[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5233 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5233
To amend the Passport Act of June 4, 1920, to make certain improvements
with respect to expenditure and other authorities, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 18, 2023
Mr. Carter of Georgia (for himself, Mrs. Chavez-DeRemer, Ms. Lee of
Nevada, Mr. Miller of Ohio, Mr. Mills, Mr. Moulton, Mr. Nunn of Iowa,
Ms. Salazar, Mr. Schiff, Ms. Titus, and Mr. Webster of Florida)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Passport Act of June 4, 1920, to make certain improvements
with respect to expenditure and other authorities, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act, the following definitions apply:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on
Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign
Affairs of the House of Representatives.
(2) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the
Department of State.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of State.
SEC. 2. PASSPORT FEE EXPENDITURE AUTHORITY EXTENSION.
(a) Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Fee.--To make permanent
the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative fee, section 1(b) of the
Passport Act of June 4, 1920, (22 U.S.C. 214(b)(1)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``(1)''; and
(2) by striking paragraphs (2) and (3).
(b) Passport Fees.--Section 1(b) of the Passport Act of June 4,
1920, as amended by subsection (a), shall be applied through fiscal
year 2028 by striking ``such costs'' and inserting ``the costs of
providing consular services''.
(c) Modernization of Passport Processing.--A portion of the
expanded expenditure authorities provided in subsections (a) and (b)
shall be used--
(1) to modernize consular systems, with an emphasis on
passport and citizenship services; and
(2) towards a feasibility study on how the Department could
provide urgent, in-person passport services to significant
populations with the longest travel times to existing passport
agencies, including the possibility of building new passport
agencies.
SEC. 3. SPECIAL HIRING AUTHORITY FOR PASSPORT SERVICES.
During the 3-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Secretary of State, without regard to the provisions
under sections 3309 through 3318 of title 5, United States Code, may
directly appoint candidates to positions in the competitive service (as
defined in section 2102 of such title) at the Department in the
Passport and Visa Examining Series 0967.
SEC. 4. QUARTERLY REPORT ON PASSPORT WAIT TIMES.
Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act,
and quarterly thereafter for the following 3 years, the Secretary shall
submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that
describes--
(1) the current estimated wait times for passport
processing;
(2) the steps that have been taken by the Department to
reduce wait times to a reasonable time;
(3) efforts to improve the rollout of the online passport
renewal processing program, including how much of passport
revenues the Department is spending on consular systems
modernization;
(4) the demand for urgent passport services by major
metropolitan area;
(5) the steps that have been taken by the Department to
reduce and meet the demand for urgent passport services,
particularly in areas that are greater than 5 hours driving
time from the nearest passport agency; and
(6) how the Department details its staff and resources to
passport services programs.
SEC. 5. PASSPORT TRAVEL ADVISORIES.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act, the Department shall make prominently available in United States
regular passports, on the first 3 pages of the passport, the following
information:
(1) A prominent, clear advisory for all travelers to check
travel.state.gov for updated travel warnings and advisories.
(2) A prominent, clear notice urging all travelers to
register with the Department prior to overseas travel.
(3) A prominent, clear advisory--
(A) noting that many countries deny entry to
travelers during the last 6 months of their passport
validity period; and
(B) urging all travelers to renew their passport
not later than 1 year prior to its expiration.
SEC. 6. STRATEGY TO ENSURE ACCESS TO PASSPORT SERVICES FOR ALL
AMERICANS.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act, the Secretary shall submit a strategy to the appropriate
congressional committees, the Committee on Appropriations of the
Senate, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives for ensuring reasonable access to passport services for
all Americans, which shall include--
(1) a detailed strategy describing how the Department
could--
(A) by not later than 1 year after submission of
the strategy, reduce passport processing times to an
acceptable average for renewals and for expedited
service; and
(B) by not later than 2 years after the submission
of the strategy, provide United States residents living
in a significant population center more than a 5-hour
drive from a passport agency with urgent, in-person
passport services, including the possibility of
building new passport agencies; and
(2) a description of the specific resources required to
implement the strategy.
SEC. 7. STRENGTHENING THE NATIONAL PASSPORT INFORMATION CENTER.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that passport
wait times since 2021 have been unacceptably long and have created
frustration among those seeking to obtain or renew passports.
(b) Online Chat Feature.--The Department should develop an online
tool with the capability for customers to correspond with customer
service representatives regarding questions and updates pertaining to
their application for a passport or for the renewal of a passport.
(c) Gao Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States
shall initiate a review of NPIC operations, which shall include an
analysis of the extent to which NPIC--
(1) responds to constituent inquiries by telephone,
including how long constituents are kept on hold and their
ability to be placed in a queue;
(2) provides personalized customer service;
(3) maintains its telecommunications infrastructure to
ensure it effectively handles call volumes; and
(4) other relevant issues the Comptroller General deems
appropriate.
SEC. 8. STRENGTHENING PASSPORT CUSTOMER VISIBILITY AND TRANSPARENCY.
(a) Online Status Tool.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Department should modernize the online
passport application status tool to include, to the greatest extent
possible, step by step updates on the status of their application,
including with respect to the following stages:
(1) Submitted for processing.
(2) In process at a lockbox facility.
(3) Awaiting adjudication.
(4) In process of adjudication.
(5) Adjudicated with a result of approval or denial.
(6) Materials shipped.
(b) Additional Information.--The tool pursuant to subsection (a)
should include a display that informs each passport applicant of--
(1) the date on which his or her passport application was
received; and
(2) the estimated wait time remaining in the passport
application process.
(c) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs
shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that
outlines a plan for coordinated comprehensive public outreach to
increase public awareness and understanding of--
(1) the online status tool required under subsection (a);
(2) passport travel advisories required under section 4;
and
(3) passport wait times.
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