Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 82.djvu/879

 82 STAT. ]

PUBLIC LAW 90-496-AUG. 23, 1968

837

Public Law 90-496 AN ACT To provide for the popular election of the Governor of the Virgin Islands, and for other purposes.

August 23, 1968 ^^' '^^^^

Be H enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Virgin United States of America in Congress asHcmbled, That, effective on Elective Islands Governor the date of enactment of this Act, section 7(a) of the Revised Organic Act. Act of the Virgin Islands (68 Stat. 497, 500; 48 U.S.C. 1573(a)), as 73 Stat. 569. amended, is amended to read as follows: " (a) Regular sessions of the legislature shall be held annually, commencing on the second Monday in January (unless the legislature shall by law fix a different date), and shall continue for such term as the legislature may provide. The Governor may call special sessions of the legislature at any time when in his opinion the public interest may require it. 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. All sessions of the legislature shall be open to the public." SEC. 2. Effective on the date of enactment of this Act, section 9, subsection (a) of the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands (68 Stat. 497, 501; 48 U.S.C. 1575(a)) is amended by deleting the first sentence and by substituting therefor the following: "The quorum of the legislature shall consist of eight of its members." SEC. 3. Section 9, subsection (d), of the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands (68 Stat. 497, 502; 48 U.S.C. 1575(d)) is amended by deleting its fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth sentences and by substituting therefor the following: "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, upon motion of a member of the legislature, p r o c ^ d to reconsider the bill. If, after such reconsideration, two-thirds of all the members of the legislature pass the bill, it shall be a law." SEC. 4. Section 11 of the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands (68 Stat. 497,503; 48 U.S.C. 1591) is amended to read as follows: "SEC. 11. The executive powder of the Virgin Islands shall be vested in an executive officer whose official title shall be the 'Governor of the Virgin Islands'. The Governor of the Virgin Islands, together with Election. the Lieutenant Governor, shall be elected by a majority of the votes cast by the people who are qualified to vote for the members of the legislature of the Virgin Islands. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall be chosen jointly, by the casting by each voter of a single vote applicable to both officers. If no candidates receive a majority of the votes cast in any election, on the fourteenth day thereafter a runoff election shall be held between the candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor receiving the highest and second highest number of votes cast. The first election for Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall be held on November 3, 1970. Thereafter, beginning with the year 1974, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall be elected every four years at the general election. The Governor and Lieutenant Term of office. Governor shall hold office for a term of four years and until their successors are elected and qualified. No person who has been elected Governor for two full successive terms shall be again eligible to hold that office until one full term has intervened. The term of the elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall commence on the first Monday of January following the date of election. "No person shall be eligible for election to the office of Governor or Qualifications. Lieutenant Governor unless he is an eligible voter and has been for five

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