Us Code § 1405c - Transfer of property to government
Full text of Us Code United States Code § 1405c — Transfer of property to government, with citation guidance and answers to common questions.
§ 1405c. Transfer of property to government
(a) Property not reserved
All property which may have been acquired by the United States from Denmark in the Virgin Islands under the convention entered into August 4, 1916, not reserved by the United States for public purposes prior to June 22, 1937, is placed under the control of the Government of the Virgin Islands.
(b) Applicability of United States law
Except as otherwise expressly provided, all laws of the United States for the protection and improvement of the navigable waters of the United States shall apply to the Virgin Islands.
(c) Applicability of tonnage duties
No Federal laws levying tonnage duties, light money, or entrance and clearance fees shall apply to the Virgin Islands.
(d) Presidential determination of applicable laws
The legislature of the Virgin Islands shall have power to enact navigation, boat inspection, and safety laws of local application; but the President shall have power to make applicable to the Virgin Islands such of the navigation, vessel inspection, and coastwise laws of the United States as he may find and declare to be necessary in the public interest, and, to the extent that the laws so made applicable conflict with any laws of local application enacted by the legislature, such laws enacted by the legislature shall have no force and effect.
(e) Existing powers of United States officers unaffected
Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to affect or impair in any manner the terms and conditions of any authorizations, permits, or other powers heretofore lawfully granted or exercised in or in respect of the Virgin Islands by any authorized officer or agent of the United States.
(June 22, 1936, ch. 699, §4, 49 Stat. 1808; Aug. 7, 1939, ch. 515, 53 Stat. 1242; Oct. 31, 1951, ch. 654, §1(127), 65 Stat. 706; Pub. L. 97–357, title III, §306, Oct. 19, 1982, 96 Stat. 1709.)
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1982—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 97–357 substituted "legislature" for "Legislative Assembly" wherever appearing.
1951—Subsec. (f). Act Oct. 31, 1951, repealed subsec. (f) which authorized the Secretary of the Interior to lease or sell any property under his administrative supervision in the Virgin Islands not needed for public purposes.
1939—Act Aug. 7, 1939, designated existing provisions as subsecs. (a), (b), (e), and (f) and added subsecs. (c) and (d).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Construction of Virgin Islands Projects by Secretary of the Army
Pub. L. 101–640, title IV, §406, Nov. 28, 1990, 104 Stat. 4647, provided that:
"(a)
"(b)
"(c)
Executive Documents
Ex. Ord. No. 9170. Certain Navigation Laws Made Applicable to Virgin Islands
Ex. Ord. No. 9170, eff. May 21, 1942, 7 F.R. 384, provided in part:
It is ordered that all of the navigation and vessel inspection laws of the United States be, and they are hereby, made applicable to the Virgin Islands of the United States, with the following exceptions:
(1) The coastwise laws of the United States.
(2) The act of Congress approved June 7, 1897 (30 Stat. 96), as amended by the acts of February 19, 1900 (31 Stat. 30), May 25, 1914 (38 Stat. 381), March 1, 1933 (47 Stat. 1417), Aug. 21, 1935 (49 Stat. 668, 669), May 20, 1936 (49 Stat. 1367), and April 22, 1940 (54 Stat. 150).
(3) So much of the vessel inspection laws of the United States as requires the inspection as a passenger vessel of any cargo vessel, foreign or domestic, when carrying more than twelve passengers or persons in addition to the crew.
(4) Federal laws levying tonnage duties, light money, or entrance and clearance fees.
About This Section
48 U.S.C. § 1405c is part of Title 48 of the United States Code. The United States Code is the official codification of federal statutes maintained by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives. Congress amends the Code through new public laws, which are eventually incorporated into the relevant title.
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