U.S. Senate Passes Amata’s Amendments Bill

H.R. 6062 Sent to President to Be Signed into Law

News Release from Office of Rep Aumua Amata, R-AS, Dec 19, 2024

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is welcoming final passage of her bill for American Samoa, H.R. 6062, which will now be sent to President Biden to be signed into law. The bill streamlines the enactment of amendments that have been approved by the people of American Samoa. Congresswoman Amata is congratulating Governor Lemanu P.S. Mauga, as this was a priority for his administration, and sending special thanks to Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai’i), who offered the bill up and spoke on the Senate floor for it. The bill passed by Unanimous Consent with no objections.

“I’ve been in conversation with so many congressional leaders and influential senators this week to ensure a vote on our bill, and I want to thank each of them, but especially a heartfelt thanks to Senator Hirono who got our bill over the finish line,” said Congresswoman Aumua Amata. “Thank you in advance to President Biden, as we anticipate the bill will be signed into law sometime over the next ten working days.”

In addition to Senator Hirono’s essential help, numerous other Senators and Congressmen were supportive along the way. These included cosponsors Congressman James Moylan of Guam and Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan of CNMI. In the House process, Amata received support in the Natural Resources Committee from Chairman Bruce Westerman and Ranking Member Raúl Grijalva, Subcommittee Chair Harriet Hageman and Ranking Member Teresa Leger Fernández, as well as Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and others.

The effort in the Senate was boosted by Chairman Joe Manchin, who recently stopped in American Samoa; Vice Chairman John Barrasso; Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, another senior senator and longtime friend; Subcommittee Chairman Ron Wyden; Vice Chairman James Risch, and others. Several key senior staff professionals for leading senators were also consistently helpful and involved. 

This self-determination bill, which fulfills the unanimous request by a Fono Resolution and Governor Lemanu P.S. Mauga to remove unnecessary steps, reaffirms the principle supporting American Samoa's right to self-determination. Under the change, the Interior Secretary can approve American Samoa’s constitutional amendments now and in the future without extra steps that other territories do not have.

Amata spoke on the House floor on July 9, when it was passed by the full House, and visited Senate proceedings throughout the effort. As a noncontroversial bill, it passed by unanimous consent every step of the way through committees and the House and Senate.

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U.S. Senate Committee Passes Amata’s Bill

Chairman Manchin Voices Supports and Recalls His Welcome in American Samoa

News Release from Office of Rep Aumua Amata, R-AS, Nov 19, 2024

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is welcoming passage by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee of her bill for American Samoa, H.R. 6062. In Tuesday’s Senate Committee business meeting led by Chairman Joe Manchin of West Virginia, he thanked her for attending, expressed support for the bill, and recalled enjoying his recent stop in American Samoa with the warm welcome he received.

“I want to say to Congresswoman Radewagen, it’s such an honor to have you here,” said Chairman Manchin. “You’ve worked so hard on our Item Number 79, which is your House Resolution 6062, and in a nutshell what it does, that bill brings parity for American Samoa to all territories for the approval process of constitutional changes. That’s well-done, well-worked and well-deserved, but it’s been long overcoming, and you’ve done that, so we owe you gratitude, and all the Samoans. I’ve had a chance to visit with you, and I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed anything I’ve done, to stop there for a short period of time to spend some time with all the wonderful people there. But thank you for your hospitality and thank you for your diligent and hard work that you’ve done to make this happen. I appreciate that.”

(Sen. Manchin’s remarks about Amata, the bill, and his visit to American Samoa are available HERE at the 1:36:17 time stamp.)

Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, another senior senator, also welcomed Congresswoman Amata and expressed support for the passage of the legislation for American Samoa.

This self-determination bill fulfills the unanimous request by a Fono Resolution and Governor Lemanu P.S. Mauga to remove unnecessary steps and provide a streamlined pathway for approval of amendments to American Samoa’s constitution as already voted by the people of American Samoa.

This week’s step sends it forward for consideration by the full U.S. Senate – the last legislative step necessary before it would be sent to the President of the United States to become law.

“With the support of Chairman Manchin and Vice Chairman John Barrasso, we have a great chance of seeing our bill signed by the President as we close out this year and the 118th Congress,” said Congresswoman Aumua Amata. “Our bill was passed by unanimous consent, as it has been every step of the way. Thank you again for the key support in September from Subcommittee Chairman Ron Wyden and Vice Chairman James Risch, both of whom gave our bill momentum, along with several other senators.”

The bill reaffirms the principle supporting American Samoa's right to self-determination. Amata spoke on the House floor on July 9, when it was passed by the full House. It was previously passed by the House Natural Resources Committee, on which she serves, also by unanimous consent, a voting method reserved for noncontroversial bills.

Congresswoman Amata appreciates the support of House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman and Ranking Member Raúl Grijalva, Subcommittee Chair Harriet Hageman and Ranking Member Teresa Leger Fernández, along with the helpful co-sponsorship and support of Rep. James Moylan of Guam and Rep. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan of CNMI.

Once the full Senate acts and then the bill is signed into law by President Biden, the Interior Secretary can approve American Samoa’s constitutional amendments now and in the future without unnecessary steps in Washington, D.C., that other territories do not have.

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H.R.6062: Text, Status