,i #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ebcc ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,august #ah1 #bjbc,mr4 ,carter of ,georgia 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,chavez-,de,remer1 ,ms4 ,lee of ,nevada1 ,mr4 ,miller of ,ohio1 ,mr4 ,mills1 ,mr4 ,moulton1 ,mr4 ,nunn of ,iowa1 ,ms4 ,salazar1 ,mr4 ,schiff1 ,ms4 ,titus1 and ,mr4 ,webster of ,florida7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,passport ,act of ,june #d1 #aibj1 to make certain improvements with respect to expenditure and other authorities1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,definitions ,in this ,act1 the following definitions apply3 7#a7 ,appropriate congressional committees ,the term appropriate congressional committees means the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives4 7#b7 ,department ,the term ,department means the ,department of ,state4 7#c7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,state4 #b4 ,passport fee expenditure authority extension 7a7 ,western hemisphere travel initiative fee ,to make permanent the ,western ,hemisphere ,travel ,initiative fee1 section #a7;b7 of the ,passport ,act of ,june #d1 #aibj1 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bad7;b77#a77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#a71 by striking 7#a72 and 7#b7 by striking paragraphs 7#b7 and 7#c74 7b7 ,passport fees ,section #a7;b7 of the ,passport ,act of ,june #d1 #aibj1 as amended by subsection 7a71 shall be applied through fiscal year #bjbh by striking such costs and inserting the costs of providing consular services4 7c7 ,modernization of passport processing ,a portion of the expanded expenditure authorities provided in subsections 7a7 and 7b7 shall be used-- 7#a7 to modernize consular systems1 with an emphasis on passport and citizenship services2 and 7#b7 towards a feasibility study on how the ,department could provide urgent1 in-person passport services to significant populations with the longest travel times to existing passport agencies1 including the possibility of building new passport agencies4 #c4 ,special hiring authority for passport services ,during the #c-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state1 without regard to the provisions under sections #ccji through #ccah of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 may directly appoint candidates to positions in the competitive service 7as defined in section #bajb of such title7 at the ,department in the ,passport and ,visa ,examining ,series #jifg4 #d4 ,quarterly report on passport wait times ,not later than #cj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and quarterly thereafter for the following #c years1 the ,secretary shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that describes-- 7#a7 the current estimated wait times for passport processing2 7#b7 the steps that have been taken by the ,department to reduce wait times to a reasonable time2 7#c7 efforts to improve the rollout of the online passport renewal processing program1 including how much of passport revenues the ,department is spending on consular systems modernization2 7#d7 the demand for urgent passport services by major metropolitan area2 7#e7 the steps that have been taken by the ,department to reduce and meet the demand for urgent passport services1 particularly in areas that are greater than #e hours driving time from the nearest passport agency2 and 7#f7 how the ,department details its staff and resources to passport services programs4 #e4 ,passport travel advisories ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,department shall make prominently available in ,united ,states regular passports1 on the first #c pages of the passport1 the following information3 7#a7 ,a prominent1 clear advisory for all travelers to check travel4state4gov for updated travel warnings and advisories4 7#b7 ,a prominent1 clear notice urging all travelers to register with the ,department prior to overseas travel4 7#c7 ,a prominent1 clear advisory-- 7,a7 noting that many countries deny entry to travelers during the last #f months of their passport validity period2 and 7,b7 urging all travelers to renew their passport not later than #a year prior to its expiration4 #f4 ,strategy to ensure access to passport services for all ,americans ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall submit a strategy to the appropriate congressional committees1 the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,senate1 and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives for ensuring reasonable access to passport services for all ,americans1 which shall include-- 7#a7 a detailed strategy describing how the ,department could-- 7,a7 by not later than #a year after submission of the strategy1 reduce passport processing times to an acceptable average for renewals and for expedited service2 and 7,b7 by not later than #b years after the submission of the strategy1 provide ,united ,states residents living in a significant population center more than a #e-;hour drive from a passport agency with urgent1 in-person passport services1 including the possibility of building new passport agencies2 and 7#b7 a description of the specific resources required to implement the strategy4 #g4 ,strengthening the national passport information center 7a7 ,sense of congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that passport wait times since #bjba have been unacceptably long and have created frustration among those seeking to obtain or renew passports4 7b7 ,online chat feature ,the ,department should develop an online tool with the capability for customers to correspond with customer service representatives regarding questions and updates pertaining to their application for a passport or for the renewal of a passport4 7c7 ,gao report ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall initiate a review of ,,npic operations1 which shall include an analysis of the extent to which ,,npic-- 7#a7 responds to constituent inquiries by telephone1 including how long constituents are kept on hold and their ability to be placed in a queue2 7#b7 provides personalized customer service2 7#c7 maintains its telecommunications infrastructure to ensure it effectively handles call volumes2 and 7#d7 other relevant issues the ,comptroller ,general deems appropriate4 #h4 ,strengthening passport customer visibility and transparency 7a7 ,online status tool ,not later than #b years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,department should modernize the online passport application status tool to include1 to the greatest extent possible1 step by step updates on the status of their application1 including with respect to the following stages3 7#a7 ,submitted for processing4 7#b7 ,in process at a lockbox facility4 7#c7 ,awaiting adjudication4 7#d7 ,in process of adjudication4 7#e7 ,adjudicated with a result of approval or denial4 7#f7 ,materials shipped4 7b7 ,additional information ,the tool pursuant to subsection 7a7 should include a display that informs each passport applicant of-- 7#a7 the date on which his or her passport application was received2 and 7#b7 the estimated wait time remaining in the passport application process4 7c7 ,report ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,assistant ,secretary of ,state for ,consular ,affairs shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that outlines a plan for coordinated comprehensive public outreach to increase public awareness and understanding of-- 7#a7 the online status tool required under subsection 7a72 7#b7 passport travel advisories required under section #d2 and 7#c7 passport wait times4