Hopes that the United States Senate would quickly approve a bill which would extend federal tax incentives for the tuna canning industry in American Samoa have been dashed.
The Senate was three votes short of what was needed to pass a procedure on the House bill which would have allowed the Senate to consider the legislation without opening it up
for amendment or debate.
American Samoa's Congressman Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin says the Senate sought to consider the bill as it was submitted by the House.
Faleomavaega says that's because any changes to the bill would require the House to start from scratch and put a new bill forward.
The Senate had hoped to avoid this lengthy process and to get this legislation to the President's desk for signature.
But the bill is still alive and should be reported back to the Senate floor for debate when Congress returns from a recess in September.
