The American Samoa senate has approved a bill which will allow the government to borrow 20 million US dollars from its employees retirement fund to pay for a number of infrastructure projects, government buildings and next year's Pacific Arts Festival.
The passing of the bill is seen as a major victory for the administration of governor Togiola Tulafono which has persistently faced opposition from the senate when it has tried several times in the past to get funding for the same projects.
Before the vote, the senate president, Lolo Letalu Moliga, took the unusual step of appealing to senators to place their confidence in the governor and approve the bill so important projects could go ahead.
