I 
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 Representa-
tives 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 func-
tion of the United States Government that affects 
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the lives, plans, and finances of millions of Ameri-
cans. Congress has vested authority in the State De-
partment to grant, issue, and verify United States 
passports. 
(2) The number of passports the Department of 
State issues on an annual basis has increased sub-
stantially since the mid-1990s, with the Depart-
ment’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 Sec-
retary of State Antony Blinken said was ‘‘unprece-
dented 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, complica-
tions with the limited release of the online passport 
renewal process, attrition within the passport adju-
dication workforce following the onset of the 
COVID–19 pandemic and continued in-person work 
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required, and growth in the percentage of American 
citizens who possess a passport. 
(4) The Department of State’s published proc-
essing times for routine passport applications in-
creased from 6 to 9 weeks in January 2023 to 10 
to 13 weeks by March 2023, and for expedited pass-
port 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 indi-
cated 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, unpre-
dictable 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 op-
portunities 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 trav-
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el, 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 citi-
zens 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 imple-
menting the pilot program described on the trav-
el.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 ex-
piration of the passport; and 
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(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 sub-
section (a) shall allow for passport holders to opt out of 
receiving notifications under the program. 
SEC. 4. INFORMATION RELATING TO USE OF AND APPLICA-
TION PROCESS FOR PASSPORTS AT THE TIME 
OF BOOKING INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS TO 
OR FROM THE UNITED STATES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, in coordi-
nation with the Secretary of Transportation, shall coordi-
nate 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 coun-
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try, 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 re-
quired by subsection (a) should be provided through elec-
tronic mail (e-mail), Pop-up ads or Pop-ups, directed links 
on the airline’s website, or other electronic means as ap-
propriate and include a mechanism for users to acknowl-
edge they have read the information before the transaction 
can be completed. 
SEC. 5. PLAN TO IMPROVE TRACKING OF PROOF OF CITI-
ZENSHIP DOCUMENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall de-
velop 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 sub-
section (a)— 
(1) should ensure that documents described in 
such subsection are returned to applicants using a 
trackable delivery service, which could include pro-
viding applicants the option to pay a fee for shipping 
via UPS, Priority Mail, or another method that pro-
vides for tracking of the documents, and ensuring 
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that applicants are informed of the relevant tracking 
number or numbers; and 
(2) shall include information on the trav-
el.state.gov website describing options that are avail-
able to applicants whose documents described in 
such subsection are lost in the application process. 
(c) REIMBURSEMENT.—The plan required by sub-
section (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 Strat-
egy Needed to Improve Passport Operations’’ (GAO–08– 
891). 
(b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The study re-
quired by subsection (a) shall include a review of the oper-
ations 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 includ-
ing— 
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(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 re-
sponsibilities 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 Comp-
troller General determines are relevant to improving pass-
port 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 rec-
ommendations regarding the provision of additional com-
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pensation to employees that have made outstanding con-
tributions to decreasing backlogs in the processing appli-
cations for United States passports. 
(b) CONSULTATION WITH CONGRESS.—The Sec-
retary of State should consult with Congress on any addi-
tional authorities that may be needed to— 
(1) provide appropriate incentives and recogni-
tion to recruit and retain Department of State em-
ployees 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. 
Æ 
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