ARTICLE 17. NATIONAL DEFENSE HOUSING.

§16-17-1. Declaration of legislative purpose.

It is hereby found and declared that the national defense program involves large increases in the military forces and personnel in this state, a great increase in the number of workers in already established manufacturing centers, and the bringing of a large number of workers and their families to new centers of defense industries in the state; that there is an acute shortage of safe and sanitary dwellings available to such persons and their families in this state which impedes the national defense program; that it is imperative that action be taken immediately to assure the availability of safe and sanitary dwellings for such persons to enable the rapid expansion of national defense activities in this state and to avoid a large labor turnover in defense industries which would seriously hamper their production; that the provisions hereinafter enacted are necessary to assure the availability of safe and sanitary dwellings for persons engaged in national defense activities which otherwise would not be provided at this time; and that such provisions are for the public use and purpose of facilitating the national defense program in this state. It is further declared to be the purpose of this article to authorize housing authorities to do any and all things necessary or desirable to secure the financial aid of the federal government, or to cooperate with or act as agent of the federal government, in the expeditious development and the administration of projects to assure the availability when needed of safe and sanitary dwellings for persons engaged in national defense activities.

§16-17-2. Housing authorities authorized to develop and administer safe and sanitary housing for persons engaged in national defense activities.

Any housing authority may undertake the development and administration of projects to assure the availability of safe and sanitary dwellings for persons engaged in national defense activities whom the housing authority determines would not otherwise be able to secure safe and sanitary dwellings within the vicinity thereof, but no housing authority shall initiate the development of any such project pursuant to this article after December 31, 1943.

In the ownership, development or administration of such projects, a housing authority shall have all the rights, powers, privileges and immunities that such authority has under any provision of law relating to the ownership, development or administration of slum clearance and housing projects for persons of low income, in the same manner as though all the provisions of law applicable to slum clearance and housing projects for persons of low income were applicable to projects developed or administered to assure the availability of safe and sanitary dwellings for persons engaged in national defense activities as provided in this article, and housing projects developed or administered hereunder shall constitute "projects" as that term is used in chapter ninety-three, acts of the Legislature of West Virginia, second extraordinary session, 1933, and any amendments thereto: Provided, That during the period (herein called the "national defense period") that a housing authority finds (which finding shall be conclusive in any suit, action or proceeding) that within its authorized area of operation, or any part thereof, there is an acute shortage of safe and sanitary dwellings which impedes the national defense program in this state, and the the necessary safe and sanitary dwellings would not otherwise be provided when needed for persons engaged in national defense activities, any project developed or administered by such housing authority (or by any housing authority cooperating with it) in such area pursuant to this article, with the financial aid of the federal government (or as agent for the federal government as hereinafter provided), shall not be subject to the rentals and tenant selection limitations contained in any other act: And provided further, That during the national defense period, a housing authority may make payments in such amounts as it finds necessary or desirable for any services, facilities, works, privileges or improvements furnished for or in connection with any such projects. In the development or the administration of projects hereunder, or in otherwise carrying out the purposes hereof, a housing authority of a city may exercise its powers within the territorial boundaries of said city and an area within five miles from said boundaries excluding the area within the territorial boundaries of any other city which has heretofore established a housing authority. After the national defense period, any such projects owned and administered by a housing authority shall be administered for the purposes and in accordance with the provisions of chapter ninety-three, acts of the Legislature of West Virginia, second extraordinary session, 1933, and any amendments thereto, except as otherwise provided in the preceding sentence of this section two.

§16-17-3. Cooperation of housing authority with federal government; sale of housing projects to government.

A housing authority may exercise any or all of its powers for the purpose of cooperating with, or acting as agent for, the federal government in the development or administration of projects by the federal government to assure the availability of safe and sanitary dwellings for persons engaged in national defense activities, and may undertake the development or administration of any such project for the federal government. In order to assure the availability of safe and sanitary housing for persons engaged in national defense activities, a housing authority may sell (in whole or in part) to the federal government any housing project developed for persons of low income but not yet occupied by such persons; such sale shall be at such price and upon such terms as the housing authority shall prescribe, and shall include provision for the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities of the authority relating to such project.

§16-17-4. Rights and powers of public bodies to cooperate with housing authorities or federal government.

Any city, county or other public body shall have the same rights and powers to cooperate with housing authorities, or with the federal government, with respect to the development or administration of projects to assure the availability of safe and sanitary dwellings for persons engaged in national defense activities, that such city, county or other public body has under any provisions of law for the purpose of assisting the development or administration of slum clearance or housing projects to persons of low income.

§16-17-5. Bonds, notes, contracts, etc., of housing authorities validated.

All bonds, notes, contracts, agreements and obligations of housing authorities heretofore issued or entered into relating to financing or undertaking (including cooperating with or acting as agent of the federal government) in the development or administration of any project to assure the availability of safe and sanitary dwellings for persons engaged in national defense activities, are hereby validated and declared legal in all respects, notwithstanding any defect or irregularity therein or any want of statutory authority.

§16-17-6. Article constitutes independent authorization; housing authority not subject to limitations and requirements of other laws.

This article shall constitute an independent authorization for a housing authority to undertake the development or administration of projects to assure the availability of safe and sanitary dwellings for persons engaged in national defense activities as provided in this article, and for a housing authority to cooperate with, or act as agent for, the federal government in the development or administration of similar projects by the federal government. In acting under this authorization, a housing authority shall not be subject to any limitations, restrictions or requirements of other laws (except those relating to land acquisition) prescribing the procedure or action to be taken in the development or administration of any public works, including slum clearance and housing projects for persons of low income or undertakings or projects of municipal or public corporations or political subdivisions or agencies of the state. A housing authority may do any and all things necessary or desirable to cooperate with, or act as agent for, the federal government, or to secure financial aid, in the expeditious development or in the administration of projects to assure the availability of safe and sanitary dwellings for persons engaged in national defense activities and to effectuate the purposes of this article.

§16-17-7. Definitions.

(a) "Persons engaged in national defense activities," as used in this article, shall include: Enlisted men in the military and naval services of the United States and employees of the war and navy departments assigned to duty at military or naval reservations, posts or bases; and workers engaged or to be engaged in industries connected with and essential to the national defense program; and shall include the families of the aforesaid persons who are living with them.

(b) "Development," as used in this article, shall mean any and all undertakings necessary for the planning, land acquisition, demolition, financing, construction or equipment in connection with a project (including the negotiation or award of contracts therefor), and shall include the acquisition of any project (in whole or in part) from the federal government.

(c) "Administration," as used in this article, shall mean any and all undertakings necessary for management, operation or maintenance, in connection with any project, and shall include the leasing of any project (in whole or in part) from the federal government.

(d) "Federal government," as used in this article, shall mean the United States of America or any agency or instrumentality, corporate or otherwise, of the United States of America.

(e) The development of a project shall be deemed to be "initiated," within the meaning of this article, if a housing authority has issued any bonds, notes or other obligations with respect to financing the development of such project of the authority, or has contracted with the federal government with respect to the exercise of powers hereunder in the development of such project of the federal government for which an allocation of funds has been made prior to December 31, 1943.

(f) "Housing authority," as used in this article, shall mean any housing authority established or hereafter established pursuant to chapter ninety-three, acts of the Legislature of West Virginia, second extraordinary session, 1933, and any amendments thereto.

§16-17-8. Additional and supplemental powers conferred.

The powers conferred by this article shall be in addition and supplemental to the powers conferred by any other law, and nothing contained herein shall be construed as limiting any other powers of a housing authority.