I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9398 
To prioritize the processing of United States passport applications submitted 
at in-person appointments at passport agencies or through the mail, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 23, 2024 
Ms. CARAVEO (for herself and Mr. CARTER of Georgia) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To prioritize the processing of United States passport appli-
cations submitted at in-person appointments at passport 
agencies or through the mail, 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 Processing 
Efficiency Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. PRIORITY OF PROCESSING OF PASSPORT APPLICA-
TIONS AT IN-PERSON APPOINTMENTS AT 
PASSPORT AGENCIES AND THROUGH THE 
MAIL. 
The Secretary of State shall prioritize the processing 
of United States passport applications submitted by indi-
viduals at in-person appointments at passport agencies or 
through the mail over applications transmitted by third- 
party passport couriers. 
SEC. 3. REPORTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, 
the Secretary of State shall submit to the Committee on 
Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives a report 
that includes— 
(1) data illustrating the allocations of slots to 
third-party couriers by each passport agency on a 
yearly basis, disaggregated by passport agency; 
(2) data illustrating the changes made to the 
number of such allocations of slots to third-party 
couriers by each passport agency, disaggregated by 
passport agency, during the reporting period; and 
(3) an explanation detailing how the Depart-
ment of State decided on the allocation of slots to 
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third-party couriers and any adjustments thereto 
during the reporting period. 
(b) REPORT RELATING TO CITATIONS.—Not later 
than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
and annually thereafter, the Secretary of State shall sub-
mit to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate 
and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
Representatives a report that includes— 
(1) all citations against third-party passport 
couriers by each passport agency; and 
(2) for each citation listed under paragraph (1), 
a description of the penalty imposed against the cou-
rier involved and a notation indicating the passport 
agency that issued the citation and the penalty. 
(c) CITATION DEFINED.—In this section, the term 
‘‘citation’’ means any violation of the Department of 
State’s National Hand-Carry Procedures for Passport Ap-
plications and Completed Passports, or any regulations or 
other measures related to or succeeding these procedures, 
recorded by a passport agency. 
SEC. 4. WEBSITE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall pub-
lish and maintain on the Department of State’s website 
a section for individuals to submit complaints against 
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third-party couriers and an aggregated summary of such 
complaints. 
(b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The aggregated 
summary required by subsection (a) shall include— 
(1) the most frequent and the most severe com-
plaints submitted pursuant to such subsection; and 
(2) a description of steps the Department of 
State has taken, is taking, or intends to take to re-
mediate such complaints. 
SEC. 5. THIRD-PARTY PASSPORT COURIERS AND THIRD- 
PARTY COURIERS DEFINED. 
In this Act, the terms ‘‘third-party passport couriers’’ 
and ‘‘third-party couriers’’ mean a private-sector entity 
that charges a passport applicant a service fee for hand 
delivering his or her passport application to a domestic 
United States passport agency and retrieving the com-
pleted passport or related documents on behalf of the ap-
plicant. 
Æ 
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