but shall not extend to any malfeasance or misfeasance unrelated to public purposes of the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority (or its predecessors) on the part of any person associated with it.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 187 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 1 - Community Development and Renewal; Slum Clearance and Housing|Subchapter VIII - Miscellaneous Provisions|§ 187. Construction with other laws

 All activities and operations of the Authority under this chapter are declared to be public governmental activities and, except as may be otherwise provided in this chapter, the Authority shall be entitled to all the privileges and immunities attributable to the Government of the United States Virgin Islands. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as exempting the Virgin Islands Housing Authority or the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority from any law made specifically applicable to either entity or generally applicable to independent instrumentalities of the Government of the United States Virgin Islands, whether such law was enacted before, on, or after February 14, 1980.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 188 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 1 - Community Development and Renewal; Slum Clearance and Housing|Subchapter VIII - Miscellaneous Provisions|§ 188. Recreation areas required

 After July 1, 1973, no plan for the establishment of a housing project, as contemplated by this title, shall be approved by the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority unless such plan has been drawn in absolute conformity with applicable Minimum Property Standards, whether they be for single or multifamily housing, established for passive and active recreation areas by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) under the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Conformity hereunder shall be determined by the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority. The requirements of this section shall not be subject to exception granted by the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority or any other department or agency of the Government of the United States Virgin Islands.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 191 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 1 - Community Development and Renewal; Slum Clearance and Housing|Subchapter IX - Home Ownership and Development|§ 191. Declaration of findings, purpose

 (a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares: 1. that there exists throughout the Virgin Islands a critical shortage of adequate building lots and housing available for purchase within the economic reach of persons of moderate income; 2. that as a direct result of this shortage, such persons of moderate income are compelled in alarming numbers to live in substandard and crowded dwellings, or pay extremely high rentals for the severely limited amount of adequate housing facilities available from private enterprise or owners; 3. that this lack of decent housing for too many Virgin Islanders has caused severe hardship to result and the continuance of the situation would constitute an intolerable threat to the safety, health and human dignity of our people; 4. that the social and economic well-being and stability of the Virgin Islands community would be vastly improved by a substantial increase in private home ownership; 5. that it is in the public interest, and essential to the public necessity and welfare, in order to encourage home ownership and provide decent housing for persons of moderate income, that there be undertaken the program of home ownership and development set forth in this subchapter; 6. that the taking of property for the purposes of this subchapter is declared to be essential and material for the economic and social advancement and prosperity of the Virgin Islands community. (b) It shall be the purpose of this subchapter to provide for adequate, safe and decent housing for families of moderate income and to stimulate private home ownership in the Virgin Islands through a program of land acquisition and home development. Lands acquired by the Government of the United States Virgin Islands in any manner under this subchapter or any provisions of law supplemental thereto are declared to be acquired for the public utility, convenience and necessity.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 191b (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 1 - Community Development and Renewal; Slum Clearance and Housing|Subchapter IX - Home Ownership and Development|§ 191b. Definitions

 As used in this subchapter, unless it is otherwise provided or the context requires a different construction, application or meaning: “Committee” means the Advisory Committee established by section 191e of this title; “Bonds” means all bonds, notes, debentures and any other type or form of instruments of obligations; “Executive Director” means the “Executive Director of the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority; “Government” means the Government of the United States Virgin Islands, the body politic established by the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands [preceding Title 1]; “Governor” means the Governor of the Virgin Islands; “Legislature” means the Legislature of the Virgin Islands; “Real property” means all lands, easements, rights of way and all fixtures and improvements thereon and all interests of any kind therein or appurtenant thereto or used in connection therewith, and every estate, interest and right, legal or equitable, therein, including terms for years and liens by way of judgment, mortgage or otherwise and the indebtedness secured by such liens; “Persons or families of moderate income” means those persons or families whose income is larger than the income of “families of low income” or “low-income families” as those terms are defined in 29 V.I.C. § 2(a), but whose income is not sufficient to enable such persons or families to acquire or rent adequate, safe and decent housing, including the purchase of building lots, at the prices prevailing in the Virgin Islands; “Moderate income housing project” means any work or undertaking or activity to provide decent, safe and sanitary urban or rural dwellings, apartments and other living accommodations for persons or families of moderate income. Such work, undertaking or activity may include buildings, land, equipment, facilities, other real or personal property for necessary, convenient, or desirable appurtenances, streets, sewers and other sanitary facilities and services, water supply, utilities, parks, site preparation, landscaping, and administrative, community, health, recreational, welfare and similar facilities and services. The term also extends to the planning of buildings and improvements, the demolition of existing structures, the construction, reconstruction, alteration or repair of the improvements and all other work in connection therewith, as well as all other real or personal property and tangible or intangible assets held or used in connection therewith; “Resident” means a person who has been domiciled in the Virgin Islands for at least one year immediately prior to the date of his application for purchase of land and dwelling, or for construction and, under the provisions of section 191i of this title and consistent with 26 USC § 937(1)(a) and (b) as amended April 2006.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 191c (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 1 - Community Development and Renewal; Slum Clearance and Housing|Subchapter IX - Home Ownership and Development|§ 191c. Transfer of lands

 The Governor with the approval of the Legislature is authorized to transfer to the jurisdiction of the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority, for disposal in accordance with the provisions of this subchapter, any plot or plots of land presently owned or hereinafter acquired by the Government of the United States Virgin Islands, if such land is not needed for any other public purpose.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 191f (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 1 - Community Development and Renewal; Slum Clearance and Housing|Subchapter IX - Home Ownership and Development|§ 191f. Quorum and majority

