[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5817 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5817
To expand and codify a pilot program to provide notification of
expiration of passports, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 28, 2023
Mr. Schiff (for himself and Mr. Lieu) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To expand and codify a pilot program to provide notification of
expiration of passports, 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. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Passport Application, Staffing, and
Service Process Optimization Reform and Transparency Act'' or the
``PASSPORT Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Providing passport services is a vital function of the
United States Government that affects the lives, plans, and
finances of millions of Americans. Congress has vested
authority in the State Department to grant, issue, and verify
United States passports.
(2) The number of passports the Department of State issues
on an annual basis has increased substantially since the mid-
1990s, with the Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs issuing
a record 21,900,000 passports in fiscal year 2022, nearly
quadruple the 5,500,000 passports issued in fiscal year 1996.
The Department of State expects to set a new record in fiscal
year 2023 amid what Secretary of State Antony Blinken said was
``unprecedented demand'', with the Department receiving 30
percent to 40 percent more passport applications weekly than in
2022.
(3) In 2023, a number of factors led to a surge in passport
applications and delays in processing--including pent-up demand
for passports among the American public following the relaxing
of COVID-19-related international travel restriction,
complications with the limited release of the online passport
renewal process, attrition within the passport adjudication
workforce following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and
continued in-person work required, and growth in the percentage
of American citizens who possess a passport.
(4) The Department of State's published processing times
for routine passport applications increased from 6 to 9 weeks
in January 2023 to 10 to 13 weeks by March 2023, and for
expedited passport applications increased from 3 to 5 weeks to
7 to 9 weeks in the same time frame.
(5) In July 2023, the Department of State indicated it was
working to return processing times to pre-pandemic levels,
which as of December 2019 were 6 to 8 weeks for routine
applications and 2 to 3 weeks for expedited applications, by
the end of the calendar year. However, the published processing
times have not decreased as of September 2023.
(6) The passports backlog and lengthier, unpredictable
processing times has significantly impacted United States
citizens. The delays have caused United States citizens to miss
international travel for important events such as weddings,
funerals, family reunions, and long-awaited vacations, and
opportunities to work and study abroad. The backlogs have also
imposed undue stress and additional costs on constituents, with
unpredictable timelines forcing United States citizens to
cancel and reschedule travel, pay for expedited services, or
miss out on once-in-a-lifetime events. A disproportionate
percentage of constituent service caseloads now focus on
passport issues.
(7) Congressional action is needed to ensure continued
improvements in passport processing times and communication
with United States citizens on these matters.
SEC. 3. PLAN TO EXPAND AND CODIFY PILOT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE NOTIFICATION
OF EXPIRATION OF PASSPORTS.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to Congress
a report that--
(1) updates Congress on the progress in implementing the
pilot program described on the travel.state.gov website to
notify United States passport holders 6 months before their
passports are set to expire;
(2) contains a plan to expand the Department of State's
pilot program to provide notification to all holders of United
States passports of the upcoming expiration of each such
passport by not later than the date that is one year prior to
the date of the expiration of the passport; and
(3) contains a plan to codify the pilot program, including
proposals for legislation if necessary.
(b) Form of Notification.--The notification under the pilot program
described in subsection (a)--
(1) shall be provided through electronic mail (e-mail),
Short Message/Messaging Service (SMS), or other electronic
means as appropriate; and
(2) may be provided through regular United States mail in
cases in which the e-mail or phone number of holders of United
States passports is not available.
(c) Opt Out.--The pilot program described in subsection (a) shall
allow for passport holders to opt out of receiving notifications under
the program.
SEC. 4. INFORMATION RELATING TO USE OF AND APPLICATION PROCESS FOR
PASSPORTS AT THE TIME OF BOOKING INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS TO
OR FROM THE UNITED STATES.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State, in coordination with the
Secretary of Transportation, shall coordinate with airlines and airline
ticket booking companies serving the United States and offering
international flights to or from the United States to provide
information relating to use of passports, including the minimum length
of passport validity required to enter the destination country, and the
application process for passports to customers at the time of booking
an international flight to or from the United States.
(b) Form of Information.--The information required by subsection
(a) should be provided through electronic mail (e-mail), Pop-up ads or
Pop-ups, directed links on the airline's website, or other electronic
means as appropriate and include a mechanism for users to acknowledge
they have read the information before the transaction can be completed.
SEC. 5. PLAN TO IMPROVE TRACKING OF PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP DOCUMENTS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State shall develop a plan to
provide greater transparency and improved tracking of documents to
provide evidence of United States citizenship and proof of identity for
purposes of the application process for United States passports.
(b) Requirements.--The plan required by subsection (a)--
(1) should ensure that documents described in such
subsection are returned to applicants using a trackable
delivery service, which could include providing applicants the
option to pay a fee for shipping via UPS, Priority Mail, or
another method that provides for tracking of the documents, and
ensuring that applicants are informed of the relevant tracking
number or numbers; and
(2) shall include information on the travel.state.gov
website describing options that are available to applicants
whose documents described in such subsection are lost in the
application process.
(c) Reimbursement.--The plan required by subsection (a) shall
provide for reimbursement of the full cost of replacement to the
applicant of any of the applicant's documents described in such
subsection that are lost by the Department of State in the application
process.
SEC. 6. GAO STUDY.
(a) In General.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall
prepare an update to its July 2008 study entitled ``State Department:
Comprehensive Strategy Needed to Improve Passport Operations'' (GAO-08-
891).
(b) Matters To Be Included.--The study required by subsection (a)
shall include a review of the operations of lockbox facilities operated
by financial agents of the Department of the Treasury that are
responsible for opening and sorting passport application packages,
verifying the completeness of the packages, processing payments, and
batching the applications, further including--
(1) information on the volume and average times for
processing applications for United States passports at the
lockbox facilities;
(2) an assessment of communication between the Department
of State and such facilities;
(3) identification of any areas for improvements and
increased efficiencies; and
(4) a description of how the Department of State and
lockbox facilities are planning to shift responsibilities for
processing of documents used in the application system for
United States passports under an online passport application
system.
(c) Additional Matters To Be Included.--The study required by
subsection (a) shall also include a review of the Department of State's
efforts to estimate and adapt to periods of peak demand for passport
services, as well as information on any additional topics that the
Comptroller General determines are relevant to improving passport
operations.
SEC. 7. PASSPORT OPERATIONS STAFFING AND PASSPORT EMPLOYEE RECRUITMENT
AND RETENTION.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State should brief Congress on
the current staffing levels for employees supporting passport
operations and make any recommendations regarding the provision of
additional compensation to employees that have made outstanding
contributions to decreasing backlogs in the processing applications for
United States passports.
(b) Consultation With Congress.--The Secretary of State should
consult with Congress on any additional authorities that may be needed
to--
(1) provide appropriate incentives and recognition to
recruit and retain Department of State employees involved in
processing applications for United States passports; and
(2) encourage more overtime of such employees until
backlogs in processing applications for such passports are
reduced.
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