[PUBLIC LAW 615-81ST CONGRESS]

[CHAPTER 466-2D SESSION]

[S. 3635]

AN ACT

To enable the governments of Alaska, of Hawaii, of Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands to authorize public bodies or agencies to undertake slum clearance, urban redevelopment, and low-rent housing activities including the issuance of bonds and other obligations, to amend the low-rent housing enabling statutes for Alaska and Hawaii, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the "Territorial Enabling Act of 1950".

TITLE I-SLUM CLEARANCE AND URBAN REDEVELOPMENT IN ALASKA, HAWAII, AND PUERTO RICO

SEO. 101. The governments of Alaska, of Hawaii, and of Puerto Rico, each acting through its legislature, may create a public corporate authority or authorities and may authorize such authority or authorities or any other public corporate authority or any municipal corporation or political subdivision, acting directly or through any officer or agency thereof or through a public corporate authority, to undertake slum clearance and urban redevelopment projects and to do all things, exercise any and all powers, and to assume and fulfill any and all obligations, duties, responsibilities, and requirements, including but not limited to those relating to planning and zoning, necessary or desirable for receiving Federal assistance under title I of the Housing Act of 1949 (Public Law 171, Eighty-first Congress), or any other law, except that public corporate authorities (as distinct from municipalities or political subdivisions) created or authorized to operate in accordance with this Act shall not be given any power of taxation or any power to pledge the full faith and credit of the people of the Territory, or municipality, or political subdivision, as the case may be, for any loan whatever. The Legislatures of Alaska, of Hawaii, and of Puerto Rico may, with respect to any public corporate authority or authorities empowered or which may be empowered to undertake slum clearance and urban redevelopment projects, provide for the appointment and terms of office of the members thereof, and for the powers of such authorities, including authority to accept whatever benefits the Federal Government may make available for slum clearance and urban redevelopment projects, and authority, notwithstanding any other Federal law, to borrow money and to issue notes, bonds, and other obligations of such character and maturity, with such security, and in such manner as the respective legislatures may provide. Such notes, bonds, and other obligations shall not be a debt of the United States, or of any Territory or municipal corporation or other political subdivision or agency thereof other than the public corporate authority which issued such notes, bonds, or obligations, nor constitute

a debt, indebtedness, or the borrowing of money within the meaning of any limitation or restriction on the issuance of notes, bonds, or other obligations contained in any laws of the United States applicable to Alaska, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico, or to any municipal corporation or other political subdivision or agency thereof.

SEC. 102. The governments of Alaska, of Hawaii, and of Puerto Rico may assist slum clearance and urban redevelopment projects through cash donations, loans, conveyances of real and personal property, facilities, and services, and otherwise, and may authorize municipalities or other political subdivisions to make cash donations, loans, conveyances of real and personal property to public corporate authorities and to take other action, including but not limited to the making available or the furnishing of facilities and services, in aid of slum clearance and urban redevelopment projects.

SEC. 103. All legislation heretofore enacted by the Legislature of the Territory of Alaska, of Hawaii, and of Puerto Rico dealing with the subject matter of this Act and not inconsistent herewith is hereby ratified and confirmed.

TITLE II-AMENDMENTS TO THE LOW-RENT-HOUSING ENABLING STATUTES FOR ALASKA AND HAWAII

SEO. 201. ALASKA. (a) The Act of July 21, 1941 (55 Stat. 601), is amended to read as follows:

"That the Legislature of the Territory of Alaska may create public corporate authorities to undertake slum clearance and projects to provide dwelling accommodations for families of low income and for persons (and their families) engaged in national-defense activities within the Territory.

"SEC. 2. The Legislature of the Territory of Alaska may provide for the appointment and terms of the commissioners of such authorities and for the powers of such authorities, except that such authorities shall not be given any power of taxation, nor any power to pledge the faith of the people of the Territory for any loan whatever.

"SEC. 3. The Legislature of the Territory of Alaska may authorize such authorities to issue bonds or other obligations with such security and in such manner as the legislature may provide, except as provided in this Act. Such bonds and other obligations shall not be a debt of the Territory of Alaska or any political or municipal corporation or other subdivision of the Territory other than such authorities; and such bonds and other obligations shall not constitute a debt, indebtedness, or the borrowing of money within the meaning of any limitation or restriction on the issuance of bonds or other obligations contained in the laws of the United States applicable to the Territory of Alaska or any political or municipal corporation or other subdivision of the Territory.

"SEC. 4. All legislation heretofore enacted by the Legislature of the Territory of Alaska dealing with the subject matter of this Act and not inconsistent herewith is hereby ratified and confirmed.

"SEC. 5. Powers granted herein shall be in addition to and not in derogation of any powers granted by other law to or for the benefit or assistance of any public corporate authority or municipality."

