(a) Notwithstanding any other law, an employee of any department or agency of the executive branch or central staff of the legislative branch of the Government of the United States Virgin Islands shall be allowed to transfer between districts provided he can demonstrate that due to economic hardship he is unable to remain in the district where he is currently employed and there is a similar position available in the requested district.
(b) The employee requesting a transfer shall submit a written request for transfer to the department's commissioner, agency's head or to the President of the Legislature, as the case may be, demonstrating such economic hardship.
(c) The department's commissioner or agency's head shall submit the request along with his findings and recommendations to the Governor within ten (10) days after the receipt of the request from the employee.
(d) The Governor shall forward the request to the Legislature's Committee on Government Operations. However, the President of the Legislature shall forward the request directly to the Committee on Government Operations. If the request is approved by the Committee on Government Operations, the request shall be granted and the employee shall be allowed to transfer.
(e) For purposes of this section “economic hardship” includes but is not limited to the unavailability of affordable housing in the district where the employee is employed or where the spouse of the employee resides in another district.