Last year, Delegate Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R) of American Samoa, proposed resolution HR 6062, a bill that would give American Samoa autonomy over the management of its amendments to its territorial constitution. After a series of revisions, the bill passed the United States House of Representatives on July 9 unanimously, emphasizing its bipartisan support. As of now, the legislation awaits the approval of the US Senate, sitting in the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The bill itself, along with the approval process, highlights how the United States is progressively integrating its territories and could shape the future of the territorial relationship with the mainland.
American Samoa is currently the only territory that has to go to Congress and present legislation to make changes to the territorial Constitution. The emphasis on increasing democracy, by removing the requirement, was shared in a press release by Delegate Coleman Radewagen during the bill’s passage in the House, “This bill is about more than just procedural changes; it is about reaffirming our commitment to self-governance and democratic values. By removing unnecessary obstacles, we are reinforcing the principle that the people of American Samoa have the right and the ability to govern themselves.”
The bill’s bipartisan support also underscores a theme among recent territorial legislation, such as the Puerto Rico Status Act, which has also seen bipartisan backing. The US House Committee on Natural Resources passed the legislation HR 6062 as part of a package of a couple of other bills. These included: HR 897, HR 5441, HR 5443, and HR 5770; all of which directly pertain to the contiguous United States. This tactic of packaging bills is significant in demonstrating how the United States can proceed more efficiently by passing related bills alongside territorial legislation, emphasizing how legal changes to the territories can be made commonplace.
HR 6062, while solely granting American Samoa the right to alter its territorial constitution, has much broader implications for the federal-territorial status quo. It allows for increased democratic participation, alters the polarized landscape that engulfs the political landscape by garnering bipartisan support, and paves the way for territorial legislation to be more prevalent within the congressional field.
