Aumua Amata Introduces Cabotage Bill

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Congresswoman Aumua Amata has introduced long-awaited legislation to improve air passenger service between Tutuila and the remote islands of the Manu’a group. KHJ News Washington Correspondent Matt Kaye reports:

It was one of her first goals after taking office last year: changing cabotage law to allow foreign carriers to make multiple stops within American Samoa or to another territory or Compact nation, without having to first return to foreign soil or get a federal waiver each month.

And now, after months of work with the Interior and Transportation Departments, Congresswoman Aumua Amata Radewagen has introduced a bill she put together with Interior Assistant Secretary Esther Kia’aina and others.

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And with the administration behind its own bill, and only American Samoa affected, Amata is confident Congress will pass the measure—

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A local CNMI senator, meantime, has asked Congressman Greg Kilili Sablan to include the NMI and Guam in the cabotage exception proposed in a pending US Senate territories bill.

That bill’s cabotage exception applies only to American Samoa, while CNMI Senator Sixto Igisomar says current law prevents foreign airlines from traveling between Guam and the CNMI.

Sablan’s office argues Guam and the CNMI are a different situation than American Samoa…both have local carriers that could lose business if a foreign carrier was allowed to compete on a regular basis.

So for now, Sablan has no plans to try to amend Amata’s bill or press for a change in the Senate bill.

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