This bill would amend the Passport Act to allow certain public libraries to serve as passport acceptance facilities and to collect and retain the passport application execution fee. Eligible libraries must be organized as a non-governmental organization, nonprofit, charitable organization, or trust and must follow the regulations set by the Secretary of State for accepting and executing passport applications. The bill also requires the Secretary of State to authorize, within 30 days of enactment, any public library that previously served as a passport acceptance facility and was in compliance with those regulations, and to submit a report to relevant congressional committees with documentation or an explanation if authorization does not occur. A conforming amendment adds qualifying public libraries to the list of entities allowed to accept and execute passport applications.
If your local public library meets the bill's organization and regulatory requirements, you could be able to submit a passport application there and the library could collect the execution fee. The Secretary of State must promptly authorize libraries that previously complied with passport-acceptance rules.
No publicly available information on costs or budgetary effects is included in the bill text. The bill requires administrative actions by the Department of State and a report to Congress but does not provide cost estimates.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.