(d) The Commission, pursuant to its rules, may employ consultants and staff as
it deems necessary, subject to the limits of appropriations made to the Commission;
Provided, however, That employees of any branch of the Government of the Virgin
Islands may provide assistance to the Commission in terms of office space, personnel,
equipment, material, supplies and services at the discretion of the Governor for the
Executive branch, the President of the Legislature for the Legislative branch, and the
Presiding Judge of the Territorial Court for the Judicial branch.

 Section 2. (a) The Virgin Islands Status Commission shall consider and
define the scope of territorial-federal relations between the Virgin Islands and the
United States of America. The Commission shall research and determine the status of
other territorial relations with the United States which now exist and which have
existed. The Commission shall set forth the options available to the people of the
Virgin Islands for relations with the United States and shall, through negotiations and
discussions with appropriate Federal officials, determine which options are likely to be
acceptable to the Government of the United States, and which options would improve
the economic, social, cultural and political standing of the people of the Virgin Islands.

 (b) Prior to commencing negotiations with Federal officials, the Commission
shall conduct public hearings throughout the Virgin Islands for the purpose of
permitting any Virgin Islands resident to comment on the territorial-federal relationship.
The Commission shall solicit the views of the delegates to the Fourth Constitutional
Convention and representatives of political, civic, labor and business organizations in
the Virgin Islands community. The Commission shall be guided by the public
comments in its negotiations with Federal officials.

 (c) The Commission shall report its preliminary findings and conclusions to the
 Governor and the Legislature not less than bimonthly. In its final report, the
 Commission shall recommend a specific territorial-federal relationship for the Virgin
 Islands and the United States. On the first Tuesday after the 60th day after the
 Commission submits its final report to the Governor and the Legislature, the
 Supervisor of Elections shall conduct a referendum of the voters of the Virgin Islands
 on the question: "Do you approve of the territorial-federal relationship for the Virgin
 Islands as recommended by the Virgin Islands Status Commission? [ ] Yes [ ] No". If
 the recommended relationship is ratified by a majority vote, counting only those ballots
 cast in the affirmative and negative, the official position of the Virgin Islands shall be as
 so ratified until or unless amended in like manner. In the event the Congress of the
 United States amends the ratified official position of the Virgin Islands, those
 amendments shall not be deemed the official position of the Virgin Islands until and
 unless ratified by the people of the Virgin Islands.

 Section 3. (a) There is hereby appropriated in the fiscal year ending
 September 30, 1980, from any available funds in the Treasury of the Virgin Islands, the
 sum of $35,000 which shall remain available until expended, to be used by the
 Commission to carry out the purposes of this act. The Chairman of the Commission
 shall submit to the Legislature a recommended budget for the operation of the