Passport Backlog Elimination Act
Bill: H.R.4632 | Sponsor: Rep. Connolly, Gerald E. (D-VA)
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Passport Backlog Elimination Act
This bill requires the Department of State to submit and implement a plan containing specified actionable strategies to eliminate the backlog of passport applications that is due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To require the Secretary of State to submit a plan to eliminate the 
backlog of passport applications due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 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 Backlog Elimination Act''.

SEC. 2. PLAN TO ELIMINATE PASSPORT APPLICATION BACKLOG.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act or October 30, 2021, whichever is later, after 
consultation with the appropriate congressional committees, the 
Secretary of State shall submit to such committees a plan, including 
the actionable strategies described in subsection (b), to ensure the 
current backlog of passport applications due to the COVID-19 pandemic 
is eliminated in a timely manner in order to promote the national 
security and economic interests of the United States.
    (b) Actionable Strategies.--The actionable strategies described in 
this subsection are to--
            (1) eliminate the backlog of at least 1.4 million passport 
        applications;
            (2) establish a timeline for the elimination of such 
        backlog; and
            (3) ensure--
                    (A) that the expected processing time for--
                            (i) routine passport applications is 
                        between six and eight weeks;
                            (ii) expedited passport applications is 
                        between two to three weeks; and
                            (iii) expedited passport applications for 
                        Federal Government personnel is not more than 
                        eight business days;
                    (B) the safety of Department of State personnel and 
                customers and compliance with all applicable Federal, 
                State, and local health and social distancing 
                guidelines; and
                    (C) the ability for expedited service for 
                applicants requiring a passport for purposes related to 
                their employment.
    (c) Implementation.--Not later than 30 days after the submission of 
the plan required under subsection (a), the Secretary of State shall 
begin implementation of the plan to eliminate the backlog of passport 
applications due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
    (d) Inspector General Audit.--Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Inspector General of the 
Department of State shall submit to Congress an audit on the 
elimination of the passport application backlog required by the plan 
required under subsection (a), and the Department's actionable 
strategies described in subsection (b).
    (e) Application.--If by September 30, 2021, all passport 
applications received prior to June 15, 2021, have been processed and 
the Department of State has resumed accepting passport applications for 
routine and expedited processing, the provisions of this section shall 
not apply.
    (f) Definition.--In this section, the term ``appropriate 
congressional committees'' means the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 
the Committee on Oversight and Reform of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate.
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