7 identified. The bill is broadly drafted to conveyall properties required from Denmark. This 1s permissible because, under Public Law 93-435, the United States Government reserved wll the property for its own purposes in the Virgin Islands. At the time of the issuance of Executive Order No. 5602 in 1931, there was no organic legislation for the Virgin Islands and the administration of the territory was a Federal activity. Even with the enactment of organic lecishition in 1956 and its revision in 1954. there remained a substantial derree of Federal responsibility for administration and thus, perhaps, there was a continuing rationale for retaining title to the forevoing properties in the Federal Government. There have been progressive steps in self-covernment in recent years with the amendments to the Organic Act providing for the election of a deleeate to Congress and the election of the Governor who previously had been a Presidential appointee with the advice and consent of the United States Senate. There is no longer any administrative reason for the Federal Government to retaintitle to these properties. For many years they have been operated and maintained by the territorial government; they serve local governmental needs. Enactment of the enclosed proposed bill will remove an anachronism - mm the development of self-government in the Virgin Islands dating from the pre-Orgnnic Act days. The Office of Management and Budget has advised that there is no objection to the submission of this prepesed levislation from the standpoint of the Administratiow’s prograin. Sincerely, JAnmces A. -JOserit, Under Seeretary. Enclosure. A BILL To amend the Revised Oreunie Act of the Virgin Islands, and for other purposes Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That Subsection (b) of section 31 of the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands (48 U.S.C. 1545(b)) as amended, is further amended by numbering the existing paragraph “(1)” and bythe addition thereto of the fol- lowing new paragraph: (9) Subject to valid existine rights, title to all property in the Virgin Islands which may have been acquired by the United States from Denmark under the Convention entered into August 16, 1916, not reserved or retained by the United States in accordance with the provisions of Public Law 98-435, 88 Stat. 1210, is hereby transferred to the VirginIslands Government.” Ciraxaes in Existixe Law In comphance withclause 3 of rule MITT of the Rules of the IIouse of Representatives, changes in existing law made by the bill, as reported, are shown as follows—existing law proposed to be onutted is enclosed, in black brackets, new matter is printed in italic, existing Jaw in which no changeis proposed is shown in roman: