Authority of Secretary of State to Designate Additional Persons Eligible to Serve As Passport Acceptance Agents

Floor Speech

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Mr. MOYLAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8234) to authorize the Secretary of State to designate additional persons eligible to serve as passport acceptance agents, and for other purposes, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 8234

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY OF STATE TO DESIGNATE ADDITIONAL PERSONS ELIGIBLE TO SERVE AS PASSPORT ACCEPTANCE AGENTS.

Section 6109(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (22 U.S.C. 213a(b)) is amended--

(1) by redesignating paragraph (6) as paragraph (7); and

(2) by inserting after paragraph (5) the following:

``(6) A United States citizen who, as determined by the Secretary, is employed by and provides services through a reputable, established company or institution and is commissioned or appointed as a notary or notary public or otherwise authorized to perform a notarization under the laws of a State, district, or territorial government.''. SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO HAND-CARRY COURIER SERVICES FOR PASSPORT APPLICATIONS AND PASSPORTS.

(a) In General.--The Secretary of State shall take such actions as may be necessary to--

(1) facilitate an increase in the number of companies certified to provide hand-carry courier services; and

(2) increase the daily maximum number of applications for United States regular passports, by service type, that such companies may submit to a passport agency of the Department of State (commonly referred to as ``meeting slots'') as part of the hand-carry courier services of such company.

(b) Hand-carry Courier Service Defined.--In this section, the term ``hand-carry courier service'' means--

(1) the transport of applications for United States passports to a passport agency of the Department of State for processing; and

(2) the retrieval of newly issued United States passports for delivery, directly or indirectly, to the passport holder. SEC. 3. DATE OF EXPIRATION OF UNITED STATES PASSPORTS.

The Secretary of State shall take such actions as may be necessary to provide that each United States regular passport issued or renewed on or after the date that is 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act expires on the same month and day of the month as the date of birth of the individual associated with such passport.

Mr. Speaker, millions of Americans use U.S. passports as their official travel documents each year. Passports are what open doors to faraway foreign destinations.

The problem, though, is that certain Americans are having a difficult time applying for them. What should be a simple administrative step is anything but.

That is where my colleague Mr. Mast's bill comes in. H.R. 8234 would level the playing field, assisting those Americans who currently face unnecessary obstacles.

First, the bill would authorize new institutions to serve as passport acceptance agents. Passport acceptance is the process of verifying the applicant's identification documents.

Currently, most civilian passport acceptance is done by designated employees of the U.S. Postal Service. With the recent closure of many U.S. post offices and with fewer post offices offering passport services, however, access points for passport acceptance have been significantly reduced. This reduction has led to delays in some citizens' ability to schedule a passport appointment.

We feel this acutely on Capitol Hill. Scarcely a day goes by when Members of Congress like myself do not hear from frustrated constituents experiencing some sort of passport problem.

Allowing new entities, like public notaries, to become passport acceptance agents will ensure that the citizen application process is easier, faster, and more seamless. For example, if the notaries at all UPS Stores and AAA Travel offices nationwide were to become registered passport acceptance agents, then the number of passport acceptance sites would increase by 10,000 locations.

The second thing this bill would do is assist Americans in rural areas and nonmajor cities apply for their passports. The so-called hand-carry courier program helps citizens who otherwise would be unable to travel to a passport agency due to time, cost, or distance constraints. Through the program, they would be able to secure an urgent or emergency passport using a third-party registered agent.

H.R. 8234 would allow for more companies to participate in the hand- carry program. By expanding the program, we make emergency passports more readily available to citizens who need them, especially for those who don't live in or near a major city.

Finally, Mr. Mast's bill would align a passport's expiration date with the applicant's birthday, making it easier for him or her to remember when it is time to renew. This will help reduce the application spikes surrounding popular travel seasons and prevent new backlogs and delays.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join in supporting H.R.

Mr. Speaker, we need to make passport services more accessible to Americans who don't live in major cities. This bill, H.R. 8234, would actually do that by authorizing new actors like public notaries to serve as passport acceptance agents.

It would also allow more companies to participate in the hand-carry courier program and open up slots for those companies at passport agency offices across the country.

Americans who don't live in major cities shouldn't have to have a harder time getting travel documents than anyone else.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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