Carl Levin: Levin, Stupak Urge Delay in New Passport Processing Rules

July 17, 2007 -- WASHINGTON – Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) and Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) today wrote Secretary of State Condolezza Rice to urge the State Department to delay implementing new rules on which agencies may process applications for passports.

"With so many travelers in Michigan and around the country facing long delays in getting their passports, now is not the time to cut back on the number of facilities accepting applications," said Levin. "This change would place an unfair burden on rural communities and put more pressure on a system that is already stretched to the breaking point."

“These new rules penalize rural Americans who may now have to drive great distances if they are not allowed to apply for a passport from the same County Clerk that issued their birth certificate,” Stupak said. “This ill conceived policy will make many rural Americans pay more, travel farther, and endure further delay to process their passport applications.”

The State Department recently instituted a policy that prohibits passport facilities that also have birth record functions, like County Clerks' offices, from accepting passport applications with birth certificates issued from the same office.

“The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative has already caused enormous delays for travelers, and I fear this policy change will only make the mess worse,” Stupak added. “This latest passport policy change was rolled out with little notice and no opportunity for public comment.”

"Many rural communities in Michigan depend on local facilities for their passport needs, and I am hopeful that Secretary Rice will take that into account and allow for a public discussion of this important change," Levin said.

County Clerks offices were informed of the new policy on June 25th. The following day, Stupak wrote Rice, asking that the policy be suspended and that the State Department explain the justification for the new policy and why there was no public comment period before the policy was implemented. The State Department has not responded to Stupak’s first letter.

# # #

NOTE: The text of the Levin-Stupak letter is below.

The Honorable Condolezza Rice
United States Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20520

Dear Secretary Rice:

We request that you immediately delay implementation of the Passport Agency requirements on Passport Application Acceptance facilities. This directive places an unfair and unnecessary burden on rural communities.

This policy requires Passport Application Acceptance facilities that issue birth records not to accept passport applications from individuals who have birth certificates issued from the same agency. As a result, individuals will have to travel to another acceptance facility or must present a state-issued birth certificate to apply for a passport. Under these new regulations, our constituents will experience increased travel time, costs, and delays.

Throughout Michigan our constituents will be forced to travel long distances to obtain their passports. For example, if a constituent is turned away from the Marquette County Clerk, because they have a Marquette County issued birth certificate, the nearest county clerk’s office is in Munising which is approximately 60 miles away.

In Michigan, it is county clerks’ offices that have traditionally processed birth certificates. Serving as the vital records keeper for counties, these offices are in a better position to verify an individual’s legal identity than the state or some other county. In addition, county clerks’ offices charge between $8 and $10 for a birth certificate and it can be obtained within a day. The State of Michigan charges individuals $26 for a state-issued birth certificate and can take weeks to process.

It is our understanding that this policy will make it more difficult for Michiganders in rural communities to apply for a passport. We urge you to allow Michigan county clerks to continue to process all passport requests until the Department of State, Members of Congress, and state officials can discuss the need for this policy change and the difficulties it imposes on state and local governments.

Thank you for your prompt response to our concerns.

Sincerely,

Carl Levin Bart Stupak
United States Senator Member of Congress

Source: Senator Carl Levin

Bookmark/Search this post with:

 •    •    •    •    •    •    •    •    •    •    •    •