 Three members shall constitute a quorum of the Committee for the purpose of conducting its business and exercising its powers, and for all other purposes, except that a lesser number may adjourn. A majority vote of the membership present and voting shall prevail.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 191g (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 1 - Community Development and Renewal; Slum Clearance and Housing|Subchapter IX - Home Ownership and Development|§ 191g. Functions of the Committee

 The Committee shall recommend to the Executive Director of the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority: (a) necessary surveys of the needs of the Virgin Islands residents for moderate income housing; (b) investigation of areas in the Islands where real property may be purchased for the construction and development of moderate income housing projects; (c) selection of the most suitable sites, considering, among other factors, cost and accessibility.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 191h (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 1 - Community Development and Renewal; Slum Clearance and Housing|Subchapter IX - Home Ownership and Development|§ 191h. Finances

 (a) The Governor, for and on behalf of the Government of the United States Virgin Islands, is hereby authorized to issue bonds, borrow from public or private trust funds or from government insurance fund for the purposes of procuring monies to be loaned, appropriated, contributed or granted to the Executive Director of the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this subchapter and for use in connection with any moderate income housing project recommended by the Committee; provided that the total amount of funds procured by this subsection shall not at any one time exceed $10,000,000. Bonds to be issued pursuant to the provisions of this subsection shall be issued pursuant to the provisions of subsection 8(b) of the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands, approved July 22, 1954, or any other applicable law which may hereinafter be enacted. (b) The Government may subordinate any mortgage lien held by it to the lien of any person or institution advancing funds for the purposes of this subchapter.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 191h-1 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 1 - Community Development and Renewal; Slum Clearance and Housing|Subchapter IX - Home Ownership and Development|§ 191h-1. Loan from Employees Retirement System for financing moderate income housing; mortgage security; repayments

 (a) Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, the Board of Trustees of the Employees Retirement System of the Government of the United States Virgin Islands, upon the request of the Governor of the Virgin Islands pursuant to the provisions of section 191h of this title, is authorized to loan, out of the reserves of the said System, exclusive of reserves for cash requirements for current operations, a sum or sums which shall not at any one time exceed $2,000,000 for the purpose of financing moderate income housing projects within the meaning and scope of this subchapter. The loan may be made of the whole amount authorized, or in parts thereof as requested by the Governor. The said Board, upon the request of the Governor, is further authorized to convert reserves of the System currently invested in United States Treasury bonds into cash to the required amount. (b) The loan authorized hereunder shall be made upon appropriate evidence of indebtedness given by the Executive Director of the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority to the Employees Retirement System, secured, to the amount outstanding on such loan at any time, by a first priority mortgage or mortgages upon the real property of the Government of the United States Virgin Islands utilized or held for purposes of housing under the provisions of this subchapter, and chapter 2 of this title, including all housing constructed thereon pursuant to the said provisions of law. (c) The principal amount of the loan, together with interest thereon at the rate of 5 percent per annum, shall be repaid to the Employees Retirement System within a period of ten years, in ten equal installments; Provided, That prepayments may be made on all or any part of the balance of the loan at any time on the authorization of the Governor; And, provided further, That partial releases of the mortgaged property will be permitted upon the request of the Governor setting forth the details and circumstances of such requested releases, and upon receipt of payment for property released and in consideration of the relative amount by which the total amount of the loan has been reduced, the Employees Retirement System shall deliver an appropriate release therefor.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 191h-2 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 1 - Community Development and Renewal; Slum Clearance and Housing|Subchapter IX - Home Ownership and Development|§ 191h-2. Rules and regulations to coordinate and facilitate responsibilities, etc., of Commissioner and Employees Retirement System under section 191h-1 and other sections

 The Governor is hereby authorized to adopt and amend all such necessary or appropriate rules and regulations, not inconsistent with the provisions of sections 191f, 191h-1 and 191h-2 of this title, and section 3027 of Title 33, for the purpose of coordinating and facilitating the responsibilities and duties of the Commissioner of Finance and of the Executive Director of the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority, and of the Employees Retirement System under the provisions of said sections.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 191i (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 1 - Community Development and Renewal; Slum Clearance and Housing|Subchapter IX - Home Ownership and Development|§ 191i. Applications, eligibility

 (a) All applicants for land and dwellings in a moderate income housing project shall be residents, persons of moderate income, and at least 18 years of age, except for the class of priority purchasers referred to in paragraph (5) of section 191j of this title. Applications shall be made in writing to the Executive Director of the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority on forms supplied by the Executive Director of the Virgin Islands Housing finance Authority. All applications shall be indorsed by two persons of good repute. (b) No applicant shall be considered eligible for purchase of land and dwelling if such applicant already owns a home or a building which may be used as a home, other than a superficiary building, and in no event shall an applicant be allotted more than a dwelling on one-half of one acre of land. No applicant having once been allotted a house and plot shall be considered eligible for any additional allotment. An applicant who owns a plot of land may apply for an allotment for construction of a building to be used solely as a home. (c) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter and in the case of extreme hardship, no application for land and a dwelling in a moderate income housing project shall be denied, when such applicant otherwise qualifies, solely on the basis that such applicant already owns one acre of land or less on which a dwelling could be constructed on solely because such applicant is owner of a substandard dwelling.