TITLE 48 - US CODE - CHAPTER 13 - EASTERN SAMOA

48 USC 1661 - Islands of Tutuila, Manua, and eastern Samoa

(a) Ceded to and accepted by United States
The cessions by certain chiefs of the islands of Tutuila and Manua and certain other islands of the Samoan group lying between the thirteenth and fifteenth degrees of latitude south of the Equator and between the one hundred and sixty-seventh and one hundred and seventy-first degrees of longitude west of Greenwich, herein referred to as the islands of eastern Samoa, are accepted, ratified, and confirmed, as of April 10, 1900, and July 16, 1904, respectively.

(b) Public land laws; revenue
The existing laws of the United States relative to public lands shall not apply to such lands in the said islands of eastern Samoa; but the Congress of the United States shall enact special laws for their management and disposition: Provided, That all revenue from or proceeds of the same, except as regards such part thereof as may be used or occupied for the civil, military, or naval purposes of the United States or may be assigned for the use of the local government, shall be used solely for the benefit of the inhabitants of the said islands of eastern Samoa for educational and other public purposes.

(c) Government
Until Congress shall provide for the government of such islands, all civil, judicial, and military powers shall be vested in such person or persons and shall be exercised in such manner as the President of the United States shall direct; and the President shall have power to remove said officers and fill the vacancies so occasioned.

48 USC 1662 - Sovereignty of United States extended over Swains Island

The sovereignty of the United States over American Samoa is extended over Swains Island, which is made a part of American Samoa and placed under the jurisdiction of the administrative and judicial authorities of the government established therein by the United States.

48 USC 1662a - Amendment of constitution of American Samoa

Amendments of, or modifications to, the constitution of American Samoa, as approved by the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to Executive Order 10264 as in effect January 1, 1983, may be made only by Act of Congress.

48 USC 1663 - Acknowledgment of deeds

Deeds and other instruments affecting land situate in the District of Columbia or any Territory of the United States may be acknowledged in the islands of Guam and Samoa or in the Canal Zone before any notary public or judge, appointed therein by proper authority, or by any officer therein who has ex officio the powers of a notary public: Provided, That the certificate by such notary in Guam, Samoa, or the Canal Zone, as the case may be, shall be accompanied by the certificate of the governor or acting governor of such place to the effect that the notary taking said acknowledgment was in fact the officer he purported to be; and any deeds or other instruments affecting lands so situate, so acknowledged since the first day of January, 1905, and accompanied by such certificate shall have the same effect as such deeds or other instruments hereafter so acknowledged and certified.

48 USC 1664 - Repealed. Pub. L. 109304, 19, Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1710

Section, act June 14, 1934, ch. 523, 48 Stat. 963, made coastwise shipping laws of United States inapplicable to commerce between the islands of American Samoa or between those islands and other ports under the jurisdiction of the United States. See section 55101 of Title 46, Shipping.

48 USC 1665 - Omitted

48 USC 1666 - Extension of scientific, technical, and other assistance; grant-in-aid program restriction; limitations on expenditures

Upon request of the Secretary of the Interior

(a) the head of any Federal department, agency, or corporation may, notwithstanding any other provision of law, extend to American Samoa, without reimbursement, such scientific, technical, and other assistance under any program which it administers as, in the judgment of the Secretary of the Interior, will promote the welfare of American Samoa. The provisions of the preceding sentence shall not apply to financial assistance under any grant-in-aid program. The Secretary of the Interior shall not request assistance pursuant to this subsection which will involve nonreimbursable costs as estimated for him in advance by the heads of the departments, agencies, and corporations concerned in excess of an aggregate of $150,000 in any one fiscal year;

(b) the Secretary of Agriculture may extend to American Samoa the benefits of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, as amended [42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.]; and

(c) the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare may extend to American Samoa the benefits of the Vocational Education Act of 1946, the Hospital Survey and Construction Act [42 U.S.C. 291 et seq.], and section 246 of title 42, all as amended.

48 USC 1667 - Repealed. Pub. L. 90576, title I, 103, Oct. 16, 1968, 82 Stat. 1091

Section, Pub. L. 87–688, § 2, Sept. 25, 1962, 76 Stat. 586, extended to American Samoa the benefits of the Vocational Education Act of 1946 and authorized an annual appropriation of $80,000 therefor.

48 USC 1668 - Reporting duties of Governor and transfer of functions from government comptroller for American Samoa to Inspector General, Department of the Interior

(a) Comprehensive annual financial report; contents; other reports
The Governor of American Samoa shall prepare, publish, and submit to the Congress and the Secretary of the Interior a comprehensive annual financial report in conformance with the standards of the National Council on Governmental Accounting within one hundred and twenty days after the close of the fiscal year. The comprehensive annual financial report shall include statistical data as set forth in the standards of the National Council of Governmental Accounting relating to the physical, economic, social, and political characteristics of the government, and any other information required by the Congress. The Governor shall also make such other reports at such other times as may be required by the Congress or under applicable Federal law.

(b) Functions, powers, and duties transferred
The following functions, powers, and duties heretofore vested in the government comptroller for American Samoa are hereby transferred to the Inspector General, Department of the Interior, for the purpose of establishing an organization which will maintain a satisfactory level of independent audit oversight of the government of American Samoa:

(1) The authority to audit all accounts pertaining to the revenue and receipts of the government of American Samoa, and of funds derived from bond issues, and the authority to audit, in accordance with law and administrative regulations, all expenditures of funds and property pertaining to the government of American Samoa including those pertaining to trust funds held by the government of American Samoa.

(2) The authority to report to the Secretary of the Interior and the Governor of American Samoa all failures to collect amounts due the government, and expenditures of funds or uses or property which are irregular or not pursuant to law.

(c) Scope of authority transferred
The authority granted in paragraph (b) of this section shall extend to all activities of the government of American Samoa, and shall be in addition to the authority conferred upon the Inspector General by the Inspector General Act of 1978 (92 Stat. 1101), as amended.

(d) Transfer of personnel, assets, etc., of office of government comptroller for American Samoa to Office of Inspector General, Department of the Interior
In order to carry out the provisions of this section, the personnel, assets, liabilities, contracts, property, records, and unexpended balances of appropriations, authorizations, allocations, and other funds employed, held, used, arising from, available or to be made available, of the office of the government comptroller for American Samoa relating to its audit function are hereby transferred to the Office of Inspector General, Department of the Interior.

48 USC 1669 - Administration and enforcement of collection of customs duties; employment and training of residents

The Secretary of the Treasury shall, upon the request of the Governor of American Samoa, administer and enforce the collection of all customs duties derived from American Samoa, without cost to the government of American Samoa. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Governor of American Samoa, shall make every effort to employ and train the residents of American Samoa to carry out the provisions of this section. The administration and enforcement of this section shall commence October 1, 1980.

48 USC 1670 - Industrial development bonds

(a) Issuance
The legislature of the government of American Samoa may cause to be issued after September 20, 1984, industrial development bonds (within the meaning of section 103 (b)(2)1 of title 26).

(b) Exemption of all bonds from income taxation by State and local governments

(1) In general
The interest on any bond or other obligation issued by or on behalf of the Government of American Samoa shall be exempt from taxation by the Government of American Samoa and the governments of any of the several States, the District of Columbia, any territory or possession of the United States, and any subdivision thereof.

(2) Exemption applicable only to income taxes
The exemption provided by paragraph (1) shall not apply to gift, estate, inheritance, legacy, succession, or other wealth transfer taxes.

[1] See References in Text note below.