The Senate State Affairs Committee voted to report Senate Resolution 3 out of committee Saturday, advancing a resolution that urges Congress to grant American Samoans the right to vote in federal elections and to serve as commissioned officers in the U.S. uniformed services.

Senator Wilikowski, sponsor of the resolution, told the committee that American Samoa is the only inhabited U.S. territory whose residents are U.S. nationals but not U.S. citizens. "They are eligible to get a U.S. passport, travel within the United States, live in the United States without hindrance ... however, they cannot vote in federal elections, and they cannot serve as commissioned officers," Wilikowski said, adding the measure would "urge Congress to grant them the right to vote and allow them to serve as commissioned officers in the uniformed services."

Committee members asked about consultation with leaders in American Samoa and the history behind the nationals-versus-citizens distinction. Maxine LaBerge, staff to Senator Wilikowski, said the government of American Samoa has representation in Congress and expressed a desire for voting rights; she described the resolution as the start of a broader conversation and offered to include other members in future discussions. Wilikowski added that while there is strong support within American Samoa for the voting and officer changes, there is debate within the territory about whether residents would prefer full U.S. citizenship.

Senator Gray-Jackson spoke in support and was recorded as a cosponsor. Wilikowski moved that the resolution be reported out of committee with individual recommendations and no fiscal note attached; the chair asked for objections and heard none. The committee recorded the resolution as reported from committee with individual recommendations and an attached fiscal note notation.

The resolution is advisory to Congress and does not itself change federal status; it asks the federal legislature to consider the changes Wilikowski described. Committee members did not adopt statutory language changing citizenship or federal law during the hearing.