(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law to the contrary, and effective fifteen days after July 19, 1968, the Commissioner of Property and Procurement shall designate and contract with any newspapers or news magazine of general circulation in the Virgin Islands to publish official notices and publications of executive departments, agencies and other instrumentalities of the Government of the Virgin Islands.
(b) Any newspaper or news magazine of general circulation, printed and published in the English language within the territory at least once per month for at least two years continuously, shall be eligible for designation to publish official government advertisements and notices under this section.
(c) The Commissioner of Property and Procurement shall execute contracts for publication of government notices in accordance with this act for a period of one biennium, and biennially thereafter. Such contracts shall specify that during the first biennium the government shall pay a rate for advertising not higher than that existing upon the effective date of this section. The rate specified in a contract may not be increased during the period of the contract. In selecting newspapers for the publication of official notices the Commissioner shall determine that said notices are widely circulated in the islands of the territory. Only those notices affecting the island or islands in which the newspaper has a substantial circulation may be published in said newspaper. It shall be illegal to publish government notices in any publication other than the newspapers designated by the Commissioner, except that with the approval of the Commissioner and when the public interest demands, publication of special notices may be made in periodicals outside the United States Virgin Islands.