Attorneys and lawmakers have often complained about the lack of updated rules, regulations and procedures for ASG, which are published in the American Samoa Code Annotated that the executive branch is required to publish every two years.
The last know publication of the American Samoa Administrative Code was more than 40 years ago.
Last Friday, the Governor’s Office announced that Lt. Governor Talauega Eleasalo Ale, acting in his capacity as the Secretary of American Samoa, has published and released the Official 2023 Edition of the American Samoa Administrative Code (Administrative Code).
The Administrative Code is the official reporter of the rules, regulations, and procedures that the departments, agencies, commissions, boards, and other ASG entities adopt to execute and enforce the general laws that have been passed by the Fono and enacted by the Governor.
Local law requires that the Secretary publish and make available for public inspection the revised, or supplemented, Administrative Code, every two years.
The last known publication of the Administrative Code was in 1982.
Upon taking office in 2021, Governor Lemanu Sialega Peleti Mauga took immediate action and directed the Office of the Secretary to proceed with all expediency and diligence to compile and publish an updated version of the Administrative Code.
Two years of research, investigation, and analysis of both private and public records to assemble this official version of the Administrative Code has culminated in the 2023 Edition of the American Samoa Administrative Code, the first official reporter in over 40 years.
The Secretary will update the Administrative Code in real-time, as previously promulgated rules are recovered and as departments promulgate new Rules.
These updates will be made available via the Secretary of American Samoa website, which will have a downloadable PDF of the 2023 Edition of the Administrative Code, further information on how the office will serve the public, as well as additional projects it’s working on.
For additional information, visit www.osas.as.gov or email secretaryofamericansamoa@go.as.gov.