(b) The title of said Act of July 21, 1941, is amended to read as follows:

"An Act to authorize the Legislature of the Territory of Alaska to create one or more public corporate authorities to undertake slum clearance and projects to provide dwelling accommodations for families of low income and to issue bonds and other obligations of the authority or authorities for such purposes, and for other purposes.”. SEC. 202. HAWAII.-(a) The Act of July 10, 1937 (50 Stat. 508), is amended to read as follows:

"That the Legislature of the Territory of Hawaii may create public corporate authorities to engage in slum clearance, or housing undertakings, or both, within such Territory. The legislature of said Territory may provide for the appointment and terms of the members of such authorities and for the powers of such authorities, except that such authorities shall be given no power of taxation. The legislature may authorize the Territory or any political or municipal corporation or subdivision thereof to make loans, donations, and conveyances and make available their facilities and services to such authorities, and to take other action in aid of slum clearance or housing undertakings, and may, without regard to any Federal Acts restricting the disposition of public lands of the Territory, authorize the commissioner of public lands, the Hawaiian Homes Commissioners, and any other officers of the Territory having power to manage and dispose of its public lands, to grant, convey, or lease to such authorities parts of the public domain, and may provide that any of the public domain or other property acquired by such authorities may be mortgaged by them as security for their bonds. The legislature of said Territory may authorize such authorities to issue bonds or other obligations of such character and maturity and in such manner as the legislature may provide. Such bonds shall not be a debt of the Territory or any political or municipal corporation or subdivision thereof, shall not constitute public indebtedness within the meaning of section 55 of the Act approved April 30, 1900, entitled 'An Act to provide a government for the Territory of Hawaii', as amended, and shall not constitute bonds of the Territory of Hawaii within the meaning of the Act approved August 3, 1935, entitled 'An Act to enable the Legislature of the Territory of Hawaii to authorize the issuance of certain bonds, and for other purposes', as amended. All legislation heretofore enacted by the Legislature of the Territory of Hawaii dealing with the subject matter of this Act and not inconsistent herewith is hereby ratified and confirmed. Powers granted herein shall be in addition to and not in derogation of any powers granted by other law to or for the benefit or assistance of any public corporate authority or municipality."

(b) The title of said Act of July 10, 1937, is amended to read as follows:

"An Act to authorize the Legislature of the Territory of Hawaii to create one or more public corporate authorities authorized to engage in slum clearance and housing undertakings and to issue bonds of the authority or authorities, to authorize said legislature to provide for financial assistance to said authority or authorities by the Territory and its political subdivisions, and for other purposes.".

TITLE III-SLUM CLEARANCE, URBAN REDEVELOPMENT, AND LOW-RENT HOUSING IN THE VIRGIN ISLANDS

SEC. 301. The government of the Virgin Islands, through its legislative assembly, may grant to a public corporate authority existing or to be created through said assembly, exclusive authority to undertake slum clearance, urban redevelopment, and low-rent housing activities within the municipalities of the Virgin Islands. The legislative assembly may provide for the appointment and terms of office of the members of such authority and for the powers of such authority, including authority to accept whatever benefits the Federal Government may make available under the Housing Act of 1949 (Public Law 171, Eighty-first Congress), or any other law, for projects contemplated by this Act and to do all things, to exercise any and all powers, and to assume and fulfill any and all obligations, duties, responsibilities, and requirements, including but not limited to those relating to planning or zoning, necessary or desirable for receiving such Federal assistance, except that such authority shall not be given any power of taxation, nor any power to pledge the faith and credit of the people of the Virgin Islands for any loan whatever.

SEC. 302. The legislative assembly may authorize such authority, any provision of the Virgin Islands Organic Act or any other Act of Congress to the contrary notwithstanding, to borrow money and to issue notes, bonds, and other obligations of such character and maturity, with such security, and in such manner as the legislative assembly may provide. Such notes, bonds, and other obligations shall not be a debt of the United States, or of the Virgin Islands or of any municipality or subdivision thereof, other than such authority, nor constitute "bonds and other obligations" within the meaning of the Act approved October 27, 1949 (Public Law 418, Eighty-first Congress), entitled "An Act to authorize the government of the Virgin Islands or any municipality thereof to issue bonds and other obligations", or a debt, indebtedness, or the borrowing of money within the meaning of any limitation or restriction on the issuance of notes, bonds, or other obligations contained in any laws of the United States applicable to the Virgin Islands or to any municipal corporation or other political subdivision or agency thereof.

SEC. 303. The government of the Virgin Islands, through its legislative assembly, may assist such authority with cash donations, loans, conveyances of real and personal property, facilities, and services, and otherwise, and may authorize municipalities and other subdivisions to make cash donations, loans, conveyances of real and personal property to such authority, and to take other action, including but not limited to, the making available or the furnishing of facilities and services, in aid of slum clearance, urban redevelopment, or low-rent housing projects.

SEC. 304. Notwithstanding the limitation contained in the last sentence of section 110 (d) or in any other provision of title I of the Housing Act of 1949 (Public Law 171, Eighty-first Congress), the Housing and Home Finance Administrator is hereby authorized to allow and credit to such authority as may be created for the Virgin Islands under this Act (1) such local grants-in-aid as are otherwise.

approvable pursuant to the first sentence of said section 110 (d) with respect to any slum clearance and urban redevelopment project or projects undertaken by such authority with Federal assistance made available under title I of the Housing Act of 1949, and (2) such grants-in-aid made or assistance given to the local community by any Federal department or agency pursuant to authority of law other than the Housing Act of 1949 which would, if made or given by a State or local community, be approvable pursuant to said first sentence of section 110 (d) with respect to any such project or projects so undertaken.

SEC. 305. All legislation heretofore enacted by the legislative assembly of the Virgin Islands dealing with any part of the subject matter of this Act and not inconsistent herewith is hereby ratified and confirmed.

SEC. 306. Powers granted herein shall be in addition to and not in derogation of any powers granted by other law to or for the benefit or assistance of any public corporate authority or municipality. Approved July 18, 1950.