What This Bill Does
S. 3733 would amend the Passport Act of 1920 to let eligible public libraries serve as passport acceptance facilities and keep the execution fee they collect for processing passport applications. The bill covers libraries organized as nonprofits, charitable organizations, trusts, or other nongovernmental entities, as long as they comply with State Department regulations. It also directs the Secretary of State to authorize, within 30 days of enactment, any public library that already served as a passport acceptance facility before enactment and was in compliance with the rules. A conforming amendment would update the statute to list public libraries alongside state, local, and Postal Service passport acceptance sites.
- Lets certain public libraries serve as passport acceptance facilities.
- Allows qualifying libraries to collect and retain the passport execution fee.
- Applies to libraries organized as nonprofits, charitable organizations, trusts, or other nongovernmental organizations.
- Requires compliance with State Department regulations for passport application acceptance and execution.
- Orders the Secretary of State to authorize previously compliant library acceptance sites within 30 days of enactment.
Who This Bill Affects
If you need a passport, this bill could make it easier to find a nearby acceptance location, especially if your local public library already handled passport applications before. It would also allow eligible libraries to keep the execution fee, which may help them continue offering the service without absorbing all of the administrative cost. For people who never use passport acceptance services, the bill would have little direct effect.
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- Library patrons in smaller towns or underserved areas They would gain a more convenient local place to submit passport applications, cutting down travel time and making it easier to complete the process.
- Public libraries that already offer passport services Keeping the execution fee could help offset staffing, training, and administrative costs associated with accepting and executing passport applications.
- Local governments and community access advocates Expanding the number of passport acceptance sites can reduce pressure on post offices and make federal services easier to access in neighborhoods that already rely on libraries.
- Passport applicants concerned about inconsistent service quality Moving more passport processing to libraries could create uneven capacity unless every site can maintain the training, security, and compliance standards required by the State Department.
- Federal or postal service administrators Adding another class of acceptance facilities may complicate oversight and coordination, especially if many libraries seek authorization at once.
- Taxpayer watchdogs They may worry that retaining execution-fee revenue outside the federal system could reduce transparency or create incentives to expand services beyond what is operationally necessary.
Key Implications
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““The Secretary of State may authorize a public library ... to serve as a passport acceptance facility””
This gives the State Department explicit authority to use public libraries as passport intake locations, which can expand where Americans can apply.
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““collect and retain the execution fee for a passport accepted by such public library””
Libraries would keep the fee rather than sending it elsewhere, which may help pay for staff time and administrative overhead.
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““Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment ... authorize any public library””
Libraries that already did this work before enactment would get a fast-track restoration of authority if they were previously compliant.
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““if, before the date of the enactment ... such public library served as a passport acceptance facility””
The automatic authorization rule is limited to libraries with prior passport-acceptance experience, not every library in the country.
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““in compliance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of State””
Libraries would still have to meet federal rules, so the change expands locations without removing passport-security requirements.
Latest Status
June 17, 2026
Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
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